[benb]

Yah I don't get it.. I don't think I've ever had a setup that worked as well as the Triple XT front derailleur on my MTB. I don't remember it being hard to setup and it has just worked forever. Probably close to 10 years at this point (9-speed), and I abuse the hell out of that bike.

Heck I don't even have XT shifters, I have SRAM X.0 and it still doesn't give any trouble.

That said compacts are dead simple to setup now too.. reading the directions is all it takes.

I can see any of it sucking if you're a mechanic and the customer gives you a derailleur that is dirty/used/whatever and has the placement stickers, etc.. removed.

For me it's not about the shifting, they all shift fine, it's what gears are available in each setup. I just find the compact really annoying for "road" riding. If it's a gravel bike or something it can be OK. I just really feel like if you're riding hard in a pack the compact with it's low overlap takes longer to make a front shift where you end up changing the ring & getting the right cog in the back at the same time.