Cannondale

Comments about cannondale SYNAPSE CARBON 4 RIVAL:

Moved from a Scott Speedster. The synapse is a joy to ride. The jarring bumps of my previous aluminum and carbon bike are gone. The suspension is most notable. However the LOW END (though awesome looking) ProLogo seat is sub par for this bike. I hate replacing it because it looks so nice, but it's less than comfortable. I just ordered a Selle Itailia flight gel after trying the Prologo for 3 months and finding it's not going to improve.

Love the "raw" carbon look, However I'm new to this type of build and I find some of the finish "strange"? There are some swirls in some of the carbon (like the forks) and things like the top red line on the center bar is crooked. Though not painted, the color seems to be processed into the carbon? (this could be the norm for this process). I thought the swirls in the forks were flaws but my dealer said no that's normal. I think it's because it's a sort of composite? (like a chicken McNugget?)
At any rate it performs well once you look past the minor finish issues. (That really don't bother me). Gearing is just whatI need, While I find plenty of low end for the toughest hills, I tend to find it one gear short on the high end speed gearing. Meaning when going for strava speed records "downhill" I tend to fine myself wanting one more gear when up to speed. (35+ mph down hill). Though that need is rare... and I prefer having the low end gears for the tops of the steepest hills.

The one thing that worries me, at least for my size bike and setup. When the bars are turned max left or right the metal end caps on the bars align and smack the center carbon bar (quite squarely and hard). I fear in a crash one end of the bar may bust through the center bar. I would add some spacers on the head set, but then it's not really setup for me properly is it? I'd thought about adding some felt pads or something to the ends of the bars but who wants to trash it up with those? I'm not sure what to do about this problem. (one day I may be sorry I didn't do something about it when I find the center bar cracked in two?). Maybe I'm just paranoid.

This is the finest looking bike on the planet. I was so glad that when shopping with a 2500.00 budget, that the bike I liked the looks of the most was right on budget! Love all the graphics, wheels and tires. I do find it odd that the canondale logos are not on the sides and are off. This maybe due to the color process I mentioned above in the fit n finish comments. Maybe it's impossible to be precise, so better to have them "off enough to be intentional" rather than try to make them square on each side and find that the process makes them appear mistakingly crooked. Still minor issue. Comfort is key, while not compromising on performance. I'm 55, 5.7" and 145-150 lbs. I also love the grip tape, it's very padded. I have added aero bars, as well as a aerobar brake for safety in aero position. The one shame is the seat. While quality is really a issue with this bike, it seems dumb that Cannondale allowed this seat to be standard. But I'd rather upgrade a 20.00 saddle and shelve the 20 buck one than upgrading a 80-100.00 saddle. It's probably assumed that the saddle will need to be personalized to taste and rider. So the low end seat is probably the smartest choice, as it's expected to be upgraded. I really think this bike is 5 stars. But what to do when finish is a bit flawed and the seat is expected to be dumped. Ok, I'd give it 4.8 stars.