I built this up for touring, so no real problem with walking up a hill if I want to, but I haven't had to yet. The Chainwheel is a 42/52T, but the freewheel is a Suntour with (I think) a 32T low sprocket. The Suntour VX-GT derailleur handles this in it's stride.
I used a Suntour mech on this one too, although the cassette here is a Shimano 8 speed and it still works fine -
......and on my tandem -
...... decided I like Suntour so much I also found one for this, which does have a compact chainset -
............ And even fitted a Suntour Superbe onto this - a 1993 Giant!
This is from a self-confessed Campagnolo snob. Suntour is great, just fit it and it works perfectly all the time.