I've dropped my chain 3 times in the last week. My fault, I've been trying to get by with a left over triple derailleur on a compact double mountain crank (24/36). I finally bit the bullet and ordered a new top swing Shimano SLX compact front derailleur.

I'm still a twist shifter who is in the habit of grabbing 3 or 4 gears in the back at the same time I'm changing the front ring. The old bottom swing (sitting just above a bottle bracket screw) was always just a bit high on the chain rings and all of those bumps and compromises on the inner face of the cage simply didn't maintain control of the chain in all circumstances.

I know we've beaten the compact question to death on road bikes but is anyone else using a compact mountain double setup (still 9sp, not the new sell your house stuff).