I have a triple and use every gear available at various times due to the terrain where I live. But it can get a little irritating having to switch back and forth all the time between the middle and little chainring when in the hills.
I would rather have a compact crank, no question about it. If the hills you are riding are pretty moderate, not too steep, then the 50/36 might be okay. Anything steeper than a 8-10% grade might be a little much and would require a 50/34. You can always get a bigger rear cassette up to say a 27, but there tends to be some pretty big gaps in the gears between the 3rd and 6th cogs with 11 or 12 /27.
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