Originally Posted by
Trakhak
The aesthetics in question would be those of their customers, non Cannondale's. They clearly figure that adding rack drillings to the carbon frame would turn off the majority of potential purchasers, or at least more than would be gained.
I quite doubt it.
Cannondale makes all kind of guesses on what riders would buy. Some of those guesses worked out, others didn’t.
Yes, the rack holes mires the smooth “aero” look. But, even that aero look is just a fashion statement. Weekend warriors don’t go fast enough to benefit from the oval shape headtube and seatpost. I for one am in a hurry to buy a 2024 Synapse which there’re still some left on bike shop floors. That’s the last year the Synapse has round seat tubes like all traditional bikes. That means I can later upgrade or downgrade it for my own purpose.
Yes, I wish it has rack mounts. But I now know there’re ways around it. It’s not a deal breaker. I like the way the Synapse rides. That’s really what matters.
Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Before you go too far, there is a vast difference between a short wheel base race (or raceable) bike and a touring bike. One is built for fast riding and performance while the other is made for carrying lots of stuff all day with maximum stability…a different kind of “performance”. I’ve taken a loaded short wheel base bike down a high speed hill and dreaded it. The bike developed shimmies and was difficult to control. I’ve also taken a loaded touring down many more hills at far higher rates of speed without the drama.
There is also the heel clipping problem when you put panniers on a rack on a short bike.
I’m guessing you’re not familiar with the Cannondale line? The Synapse isn’t a “race bike”. It’s an “endurance” bike, fast and efficient to do centuries with minimum effort. But not counting seconds at the finish line or duking it out on the sprint finish. Its geometry is pretty relax, quite friendly for touring as long as one doesn’t carry a huge load of cr*p!
Moreover, if you’re a backpacker, especially during the last 10 years, you would know camping gear had shed a huge amount of their weight. You can camp in comfort without carrying 50lb of gear any more. (I backpacked for a few decades. But recently, when I needed to replace my threadbare tent, I was shocked at how much lighter tents had became! I went a little overboard and replaced a few other items. Now, my backpack weights barely 20lbs even with a few leftover heavy itesm from the old days)
Last but not least, I’m considerably below average in weight. Me and my camping gear together will only be about average weight of rider of my size, well within the handling envelop of any non-racing bikes.