Bicycle Mechanics - Front Derailleur not working right

I have a Trek2200 which came with a 105 front derailleur. I was having trouble shifting, espically from larger to smaller gears. I just upgraded to an Ultegra and although it is smoother I still have the same problem. When I go from smaller to larger gears it is as smooth as butter but going the other way it gets stuck. When I try to even "trim the gears" by using the micro shifting function it drops into the "granny".

In fact, on today's ride I noticed that while in 32 and some of the easier rear cogs, I hear quite a bit of grinding.

Any ideas?

My local bike shop is usually great but they cannot seem to get this right.

Are you running cross gears? IE big/big small/granny? If so theres no way to prevent poor performance in these gears, and typically should be avoided.

Are you running cross gears? IE big/big small/granny? If so theres no way to prevent poor performance in these gears, and typically should be avoided.

No, I am in the middle gears in the back and when I try to drop from my 52 to 42 it does not move over. If I try and microclick it drops to the granny.

Also once I get into 42 and try and go to some smaller gears in the back I hear grinding which I think is the chain hitting the FD.

Either your front derailleur spring is shot (unlikely, but possible), your front derailleur needs cleaning and lubication, or your cable is not releasing properly. When you try unsuccessfully to execute a 52-->42 gear change, does the cable go slack? If so, the problem is in the derailleur itself. In contrast, if the cable remains taut, the problem is in the shifter, the cable, or the cable housing. Also, make sure your cage is parallel to your chainrings and that the cage is mounted just high enough to clear the gear teeth during shifts.

Either your front derailleur spring is shot (unlikely, but possible), your front derailleur needs cleaning and lubication, or your cable is not releasing properly. When you try unsuccessfully to execute a 52-->42 gear change, does the cable go slack? If so, the problem is in the derailleur itself. In contrast, if the cable remains taut, the problem is in the shifter, the cable, or the cable housing. Also, make sure your cage is parallel to your chainrings and that the cage is mounted just high enough to clear the gear teeth during shifts.

The FD is brand new (so dirt or the spring being shot do not seem likely).

The cable is taut so it is probably the shifter, cable or housing. How can I test which it might be? The bike is 2 months old so anything going bad seems strange to me. I thought the LBS might be doing something wrong rather than a part going bad.