Bob Ross

I've been an avid recreational cyclist for almost 40 years now (yikes!)
but this year decided it was time to jump in to the adult swim: My
wife, who's been an aggressively competitive distance biker for 11
years, got me to sign up with the New York Cycle Club, and since
February we've been doing between 40-80 miles every weekend. And I am
having a blast! I know it's only been 2 months, but I can see myself
doing this longer/faster/harder thing for the rest of my life

...except that my current bike must weigh a good 35-40 lbs, and it's
alarmingly undergeared for those flat roads where we're cruising over
25 mph. It's a ten year old Trek 750 Multitrack (hybrid). It'll
probably last forever, and if I weren't getting so serious about
distance cycling & group riding it'd probably be fine as the last bike
I ever owned. But I'm ready to step up to something that will let me
realize my full potential...or at least that will force me to point to
my own abilities as the limiting factor, rather than my gear.


So anyway, after a bit of research, I'm leaning towards a Cannondale
Synapse Carbon 3 (triple). I admit I'm somewhat predisposed to go with
a full carbon frame: I'm a professional bass player, & 2 of my
instruments have composite necks, so I'm well aware of the advantages
of carbon's high elastic modulus, high STW ratios, & inert resonance.
So I'd love to hear from folks who can offer well-reasoned
encouragement -- or discouragement -- for pursuing this technology in a
bicycle frame. If there are better bikes in a similar price range
(<$2500) in titanium or aluminum, I'd love to hear about them.


Suggestions welcome, and I would especially appreciate explanations for
*why* you're recommending a particular make/model. Or why you might
steer me away from the Synapse. (Eg., one fellow told me the Synapse
gets no respect from racers because it's a "comfort" bike. Irrespective
of whether I care what others think about my ride, ideally I want
comfort *and* performance.) I intend to do exhaustive test rides courtesy of my LBS, who are extremely friendly, knowledgeable, & generous (and who advocate the "Good Fit Is More Important Than Materials" mantra), but I want to go there armed with as much foreknowledge as possible.


Thanks so much. And yeah, I'll be sure to take a look at the Felt...

mingsta

Can we swap lives? When I was a teenager my dream was to be a session bassist...now I'm an IT consultant! I can't think of anything better than to play bass for a living and ride a bike for fun, you're a lucky guy!

Basses with carbon necks...I'm a bit behind with the technology (got a 93 Stingray and stopped looking after that) but is it a Status or a Modulus Graphite?

Anyway, to answer your question, it sounds like you're going for a sporty but comfortable ride. In which case the Synapse is a great choice. The Specialized Roubaix should also definitely be on your list. The Litespeed Tuscany is also a very good all day bike, but don't pay full price - these seem to go with 40% off at certain times of the year.

Grasschopper

Ride the Specialized Roubaix. The Synapse is Cannondale's response to the Roubaix and honestly it and the Trek Pilot don't quite hit the mark. The Roubaix fits the bill exactly for what you are looking for and honestly the Synapse is another good option...I went for the Roubaix as the frame is a little stiffer in the BB area and I believe it is a tad lighter too but I am not 100% sure on that.

Synapse is a great bike...Roubaix is a great bike...ride them both.
Here is mine:

mingsta

Grasschopper are you going for the forum record or summat? How many times have we seen that photo ?!? (nice ride though) .

Grasschopper

Just wait....new photos of recent upgrades coming soon.

doco

great bike, grasshopper....I agree the roubaix a great bike. are those the wheels you had Mike build up? I just talked with him on monday, going to have him build up a set for me with campy hubs..... very wise about wheels

Grasschopper

Yup they are the standard build of his DT Swiss RR1.1/Speedcific with Aero spokes, but with 28 spokes in front and 32 in the rear....stiff and bombproof...though after last night I am seriously thinking about becoming a tubular convert...the ride is SOOO much better.

tourist

I would have to agree with the statement here so far. I don't think you can be shopping for the bike you described without including the Roubaix. It would be my choice for the bike you described. I do admit I'm not a fan of the Alex rims. Those I would change. Other than that it is one sweet "serious" bike.

Grasschopper

I agree on the Alex coment but for the $2500 budget he should be looking at the 06 Roubaix Expert which comes with Shimano HW-R600 wheels.

Bob Ross

I have a 1988 Modulus Graphite Quantum-6 SPX and an 1982 monocoque Steinberger L-2. Original owner for both. But to be honest, these days I spend way more time playing conventional wood basses. Producers really want that "plush" sound.

Shifty

I bought the carbon Synapse this spring, and I would encourage you to buy one! But, I would also recommend that instead of the triple, think about the compact double. My previous Cannondale was a triple, and I'm finding that I ride the same hills just fine on the compact. What I did was test ride the 6/13 and the Synapse (both with Dura Ace) back to back on the same route. I really liked them both very much, for the kind of riding I do, (centuries, long cruise riding) the Synapse was the choice. Synapse I got with Dura Ace is a quick responsive bike, it is a tad more comfortable than the 6/13.

mrt10x

[QUOTE=Grasschopper]Ride the Specialized Roubaix. The Synapse is Cannondale's response to the Roubaix and honestly it and the Trek Pilot don't quite hit the mark. The Roubaix fits the bill exactly for what you are looking for and honestly the Synapse is another good option...I went for the Roubaix as the frame is a little stiffer in the BB area and I believe it is a tad lighter too but I am not 100% sure on that.

The Roubaix is a very nice bike but the facts are a little different than Grasschopper states. The Roubaix Comp frame weighs 1210 grams compared to the Synapse's 1080, and the Specialized fork weighs in at around 61 Grams heavier than the CD. Even the step higher end S-Works Roubaix weighs in at 56 grams more for the frame and fork (most of that weight is probably in the alloy steerer as opposed to the CD carbon steerer). And the bottom bracket on the CD has been measured as stiffer than the S-Works Roubaix as well, while I get this information from the CD website, it is a reprint of a stiffness test performed by Le Cycle Magazine. There was also a link here or over at RBR that showed the CD Synapse to be in the stiffness category one below the Scott and the Cervelo while the Roubaix was still one level below that.

While I agree the Pilot took the relaxed geometry thing one step to far the Synapse did not. The Roubaix is a compact frame and the Synapse is only slightly sloping in the TT, and the frames get to their "more comfortable" designation via different routes. The Roubaiz in a 56 has a much longer head tube, longer chainstays, and a longer overall wheelbase. Most people would agree that these characteristics give a bike more relaxed handling and a more comfortable ride. The Synapse splits the difference between a full race geometry, i.e. CAAD 8, or Six-13 and the total comfort frame, i.e. Trek Pilot. So does the Roubaix, but the Synapse is just ever so slightly aggresive in its geometry. Most reviews state that CD got it exactly right with the Synapse.. A little more comfort and tons of race worthiness. Plus I think the Synapse is a better looking bike w/o the total compact frame. But I might be biased.

[IMG][/IMG]

Grasschopper

Probably not because the Roubaix fork is all carbon even on my Comp....look slike we both have bad info. Having ridden both bikes I think they are both VERY nice and I could have gone either way. I don't think you can make a wrong choice as long as you have ridden both.

mingsta

The Roubaix is a very nice bike but the facts are a little different than Grasschopper states. The Roubaix Comp frame weighs 1210 grams compared to the Synapse's 1080, and the Specialized fork weighs in at around 61 Grams heavier than the CD. Even the step higher end S-Works Roubaix weighs in at 56 grams more for the frame and fork (most of that weight is probably in the alloy steerer as opposed to the CD carbon steerer). And the bottom bracket on the CD has been measured as stiffer than the S-Works Roubaix as well, while I get this information from the CD website, it is a reprint of a stiffness test performed by Le Cycle Magazine. There was also a link here or over at RBR that showed the CD Synapse to be in the stiffness category one below the Scott and the Cervelo while the Roubaix was still one level below that.

While I agree the Pilot took the relaxed geometry thing one step to far the Synapse did not. The Roubaix is a compact frame and the Synapse is only slightly sloping in the TT, and the frames get to their "more comfortable" designation via different routes. The Roubaiz in a 56 has a much longer head tube, longer chainstays, and a longer overall wheelbase. Most people would agree that these characteristics give a bike more relaxed handling and a more comfortable ride. The Synapse splits the difference between a full race geometry, i.e. CAAD 8, or Six-13 and the total comfort frame, i.e. Trek Pilot. So does the Roubaix, but the Synapse is just ever so slightly aggresive in its geometry. Most reviews state that CD got it exactly right with the Synapse.. A little more comfort and tons of race worthiness. Plus I think the Synapse is a better looking bike w/o the total compact frame. But I might be biased.

[/QUOTE]

Great summary!

All three bikes are worth consideration and fill different ends of the "comfort" spectrum. The main decider will probably be how racey you want your bike to be ie sharper and lower (like the synapse) or upright and laid back (pilot) or maybe somewhere in between.

...but like I said, make sure you give Ti a try also.

mrt10x

youre right i was having problems on the Specialized website.. I would click on the S-Works Specs link, look at the info and then realize that it had linked me to the Ruby specs or a Mtn Bike.. appears that is what happened on the alloy steerer tube info, the Roubaix has a "S-Works FACT carbon monocoque construction with Zertz inserts"

Bob Ross

I've Narrowed It Down To 4 Choices:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(okay, maybe 4 isn't so narrow, but...)

Going to my LBS next weekend to kick the tires & test ride the following:

- Cannondale Synapse Carbon 3
- Specialized Roubaix (either Comp or Expert)
- Fuji Team Pro
- Giant OCR Comp 2 (or maybe TCR Comp 2)

Is there anything I might want to know about these respective manufacturer's or these particular bikes before making my final decision? Any opinions on these specific models, or experiences comparing them (besides the generous contributions already made to this thread)?

Is there anything about these company's customer service, or warranties, or history, or...I dunno, whatever, that would make you choose one over the other?

Obviously fit & comfort & ride are going to be the determining factors, but if, say, Fuji employs 12-year-old kids in sweatshop conditions, or every Giant OCR that rolled off the line was recalled by the factory, I'd probably want to keep that in the back of my mind.

Grasschopper

Well all of those bikes are great picks. My test riding showed the OCR to be a bit sloppy in the BB. The Fuji Team Pro isn't really a comfort bike but is a heck of a bike. All of the bikes are made in the far east so no big difference there. I have heard Fuji isn't as responsive as the others on warranty claims but that is second hand so...

Specialized customer service and warranty service is hard to beat...I don't know about the others (never owned a C'Dale and never had an issue with my Giant MTB). I just recently tried to "upgrade" the seatpost on my Roubaix to their Pave SL and have had all sorts of issues with it but Specialized has been providing replacements (we are on post #3 now) without question even when you would think I probably voided the warranty.