I ride a 52/36 front and a 11-30 rear 11 speed cassette in constantly rolling hills. Am considering getting a 53/39. When I go to Colorado which has longer distances of continuous of climbing I've been changing to a 50/34 front. But not certain I really need that.
And I am by no means a powerful rider. My FTP is much lower than what others boast here.
Also I'm not certain I can give you a proper answer tailored to you as I know nothing about how well you currently do on a bicycle.
Maybe just consider that cassettes are generally inexpensive and you can try out several to find what works for you better. You don't have to get top tier stuff for your experiments. Get the top tier when you know what range of gearing works for you.
Last edited by Iride01; 08-13-22 at 02:09 PM.