Originally Posted by
plodderslusk
My five cents : I had the same issue with my compact crank and a 105 FD on my CX. The roadsalt killed it so I put on an Ultegra FD. Voila ; problem gone. Might be luck but I'm happy with the change.
Well, yes, if the 105 fd is badly damaged then replacing it with a new Ultegra is indeed a good change. However, if the 105 is mechanically sound, all the OP need to do is set it up properly. A mis-adjusted Ultegra won't be any better.