New bike came early
 

The Cdale Synapse Carbon 5 that they promised for the end of May was in early last week, just in time for an incredible string of warm (20+ above normal), sunny (but windy) days. The bike rides very smoothly, as I had hoped. There are a few things that I'll have to learn about. Such as:

• It's my first bike without a sidestand, so I have to learn the tricks of leaning it against things or laying it down. I sure hate to think about leaning it against my car when I unload it, though.
• It's also my first compact crank, and I can see that I have to do a lot more front shifting than with my triples. OTOH, why have a front derailleur if you don't use it?
• It's got such a nice paint job compared to my other bikes that I'm going to be really bummed when it eventually picks up a chip or scratch.

The bike weights about 7-8 lbs less than my old aluminum Sequoia, and I think I can really feel the difference, especially on the few hills that I've encountered so far. I've lost the lowest gearing from the triple, but don't think I'll really miss it since this bike seems to go up 'em easier.

I switched the wheels already for some Mavic Aksiums that I wasn't using, but other than that I'll leave it as-is for a while (yeah, sure!). Now if the weather continues to cooperate, I can get some more miles on this baby...

http://wdgordon.com/images/synapse4.jpg

http://wdgordon.com/images/synapse3.jpg
(Sorry about the sneakers :D)

I love it..Looks great and you sure look to be one happy camper..! Congrats on your new ride..

Early is always good.

I have an '08 Synapse Carbon 5, and I love it. I was able to find one with a triple, which I need for our local mountains and my old worn-out engine.

Congratulations!:thumb:

That is a fine looking bike. Congratulations, I am sure you will enjoy many many miles on it.

Good looking bike. Have fun riding it.

Pity about the amount of white on it but a few rainy rides and it will soon tone down:innocent: Incidentally- best cleaner to get the lustre back onto c.f. is furniture polish such as pledge.

My problem when I went C.F. is that my one likes to climb hills. Good job as I live in a hilly area- but it is literraly like that. You arrive at the bottom of a hill and suddenly you are at the top. Probably no faster but the effort involved to climb feels a lot less. Downside was that it took a while to get the bike sorted for descending. As much as I rate Aksiums over a stock wheel- they are stiff. That was where my problem came in. C.F. is not as supple as it is made out and and a stiff frame and stiff wheel made for a front end that bounced a bit. It was cured with experimentation on pressures and tyres but you probably would not have that problem.

Nice bike that is gaining in popularity so I think you will be pleased with your choice, Including the compact crank so don't worry about that point. You soon get used to the "wide" jump between the chainrings and use it to your advantage.

So wheres the full ride report? And the moan about the stock saddle?

Nice bike!
That is one huge seatbag:innocent:

Beautiful bike. I was looking very hard at that same bike. If my LBS hadn't made me such a great offer on a Specialized Roubaix I would be riding that Synaspse right now. Enjoy!

Good looking ride Doug, enjoy:thumb:

nice bike! jealous! don't forget your helmet now! :-)

Thanks for the great comments. The seatbag is temporary since the one I wanted to use won't work. I just grabbed an old one from my shop for the day and have already replaced it with a better one. From a technical standpoint, it was a tossup for me between the Synapse and Roubaix, but since I've owned two Specialized bikes but never a Cannondale, I thought I'd go that way this time.

This model also comes in a triple, but again both of my other bikes are triples and I wanted to try the compact. I'm still keeping my Sequoia, which now has 32c tires and a 105 triple setup. I'll use it for the long tours that I take each year since it's more robust, I can mount a rack on it, I don't care if it gets a bit wet and dirty, and it has a new Brooks saddle.

I'm happy for you that your bike came early.

I wish that mine would. I just logged onto my computer hopeing to find tracking numbers for two different shipments. The score is zero. If my tandem and single bike parts don't ship tomorrow I'll miss yet another weekend of bicycling.

I'm happy for you, bummed for me.

Very sweet