I am building up my wife’s new frame and am flummoxed.
I got her a dinky little cube frame and some nice XT bling for the front mech. Picked the shimano front mech that does all tube sizes and is both top and bottom pull expecting no issues.

Edit to show urls
http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/cube-attention-26-frame-grey-n-green-233708/varid-233718?currency=3&delivery_country=190&gclid=CNakweL0r8MCFYHHtAodNHEAKw

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-xt-m786-conventional-2×10-front-mech/rp-prod67203

However the cable has to kink so tightly coming out of the cable housing to make it to the mech it’s eating into the frame…. Where have I gone wrong here?

Well the link to the frame doesn’t work….
Need some pictures? Internal cable route? port in the down tube?

You might have to try for a Top Swing mech like this one
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-xt-m785-top-swing-2×10-front-mech/rp-prod69484
It should put the lever in a different position.

Edit: In fact, here’s a top swing mech fitted to an Attention

where does the cable touch the frame ?

the mech is a long way from the last cable stop .

Get a band-on cable stop (eg backstop) and run it using that if it puts the cable in a better position ?

Mrs oab’s old bike did that.(Orange) I think it is just a function of a weeny frame and a guide that is welded on vertically.

It’s eating into the cable stop position from cable stop to mech is less than 10cm and its almost 5cm sideways transition to the connector on the mech.

or

Where are those from scaredypants? I am loathed to buy another mech without being 100% sure it’s going to fit. And I can’t figure out from images on the net if the top swing mechs are much closer to the centre line

I say this whilst sitting on the living floor surrounded by empty boxes and hidden CRC receipts with said wife watching.

Convert it to bottom pull?

Just buy the right mech, like I said up there and showed you in the photo.

You can surely return the other one (assuming you’ve not damaged it)?

What scotroutes said.
Scaredy pants long ended ferrules just get eaten through by the cable really quickly…

Get a taller wife!