I am building a Madone 5.5. I am trying to decide between two groupsets. The SRAM Force with a compact double 50/34 - 11/28 and Shimano Ultegra triple 50/39/30 - 12/27.

On my bike right now I have a 50/39/26 - 12/27.

I live in SoCal and I ride fairly hilly rides. Usually between 3-5000 feet of gain but occasionally up to 10,000 feet of gain. I ride hilly centuries 2-3 times a year.

I have (so far) been able to climb everything, but I am a pretty slow climber. I always get dropped on the hills on club rides. I would like to be a faster climber. I can hang with the group on flats and inclines up to about 4%. I do use my granny gear now, but only on pretty steep inclines and sometimes on smaller inclines (8-10%) at the end of a long ride. On my triple I ride in the middle about 85% of the time, in the little ring about 10% and the big ring only about 5% - usually on extended flats and downhill.

Any discussion on the merits of the two group sets, given the kind of rider I am and my goals, would be really appreciated.