# Optimo 2 Feminine



## JENOK (May 31, 2007)

Does anyone have any experience with this bike. My LBS has one: green pearl, just my size, with Dura Ace, upgraded wheels and seat. The brakes are 105's. With tax and pedals it should be right around $3000.
I'll be riding on rough country roads and some hard packed dirt/gravel roads. My concern is if the ride will be too rough for me (mature rider).
Thoughts?


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## jm3 (Mar 22, 2003)

*I vote no*



JENOK said:


> Does anyone have any experience with this bike. My LBS has one: green pearl, just my size, with Dura Ace, upgraded wheels and seat. The brakes are 105's. With tax and pedals it should be right around $3000.
> I'll be riding on rough country roads and some hard packed dirt/gravel roads. My concern is if the ride will be too rough for me (mature rider).
> Thoughts?


I think you'd be better served on a carbon Synapse Feminine for that price - much smoother ride for those conditions. Unless, of course, you need something smaller than a 47cm. I hope they start building the Synapse in a 44cm.


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## JENOK (May 31, 2007)

*That's what I needed to know*

Thanks, that's the info I need to have.
I would love the Dura Ace, but know that a smoother ride will mean more to me in the long run. I'll do some serious looking at the Synapse.


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## AZ_Mike (Sep 10, 2004)

Had a R1000 CAAD8 not sure how it compares to the Optimo. The CAAD8 is an awsome frame very stiff, very reponsive but I found it somewhat harsh. I would purposely look for smoother routes to take. If I rode over a quater I could tell if it's heads or tails. 

Now saying that, I still loved the bike and rode a few centuries on it. It is a sportscar ride if that's what you like. In training I was fine for the first few hours but after a while the constant "buzz" would get to me. The body would give out before the legs and lungs. If your roads are that bad and the Optimo is similar to the CAAD8, I would think hard about how long will I be able to endure. There are ways to soften the ride like; tire, posts and double wraping your bars but that buzz is still there.

Good luck with your decision


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## jm3 (Mar 22, 2003)

JENOK said:


> Thanks, that's the info I need to have.
> I would love the Dura Ace, but know that a smoother ride will mean more to me in the long run. I'll do some serious looking at the Synapse.


I'll bet that the difference you'll feel in frame materials is far greater than what you'll experience with Dura-Ace over Ultegra. Still, the Optimo 2 paint is high on the "Gucci Factor" scale! That's a cool looking bike; though, 3K seems to be a bit high for that build-out.

The Synapse is really starting to take off as it's a great blend of comfort and performace. I think it was initially marketed as too much of a recerational bike and, even though that's what most people need, no one wanted to be seen riding a "comfort" bike. Now that the performance end of the frame is better known, our customers are giving them a try and loving the ride.


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## cbuchanan (Mar 6, 2006)

jm3 said:


> I'll bet that the difference you'll feel in frame materials is far greater than what you'll experience with Dura-Ace over Ultegra. Still, the Optimo 2 paint is high on the "Gucci Factor" scale! That's a cool looking bike; though, 3K seems to be a bit high for that build-out.
> 
> The Synapse is really starting to take off as it's a great blend of comfort and performace. I think it was initially marketed as too much of a recerational bike and, even though that's what most people need, no one wanted to be seen riding a "comfort" bike. * Now that the performance end of the frame is better known, our customers are giving them a try and loving the ride.*


Same thing going on here too. Once the customers were able to get past the "rec bike" thoughts and discovered that the bike is actually really nice, they started selling really well. :thumbsup:


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## JENOK (May 31, 2007)

*That's why . . .*

The rec bike label is why I haven't really looked at the Synapse. While I _need_ a rec bike I would much rather have it labeled a _performance_ bike. I'd really go for a _smooth riding performance bike._ (Although I did like the pearl green).

AZ_Mike, the "buzz" is exactly what I want to avoid. I would love the sports car feel for the first 20 minutes, and then I too would be searching for non-existant smooth spots.

Thanks guys. Glad I didn't pull the trigger before asking.


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## stwok (Mar 15, 2007)

jm3 said:


> The Synapse is really starting to take off as it's a great blend of comfort and performace. I think it was initially marketed as too much of a recerational bike and, even though that's what most people need, no one wanted to be seen riding a "comfort" bike. Now that the performance end of the frame is better known, our customers are giving them a try and loving the ride.


People do not realize the Synapse is on the high-performance side of the comfort bike category. Here’s something of interest I read, several of the Paris Roubaix Liquigas riders use a Synapse instead of a SystemSix on the cobble stone roads.


Here's a good link that compares the Synapse to other high-end road bikes.


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