For what it's worth, I rode the 2.1 and found it pretty harsh. Then I rode Cannondale and what a difference. I hear Giant is good too. I've been wavering between a synapse and a caad9. You should be able to find a synapse with 105 for about $1200 (what my lbs is selling it for I think) and it is a fairly comfortable ride. Nearly as good as the trek madone 3.1 (carbon) and quite a bit less. I would ride lots of bikes before jumping on anything. That's what I'm doing. Although the synapse is probably more comfort oriented I can't tell that much difference between it and the caad as far as comfort (new to road biking) but the caad is lighter and feels more quick and lively. It's a fun bike to ride. I'm probably going for the caad and the 9s are on sale as they are last year's model.