# New rider on a Cannondale Synapse Carbon 6



## Rsqdiving

To all the people who helped with this new road bike rider I say thank you.. After trying several bikes with in my price range I settled on the Cannondale Synapse Carbon 6 w/Apex. I probabaly spent two months looking and talking with people. I almost went with the Jamis Ventura Race, but the Synapse felt better. I spent over an hour tonight working with the LBS setting up the bike. The people at the shop went over the Apex gears in great length. Also had regular pedals placed on the bike until I have a few rides under my belt. I have never used clip in shoes so the guy at the shop advised to ride at least 5 or more times before coming back for pedls/shoes. Tomorrow I have the morning off and will give it a test ride of about 10 to 15 miles. Stay tuned :thumbsup:


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## bmach

*Congrats*

You will love it. When you get your new peddles it will be even nicer.


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## Samac

Congratulations! You are going to really enjoy that bike. My search took me seven months. Anytime I could I would check out what I could taking time to ride several different bikes. There are lots of great bikes out there but once I took the Synapse for a spin I new my search was over.

It's funny too because it was the last one I tried. I have a Cannondale mountain bike and I thought it would be interesting to try another manufacture and for some reason the Synapse didn't appeal to me right away. But like the mountain bike the Synapse just felt like it was made for me.

For me there's just something special about Cannondales. Enjoy your new ride!

Cheers,

Scott


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## Turtle Torque

Congrats. It's a great bike. It'll take couple more rides to fine tune your position. Once you start doing 30-50 mile bike ride is when you really appreciate the Synapse.

Good decision on going with pedals 1st. Once you get comfortable with your bike, attempt with clips. It makes a world of difference with riding, but get use to new kind of soreness. It's hard to convince a person to try clips because YOU will initially fall couple of times, but just like anything else, it'll get easier and before you know it, you wont even think about it anymore. My bud didnt want anything to do with clips and it took the whole bike group to convince him. Once he finally "Clipped" in, he immediately kicked himself in the A** for not doing it sooner. whole summer wasted he said. lol.


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## Ruby13

Congrats you are going to love it and the SRAM shifting is really easy to use. Got mine in Oct. but never road it till Dec. 1st and have put 750 miles on it. Really comfortable ride. As for clips you might want to go with mtb clips you will find a lot of threads about the difference of mtb and road clips. Personally I have mtb on all my bikes as it cuts down on shoes and I like to be able to walk when off the bike. Again enjoy.


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## Turtle Torque

Ruby13 said:


> Congrats you are going to love it and the SRAM shifting is really easy to use. Got mine in Oct. but never road it till Dec. 1st and have put 750 miles on it. Really comfortable ride. As for clips you might want to go with mtb clips you will find a lot of threads about the difference of mtb and road clips. Personally I have mtb on all my bikes as it cuts down on shoes and I like to be able to walk when off the bike. Again enjoy.


agreed. most noticeable is mtb has either 2 or 4 (egg beaters) sided which is great and easier to engage imho. That's how I evolved...Pedals, cage pedals, mtb clips and now road clips. Nothing wrong with sticking with mtb clips.


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## hmto

by all means if MTB clipless work better and are easier go for it. That's what I am planning on doing once I get my new road bike. Much easier than road pedals imo


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## Rsqdiving

Took the bike out for the first test run this morning. It was 30 degrees, but pur sunshine. I was amazed how easy the SRAM shifters work. I went through all the gears up and down a few roads in a park near my house. The bike moved with ease and no problems with the brakes either. The seat is something to think about, but it was the first ride. I traveled about 20 miles for the first ride. Stay tuned for more updates.


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## Rsqdiving

Just another update, weather was nice here today bfore the storms came. Second full ride on the Cannondale was 30.23 miles. The trip up the river was nice but the head winds back were killing me. I went through all the gears on the bike again and the shifted with ease, even when I went up three different hills. The brakes worked great and the bike ride was nice. I am still not sure about the bike seat yet. Any suggestions on seats for 5'10 205lbs person.


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## Turtle Torque

Rsqdiving said:


> Just another update, weather was nice here today bfore the storms came. Second full ride on the Cannondale was 30.23 miles. The trip up the river was nice but the head winds back were killing me. I went through all the gears on the bike again and the shifted with ease, even when I went up three different hills. The brakes worked great and the bike ride was nice. I am still not sure about the bike seat yet. Any suggestions on seats for 5'10 205lbs person.



Most will agree that the stock saddle is less than desirable. I switched mine out after 6-7 ride. Saddle selection is going to take some time. I went through 3 saddles before I one fit. My bud when through 5 saddles in a month when he finally found one that works. You're just gonna have to go through some trial and errors. Hopefully the bike store has some demo selections you can try.


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## OhLuckyMan

*replacing cannondale seats*

Hi guys.
Interesting to see this discussion lead to seats. I was just logging in to pose a question to the forum about this very subject. I am in training for my first Imperial + century - the tour de Leman (around lake Geneva - 180km) and have decided after many incidents of numb nuts to replace my saddle. I tried a Specialized Romin SL over the weekend and while it cured the numb nuts problem and is an improvement over the stock cheapo one supplied on the Synapse 6, my butt was still hurting after 2.5 hrs. going to try now the (very expensive) Selle SMP Pro and will feedback to the forum. I am just wondering if there is any experience out there with the Selle SMP saddles? BTW both seats were loaners from my LBS - most obliging.

OLM


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## Meppe77

Glad to hear you are liking it. I just found a killer deal on an '11 Synapse. Can't wait to get it home and take it for a nice long ride. Hoping that going from an aluminum cross bike to the carbon synapse will make a big difference.

Matt


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## Samac

Matt, I believe you're in for a treat! You're going to love your Synapse. Congratulations!


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## Bosplya

Everyone has a different preference for saddles due to their pelvic and performance needs. Last year I finally shelled out $100 for a saddle due to numbness and discomfort with a WTB mt bike saddle. The money was well spent. Take a look at Terry saddles. I have the Terry Fly version. Here's the version I have.

Terry Fly

Congrats on the new ride!


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## reidcc

The Synapses are nice bikes... I was looking high and low for leftover Synapse 5 (green) in a 52 CM. Ended up getting a leftover Supersix 5 for even less!!!

Best of luck- and LOVE your new bike!!

Chris


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## Helitech

reidcc said:


> The Synapses are nice bikes... I was looking high and low for leftover Synapse 5 (green) in a 52 CM. Ended up getting a leftover Supersix 5 for even less!!!
> 
> Best of luck- and LOVE your new bike!!
> 
> Chris


Nice! I just picked up a 2013 Supersix 5 yesterday! Leaving the synapse behind.... Both great bikes! Congrats to the OP


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## OhLuckyMan

Rsqdiving said:


> Just another update, weather was nice here today bfore the storms came. Second full ride on the Cannondale was 30.23 miles. The trip up the river was nice but the head winds back were killing me. I went through all the gears on the bike again and the shifted with ease, even when I went up three different hills. The brakes worked great and the bike ride was nice. I am still not sure about the bike seat yet. Any suggestions on seats for 5'10 205lbs person.


Hi there RSQ

On the seat, check out demo seats from your LBS, I finally settled on the Specialized Romin -the standard, not the SL. Did a quick 50k the other day and it felt very good. However, as the other posters have said, it is personal, so try a few out (PS I am 6'2", 215lbs and 55ys old). Also make sure that you are wearing some decent shorts. I have learned the hard way that this is no place to skimp. You don't have to go over the top but it is worth buying from a reputable company that has put some thought into their design.

Ride on.
olm


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## Donn12

Helitech said:


> Nice! I just picked up a 2013 Supersix 5 yesterday! Leaving the synapse behind.... Both great bikes! Congrats to the OP


why did you switch? i am leaning towards a Synapse and I will never race the bike so I am thinking of comfort for long distances.


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## Helitech

Donn12 said:


> why did you switch? i am leaning towards a Synapse and I will never race the bike so I am thinking of comfort for long distances.


I finally have time to get into road riding, and there are some serious riders here in Japan... Not really into racing yet, but after a couple rides with these guys I needed something stiffer on climbs (pretty hilly in Japan)... I love how it rides and is still pretty comfortable considering the difference in geometry... I wouldn't be surprised if I started racing within the next year... For ur needs, get the synapse! It's still a great bike, and super comfortable!


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## gschacht

Rsqdiving said:


> To all the people who helped with this new road bike rider I say thank you.. After trying several bikes with in my price range I settled on the Cannondale Synapse Carbon 6 w/Apex. I probabaly spent two months looking and talking with people. I almost went with the Jamis Ventura Race, but the Synapse felt better. I spent over an hour tonight working with the LBS setting up the bike. The people at the shop went over the Apex gears in great length. Also had regular pedals placed on the bike until I have a few rides under my belt. I have never used clip in shoes so the guy at the shop advised to ride at least 5 or more times before coming back for pedls/shoes. Tomorrow I have the morning off and will give it a test ride of about 10 to 15 miles. Stay tuned :thumbsup:


Shimano makes a very nice clip in pedal that is $80 on Amazon. Shimano PD-A600 Ultegra SPD Road Bike Pedals. They also sell the SH 56 Multi release cleats that will save your ass. These cleate alow the normal twist to exit AND also release with a more natural "I need to get released now" motion you would use if you were trying to put your foot to the ground ASAP. Shimano and other brands sell touring road shoes for these cleats and these cleats are also used on mountain bike shoes/peddles as well. I ride with MTB shoes as I ride both kinds of bikes.

The yuppie purist will frown on my selection of peddles/cleats and shoes, but they work well, are far more easy to release from the peddle and are the least expensive option to boot. I have used this peddle for a season and own a 2011 Cannondale Carbon Six with lots of upgrades - wheels, tubeless tires, upgraded crank, shifter, seat, chain and carbon FSA bars. Love the bike. especially in the hills.


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## Crusty

Donn12 said:


> why did you switch? i am leaning towards a Synapse and I will never race the bike so I am thinking of comfort for long distances.


Buy the Synapse! Mine is on order.

I went to my LBS to test ride the Supersix and the Synapse. I started out with the Synapse. The seat was low; they were too lazy to find an appropriate length post and I didn't realize just how low it was. But the bike (105) was very comfortable. Then they sent me out on a Supersix Di2 (it was the only one on my size). The road by the bike store isn't all that smooth. The frame is really stiff; it did a great job of transmitting the road up through the bars and my arms and shoulders. I did not enjoy the vibrations. But ooooh la la the Di2 is nice. Now I'm wondering if I somehow missed the worst part of the road on the Synapse. I asked them for another ride with the proper seat height and went back out. I noticed a bit of vibration, but it was very well dampened. Loved the ride, ordered a nice Synapse carbon ultegra in team colors. I can't wait!

I am female, so have a rather short upper body length relative to leg length. The 52 Supersix and the 51 Synapse both felt about the same to me wrt how much reach and drop. It's kind of bizarre. If you compare the dimensions on the geometries of two adjacent sizes, they don't seem to scale linearly. I typically look at stack and reach to try to compare different bikes and noticed that the ratio of reach to stack from size to size is not constant.

Unless you are going to race or ride the bike hard (how many watts can you generate?), the Synapse is going to have a smoother ride.


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## Turtle Torque

Helitech said:


> I finally have time to get into road riding, and there are some serious riders here in Japan... Not really into racing yet, but after a couple rides with these guys I needed something stiffer on climbs (pretty hilly in Japan)... I love how it rides and is still pretty comfortable considering the difference in geometry... I wouldn't be surprised if I started racing within the next year... For ur needs, get the synapse! It's still a great bike, and super comfortable!


Odd, my Synapse is plenty stiff climbing out of the saddle.


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## Ruby13

My Synapse is also plenty stiff and still leaves it very comfortable for rough roads and the occasional cobblestones i ride on. With 1100 miles on it since Dec.1st, I am as happy as the day I bought my Synapse 6.


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## Turtle Torque

It's just Helitech excuse to get a new bike  I did the same. Oh look? My handlebar wraps are worn. Time for upgrade!


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## Zombie John

Glad to hear that you're enjoying your Synapse. I'm well into my second season on mine (2011 Synapse Carbon 6 Apex) and am loving the bike and road biking in general. 

I have about 1100 miles on it so far. It's a very forgiving bike but also rewarding the further you push it. I started out as a noob last year and am now only a semi-noob. Haha! But the bike's been right there with me the whole time, doing everything I need it to.

Smooth ride, great build quality, reliable, looks great. All around great bike.


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## gocard

Came across this thread during my search for Synapses - I found a really good deal at a bike shop farther away and at this point in time, my LBS has said that they will price match if they call the other guys and they have my size! Was going to go with the alloy version but if I can get several hundred off the carbon...then that's a deal I can't pass up! Glad to see the positive reviews here.


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## mik_git

So far I am enjoying in mine (2012 Synapse 3), definitely smooths out the vibrations and is pretty comfortable. 
Of course only had 3 rides on it so far.

And I run SHimano 959 spds on mine ( may look at bit weird in baggies, t-shirt and mtb shoes)..


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## gocard

Anyone know why the carbon Synapse 6 has switched over to Tiagra? I don't see as many bikes with Apex for 2013, not just within Cannondale and am wondering if there's a reason for that. Not as many Apex sales?


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## Ruby13

I would think it was to hit their price point at entry level for the carbon frame and they couldn't do it with Sram Apex.


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## Zombie John

If that's true then I can see why people gripe about getting less and less for your money every year with bikes.

I think the Synapse 6 went up about $400 in 2012.


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## reidcc

Synapse and Supersix both went up for 2012. So glad I found my size in leftover 2011 Supersix 5 earlier this year. Not only did I no pay the price increase- but also got $400 off the 2011 MSRP.

Damn Tektro brakes will be the first things gone!!!

Chris


Zombie John said:


> If that's true then I can see why people gripe about getting less and less for your money every year with bikes.
> 
> I think the Synapse 6 went up about $400 in 2012.


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## gocard

Bummer, I wasn't in the market for a road bike last year. Anyway, I was able to recently purchase a 2012 synapse carbon 6 with Apex for several hundreds off so I'm pretty pleased about that. I wasn't interested in paying so much and going for Tiagra components in 2013. I rode it for about 15 miles last weekend and it was wonderful. Comfortable and it could really punch it when I wanted to go fast. Maybe I'll post a picture once I figure out how to do that on this forum.  

- Another happy Synapse owner


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## Mnkykng77

reidcc said:


> Synapse and Supersix both went up for 2012. So glad I found my size in leftover 2011 Supersix 5 earlier this year. Not only did I no pay the price increase- but also got $400 off the 2011 MSRP.
> 
> Damn Tektro brakes will be the first things gone!!!
> 
> Chris


Same here. I picked up a SuperSix 3 for $1000 off MSRP as they were trying to clear them out for the 2013. I too will be swapping out the Tektro brakes out ASAP.


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