# Cannondale Synapse 4 versus Trek Domane 4.5



## RBnewbie (Apr 20, 2013)

Hello everyone, I am a newbie to the road cycling community. I am considering a new road bike but have difficulty choosing. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have test ridden both Cannondale Synapse 4 and the Trek Domane 4.5. Both give a smooth ride, and are comfortable. Domane seems to have slightly better components but also slightly more expensive. 
I am 45 years old, with relatively good fitness, and want a responsive but mostly comfortable ride. I ride about 30-40 miles per week, in Colorado, with hilly and mountainous terrain. Any thoughts or recommendations (even other bikes) would be greatly appreciated! I look forward to riding with some of you. Thanks.


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## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

RBnewbie said:


> Hello everyone, I am a newbie to the road cycling community. I am considering a new road bike but have difficulty choosing. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have test ridden both Cannondale Synapse 4 and the Trek Domane 4.5. Both give a smooth ride, and are comfortable. Domane seems to have slightly better components but also slightly more expensive.
> I am 45 years old, with relatively good fitness, and want a responsive but mostly comfortable ride. I ride about 30-40 miles per week, in Colorado, with hilly and mountainous terrain. Any thoughts or recommendations (even other bikes) would be greatly appreciated! I look forward to riding with some of you. Thanks.


So what are your road surfaces like when you cycle?

What percent of your road surfaces are completely paved?

What is the most you're willing to spend on your new road bike?

How tall are you?

What's your approximate weight?


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## whrdr (May 23, 2011)

I agree with the questions posed by Zeet. Before locking yourself into one brand or another, you may want to shop around a bit more. The Specialized Roubaix falls into a similar category. For what it's worth, the Felt Z-series offer tremendous value and a more upright position. I shudder to think of the responses I may get from this suggestion but you may also want to hit a local Performance shop (there were local shops in Denver years ago but I cannot attest to their presence now) to try one of the Focus Cayos. 

Good luck.


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## midlife_xs's (Jun 18, 2004)

Putting comfort on road bikes.

Moots started out with the softail to make riding more comfortable. Klein put a rubber bumper on a mono seat stay to improve the ride of their harsh riding but otherwise racy road bike. This method didn't go very well with the riders as there was a lot of movement which riders thought pedaling efficiency was compromised.

The next iteration was putting inserts on an otherwise solid stays/fork/seatpost as the case of the Specialized Roubaix. The inserts acted as shock absorbers. It became a success. Trek followed up with the Domane where the seat tube is free from the top tube and seat stays thus the little movement isolated the rider. 

The aim of the above is to put a little comfort to an efficient or raceable road bike. 

Other bike companies chose to do this without dampeners or inserts but curving and/or making the seat stays slimmer to give a little to road irregularities. 

Which one is for you? 

Demo as much bike as you can. Before you ride the bikes, make sure the air-pressure on all bikes is the same. Remember a softer tire will make the ride smoother even on a rigid bike.


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## RBnewbie (Apr 20, 2013)

Thanks everyone for your time and your responses. I am about 6ft1.5" tall, weigh about 180 lbs. Most of the roads I ride are paved with some minor irregularity, but certainly not cobblestones. I am looking to spend about $2500US. 
I have test ridden the Specialized Roubaix carbon, and Allez Elite, but felt the Synapse and Domane were more comfortable and smoother. I have yet to ride a Felt Z series, but hear good things about them and the Focus bikes. It's a tough decision. I'm not complaining...there are certainly more important things to worry about...it's a nice position to be in! Thanks again.


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## chic0 (Dec 11, 2013)

I'm in a similar buying position now (end 2013) - with the new synapse frame does anyone have an up to date comparison against the domane ?


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

For someone living in range country, this might help that decision: I found that the Domane eats cattle guards for breakfast. It smooths out the ride over them like nothing I have ever experienced. I now feel no need to stand out of the saddle when hitting them.


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