rbloem

Hey guys! Can't decide between these 2 bikes. I'm looking for a long distance comfortable fast bike. Can you give me your take?

Specialized roubaix sl4 elite 105:

FRAME
Specialized SL4 FACT 8r carbon, FACT construction,1-1/8" to 1-3/8" headtube, compact race design, Zertz, internal rear brake cable, OSBB

FORK
Specialized Roubaix FACT carbon full monocoque, Zertz
HEADSET
1-1/8" upper and 1-3/8" lower, Cr-Mo cartridge bearings, 20mm cone spacer, w/ 20mm of spacers
STEM
Specialized Expert Pro-Set, 3D forged aluminum, 4-position adjustable, 4-bolt, 31.8mm
HANDLEBARS
Specialized Comp Shallow Bend, alloy, 125mm drop, 70mm reach
TAPE
Specialized Roubaix, w/ 2.5 gel pads
FRONT BRAKE
Shimano 105
REAR BRAKE
Shimano 105
BRAKE LEVERS
Shimano 105
FRONT DERAILLEUR
Shimano 105, braze-on, 10-speed
REAR DERAILLEUR
Shimano 105, 10-speed, long cage
SHIFT LEVERS
Shimano 105 STI, 10-speed
CASSETTE
Shimano Tiagra, 10-speed, 12-30
CHAIN
KMC X10
CRANKSET
FSA Gossamer Pro, BB30
CHAINRINGS
50/34
BOTTOM BRACKET
OS integrated, sealed bearings
PEDALS
Nylon flat test ride, loose ball, w/ reflectors
FRONT WHEEL
Fulcrum S5
REAR WHEEL
Fulcrum S5
FRONT TIRE
Specialized Espoir Elite, 60TPI, foldable aramid bead, double BlackBelt protection, 700x25c
REAR TIRE
Specialized Espoir Elite, 60TPI, foldable aramid bead, double BlackBelt protection, 700x25c
INNER TUBES
Standard presta valve
SADDLE
Body Geometry Romin Comp Gel, hollow Cr-Mo rails, 143mm
SEATPOST
Specialized Comp, carbon, 27.2mm
SEAT BINDER
Forged alloy, 32.6mm

Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5 105:


Frame

Synapse, BallisTec Carbon, Di2 ready, SAVE PLUS, BB30A
Fork

Synapse SAVE PLUS, BallisTec Carbon, 1-1/8" to 1-1/4" tapered steerer
Crank

FSA Gossamer Pro, BB30A, 50/34
Bottom Bracket

FSA BB30
Shifters

Shimano 105 5700
Cog Set

Shimano 105 5700, 11-28 (Europe: 12-30), 10-speed
Chain

Shimano 105 5700, 10-speed
Front Derailleur

Shimano 105 5700, braze-on
Rear Derailleur

Shimano 105 5700
Rims

Shimano RS11
Hubs

Shimano RS11
Tires

Schwalbe Lugano, 700x25c, folding
Pedals

N/A
Brake

Shimano 105 5700
Handlebar

Cannondale C3 Compact, butted 6061 alloy
Stem

Cannondale C3, 31.8, 6 deg.
Headset

Synapse Si, 1-1/4" lower bearing, 25mm top cap
Brake Levers

Shimano 105 5700
Spokes

Shimano RS11
Grips

Cannondale Grip Bar Tape w/Gel, 3.5mm
Saddle

Prologo, Kappa EVO
Seat Post

Cannondale C3, Alloy, 25.4x300mm (48-51) 350mm (54-61)
Rear Shock

Thanks everyone for there feedback!

Jiggle

105 11 speed is coming out in two months. Juuuuust sayin.

hotcore

I'm sure it'll be a few months after that before bikes are actually spec'ed with this group become available?

Then again, 12 speed will be available in another 12 months.

Lars Halstrom

The Synapse Carbon 3 Ultegra already has the 11-spd cassette and you can get it in 11-32t for climbing or 11-28t. 2015's will have the Shimano hydraulic discs with Ice Technology as an option.

zymphad

Carbon Synapse!

shoota 

Neither. Jamis Xenith Comp

xjustice09x

I would get the one that fits better. For me that would be the synapse, but they are both very nice bikes.

Jiggle

Just order the group and stick it on a frame yourself.

dstrong 

I just looked at the Synapse Carbon 5 105 at my LBS...in black. My shirt is still wet from the drool. I also looked at the Ridley Fenix at Performance. About the same price but almost all Ultegra. Hoping to test ride both this week. Also on my list are the Trek Domane 4.7 and Specialized Roubaix SL4. Buying experience between Performance and LBS is night/day so far.

Bacciagalupe

+1

EnellCH

+1. Fit is everything. Beyond that, ride them and see what feels better? Specs are rather comparable between the two and both will need an upgrade to the wheels.

zymphad

Synapse Carbon 2014 easy! Sexiest bike currently among branded bikes IMO and supposedly ridiculously comfy!

fstshrk

Wait for the 105 5800 bikes. They are coming out by September.

zymphad

DROOL! That Synapse 2014, me wants it! But I already built myself a bike

rangerdavid

get the carbon synapse frame only and pass on the 105. You can upgrade to a much, much better groupset for that bike. Well, for either bike actually.

zymphad

https://player.vimeo.com/video/636111...0&color=77bb00

Best marketing video for a bike ever!

dstrong 

I'm running 5+ year old ultegra and believe the 10-sp 105 will be at least as good. I'm also leaning towards 10-sp so that I can more easily swap wheels with my other 10-sp bike. We'll see...I'm definitely not a "need the latest and greatest" kind of guy.

bonz50

my LBS carries c'dale (and others), not specialized. so between those two, the synapse, toss in some cervelo, BMC, orbea, Gunnar, Seven, or All-City and I might change my mind.

honestly, doubt you'd go wrong with either, if you like both equally, shop the best LBS or the one that has the coolest color or best deal.

milkbaby

If you can't test ride them or you did and can't tell the difference, just get the one that looks the nicest to you. Granted, you typically aren't staring at the bike while riding it, but having a bike that looks nice to you can lead you to riding more and that's the best part of owning a bike in my opinion!

dstrong 

I rode both the Synapse 5 (105) and Domane 4.3 (105) today. Both shops tried to set up the bikes to be the same as my current ride. The LBS with the C'dale is only a mile or two from my house, so they let me take the bike out in the neighborhood where I frequently ride. It was great to be able to ride the exact same roads I ride all the time. The shop with the Domane is further from home but I'm familiar with the area...they had a guy from the shop ride with me and so I got to do a lot more that "parking lot" test rides on both.

Bottom line so far...Synapse is winning. I felt more comfortable on it right away. The setup felt exactly like my current bike but the ride was definitely more stiff and responsive. It had 23mm tires at about 110 psi, so I got a bit more road buzz on the Synapse than I did on the Domane, which was set up with 25mm tires (I run 25s at about 100/90). The C'dale drivetrain was very smooth...but the Domane needed some tuning as there was so skipping when I went to stand going up a hill. Neither saddle was a great fit for me, so that was a distraction on both bikes.

Finally...I find the Synapse more attractive, with its black on black stealth decals and internal cable routing. The Domane was bright blue and has external cable routing.

Campag4life

The redesigned Carbon Synapse is a great bike with one exception. It has a rare and crappy seatpost. As it turns out the seatpost is one of the most important features of a road bike. The Synapse comes with a 25.4mm seat post diameter...in an effort to improve compliancy. While a good concept in principle, it is outside of mainstream and therefore there are very few posts that will fit and the FSA SLK unlike outstanding FSA K-force 2 bolt carbon post, isn't a good design IMO with transverse versus longitudinal 2 bolt clamp. By contrast the Roubaix has a mainstream 27.2mm post and there are many options including the COBL post for more compliancy or the FSA K-force post which I ride which to me is the best carbon post on the market and popular within the pro peloton..

Young Version

Between those two, Synapse. Because **** Specialized.

impulsivegreg

Not defending the company but I would actually like to hear what your issue with Specialized is?

EDIT- Would have PM'd, but my post count is too low, apologies.

Young Version

They're the bullies of the cycling industry. Here's three examples of their behavior:

-They sued/threatened to sue a small framebuilder in Portland that was selling a cross frame called the "Stumptown", because people could somehow get that confused with Stumpjumper. Stumptown is a nickname for Portland.
-They sued/threatened to sue the owner of Cafe Roubaix because Specialized owns the rights to the word Roubaix (somehow).
-They sued/threatened to sue Neilpryde over their Alize road bike, claiming it could be confused with the Specialized Allez.

EnsitMike

Synapse… that is all.