My cross bike has a 46/36t crankset. I decided for winter road use I'd like to use the 50/34 rings that came with the crank when I bought it (Centaur). I have heard you need a compact compatible front deraileur for a 16t drop between chainrings. Not wanting to shell out more bike money, I figured I'd try it with the standard Chorus 10 speed front derailleur (alloy). I adjusted it to my normal tolerances and took it for a ride. I honestly can't tell the difference between shifting a compact crank versus shifting a standard crank. Each shift was exactly as planned and the 16t drop was fine. Is the notion of a compact front derailleur just a whole lot of hooey? I tend to think that shelling out $50-$100 for a new front d is a big waste of money. Is there any real-world data that tells me why I need a front derailleur designed for a compact crank? Thanks.