What cassette are you using?

Drafting others downhill is about as easy as it gets. It's extremely difficult to drop someone on a downhill section so if you're getting dropped on a downhill it's not because of gearing.

My current setup is a 52/36 and 11-28 10spd. with 303 tubs. Works very well for me in all situations.

I can't think of any good reason to not keep your current lowest gear-inch combination if you're currently using that gear-inch combination with any regularity.

I'm surprised that you need a 28t cog for climbing. The gaps on the 11-28t cassette suck.

I remember driving in Utah.

That was the flattest state I have ever driven in.

The road just went straight for 100 miles.. not a turn, not a hill... nothing.

I've seen things you wouldn't believe in the internet crankset comment wars. Internet expert comments on fire off the shoulder of Orion. C-Record sub-compacts glitter in the dark near the Champs Elysees. All those triples will be lost in time, like tears in the rain...

Oh, you know casually sitting in at 30mph@80rpm in a 52x11, so much extra work to "spin" 83rpm instead in a 50x11

You could put on a 51/35 if they exist. They did back in the day. Split the difference and come up with a catchy name. Middle, mean, center Compact? You could start a trend. Become a BF legend.

+1

Some people will never understand.

Oh, if they stay on your tail as you ramp up the speed, yeah, you're overtaken by them as easily as ever. But if they aren't paying attention at the crest, you can drop them like a rock. They might catch up eventually, but that's OK.
At the time, we were talking about spinning up to maximize downhill speed, and my point was that spinning up to ones own max rpm is neither easy nor likely among undisciplined riders when they have been mashing or slowly turning the cranks for an extended period. I've done rides hovering around 110 rpm for the most part and spun up over 140, but when riding around most of the morning rarely exceeding 90, 110 feels spastic.
No, some people will never see anything except with their own eyes. Actually, I think this all more a matter of taste than physics. Some like to win the race by playing the tortoise. Others care less about that and rather enjoy playing the hare.

Again, since you missed the point entirely, the difference in the spinnup is less than 5rpm because the difference in 50x11 and 52x11 in terms of torque and rpm required to achieve a desired speed is small. You aren't limited by your gearing when cresting and accelerating at the top of the hill, as any racer would know, and certainly a recreational cyclist won't be able to tell the difference in acceleration with a 50x11 vs a 52x11 accelerating over a hill

One thing, I am kind of picky about which hills I hammer on.

There is one decent Strava segment that goes through two switchbacks, and I've decided, nope, not going to bother with it. Just enjoy the coast.

I have one segment with about a 6% slope that i push up to the mid 40's that is straight and wide.

The one from the photo, 14%, levels off a couple of times, but is generally straight. The one issue with it is that it is right on the edge of the city, headed into town which could potentially bring issues. I.E. Cars and lights trump Strava.

No, YOU guys miss the point. We can't or just don't WANT to manage those extra 5 rpm. Some people seem to forget: the difference between success and failure is as small as the scorer cares to measure. There is no such thing as an insignificant measurable increment when it comes to success vs failure.

Oh, and don't pretend to know when I can discern a difference and when I can't. We can only guess what anyone else perceives .
You don't know me!

It looks like someone is getting cranky.

more like "tired and emotional."

A lot of people seem to forget that 50/11 is still a big gear. 10 or 15 yrs ago everyone "got by" with a 12t top and prior to that a 13t. 53/12 is smaller than a 50/11.

True that. BITD, Campy Nuovo Record went from 13- 28 in the back (although really 13-25 was the practical limit for good shifting) and the FD had a 10 tooth capicity, so 52-42 on the front was pretty standard.

Somehow, guys like Merckx managed to get downhill quickly with 52-13

Well, quicker than the other guys at the time, and only 'cause they were trying to spin out sooner on even easier gears, I betcha.

I rode with Eddy a few years ago,

He doesn't need huge gears to crush you on a DH.

There's also the issue of what the rear derailleur could happily tolerate. The Nuovo Record relied on the angle of the idler cage to keep the jockey wheel at reasonable distance from the cogs, and front shifts affect that angle, so a large front gearing range could result in more reluctant rear shifting.