Hello,

I have been biking the past few years on my Diamondback Outlook (I know cheap bike but gets the job done) and using it occasionally to ride light trails and what not. I changed the tires to thinner tires last year and made riding on the road much easier.

Lately I have had an urge to buy a road bike and would like to use it on the road and at some parks that are all asphalt. I would prefer to buy something on the cheaper end to see if roadbiking is my thing and maybe upgrade in the future. I came across this one ad in craigslist for a 2009 Cannondale Synapse 5 54 cm (this is the aluminum version) and uploaded the pictures to the thread. I was wondering if you could provide some general thoughts on the bike, what to look for when inspecting the bike and how much you would pay for it. The one thing I noticed right away was the scratched up crank, not sure if that could be due a nasty fall but I guess it could of happened naturally over time? The other thing that might worry me is i'm 5'9 and a half or so and I guess I should be riding a 56 cm but I don't think I mind smaller bikes .

Anyways any thoughts or comments would be appreciated. Cheers!