bonz, I'm some 400 km South of São Paulo, much colder (today was 0ºC early morning, and they're forecasting -2ºC for tomorrow) but with (A LOT!) less traffic .

Despite being ugly as sin, the COBL seatpost would be welcome even if it only offers marginal better comfort. In my experience at least what really changes the game for me in terms of feel is saddle and (especially) tires. And now I'm a bit worried about the Synapse after reading SpikedLemon's report. I was fairly certain that a 28C would fit front and rear, with no issues. The roads that I ride are fairly smooth, but are far from a dream come true in terms of pavement. And of course there's always the getting there, since between my house and the highway I go over a lot of rough asphalt and even cobbles. I'm not expecting a plush ride, I just don't want to feel miserable on the bike.

I was under the impression that a 28C gives the perfect compromise between speed and comfort, so that's why I was looking forward to swapping tires almost before I got the bike out the door of the shop. I'm a bit spoiled by my CAADX, with it's Continentals 35C that offer almost a plush ride even on cobbles (if you can go fast enough), and I'm aware that an endurance bike will NOT be as smooth on the rough, but as I said I don't want to take a beating on every ride.