Hi Chris,
Yes double ropes are great for trad climbing. Takes a bit of practice to get right. We are a bit unconventional as we have a 60m Beal 8 point something mm rope (their cheapest one, about £60 or 70) which we use doubled at crags up to the height of Stanage. We also have the same type in a 50m and we use both at taller crags like Millstone. The advantage of using a doubled rope is that, if you coil it doubled, it is a lot quicker to just flake it out doubled than flaking out 2 ropes. The disadvantage is that, when you are climbing, both ropes are the same colour, so you may be best off using 2 separate ropes to start with to reduce any confusion!
The Beal rope handle really nicely – a little bit prone to coiling when they are first used, but that soon disappears.
Hope that helps,
John