Originally Posted by shiftinjon
Front derailleurs have come in a standard radius for decades and have worked well on triple chainsets ranging from 22 to 54+ teeth. The new compact front derailleur is, well, marketing at it's best. They may, in the laboratory, provide something that resembles smoother shifting on smaller chainrings, but 999 out of a 1000 riders would not recognize this improvement on the road.
They probably work best for riders who have little knowledge of the history of the derailleur. In addition, what if you want to use larger chainrings? OH OH
Gotta buy a new derailluer.
So the answer is no, you do not need to buy a compact specific front derailleur.
You are correct in saying that
Originally Posted by shiftinjon
The new compact front derailleur is, well, marketing at it's best.
Standard Shimano double ft ders have a 14 tooth range. Most, not all, compact cranks have a 16 tooth range ie: 50-34=16 teeth. Most people who have used compact cranks with a standard der will tell you that standard double ft ders work but give less than satisfactory performance.
My advice would be to try the compact crank with your present der first. If it doesn't work well then try a compact ft der. No sense in spending money if you don't need to.
Tim