I guess I'd rather spread the load with a bigger chainring than a smaller cog. That said, the biggest I can gear I can pull on the flat in no-wind conditions is a 53-15 and and I can't keep that up for long. 20 years of running around with a beer in one hand and a bong in the other with a cigarette dangling from my lip took its toll.

I can still climb like a motherfather, but I reckon the backside of the slope is for coasting down.