There ye have it. Started riding a Cannondale Synapse. I'm hundreds of miles in already for the year.

When is it time to start pulling some spaces from the stem stack and getting lower? Is there a real benefit to having that bad boy slamdamned?

What's the advice and the verdict? One spacer at a time? Or hog down to the bottom?

It's synapse...

Take them all off.

I didn't know there was a time limit on removing spacers. Spacers are added or taken out to adjust and fine tune the fit of the bike to you.
If you want to slam your stem down so you can look like the cool kids your body may have other ideas.

Can you ride comfortably in the drops for a long time? If so, then it's time to remove one at a time and see how you feel.

Just before you take a pic to share to the Internet


Then promptly put it back afterwards

Flip them stem into the lower position first then when that gets comfortable remove spacers one at a time. Wait to adjust to each position before moving lower.

I'm thinking that if you wanted to get the bars lower, you would have just bought a CAAD10 or a Super Six instead of a Synapse.
Having said that...I'm sort of having the same thoughts about my Felt Z85, so...

This was a craigslist buy on a budget. I didn't really have any clue what the hell I was buying, turned out alright in the end though.

For sure. In fact, I likely would have also bought the Synapse instead of the Felt, but I wanted to start a relationship with the LBS that had the Felt, so...

Seriously take them all out.

The conical (bottom) spacer is like two inches long on an already tall head tube.

Even with no spacers, (assuming you leave the bottom one) those bikes are almost as upright as a beach cruiser.

Cannondale/Synapse says that you shouldn't stack spacers on top of the stem? Just remove all the spacers, slam the stem, and go? What should my end result look like? Not sure I 'get it'.

Cannondale says you shouldn't run spacers on top of the stem but they don't say that you have to slam your stem. You put as many spacers under the stem as you need to have a correct fit. You can ride with spacers on top of the stem for a while until you dial in fit. The reasoning for not having spacers above the stem is because the compression plug is supposed to add reinforcement to the steerer so you want the plug to be inside the portion of the steerer where the stem is.

I'm not going to veer off into a the bush and kill myself by pulling a few spacers from the bottom and putting them up top for a bit? But in an ideal world they'd have me chop the stem so that no spacers rest above? Is that correct?

The way I'm reading the manual here is that they want you to lob off any stem length up top first and run with no spacers on top.

You are correct on all accounts. Spacers on top for a few months won't be a problem. They want you to cut stem eventually but here is no going back so make sure you are sure about your fit. If you are going to cut it yourself make sure to research proper way to do it or pay LBS $20 to do it

Thanks rms, just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy.

^^^^ This. Next time you do a long ride, use the drops for as long as you can stand to. If it turns out that you can do most of the ride on the drops, flip the stem down. Lather, rinse, and repeat.

Oh, and don't forget to work on those core muscles.

Biggest issue I have in the drops right now is that I am wearing bulky / multiple jackets just to stay warm on the bike in the 30-50 degree weather so that on the upswing I'm mashing clothing into my hips/gut. Other than that drops are good to go.

Your handlebar is either in the position where it fits properly and is comfortable, or it's not. There is no sand flowing down the hourglass (or flying monkeys)...

+1. That'll be the best $20 you spent on the bike.

No. You have to cut the steerer tube to remove the spacers properly. For a short time it's ok to leave them on top, but not long term. The stem clamp would then be unsupported.

So for this reason alone, leave the damn spacers where they are until your fitter tells you otherwise. Measure (with a fitter) twice, cut once.

TCR-Real-slam.jpg Photo by spiza74 | Photobucket

I don't follow...

me neither.

This is how it's supposed to be installed:




That being said, when I got my bike, they left a small spacer above the stem on mine. I have yet to die. In fact, I, too, am looking to go lower by one, maybe two spacers in the near future. If I go one, I'll probably do it without getting the tube cut. If I go two, I think it'll be time to cut the tube, because, as is noted in the image, the expander bolt should be inside the tube at/about where the lower stem bolt is outside the tube.

Per Cannondale user's manual:

The steerer tube length for any Cannondale carbonfiber fork with a carbon steerer is limited to theMAXIMUM STACK HEIGHT of 55mm. This affectsthe height adjustment of the stem. No spacers maybe used on top of a stem. The stack measurementmethod is shown on the following page. If thesteerer tube is cut to accommodate a lesser spacerstack height, please observe the following:

The following procedure should only be completed by a professional bike mechanic.
1. Assemble the fork, headset, spacers, and stem without tightening the stem bolts onto the head tube.When the system is assembled, the carbon steerer tube should be 2-3 mm below the top stem. All spacersmust be located below the stem and within the maximum stack height as shown. No spacers may beused above the stem.
2. Set-up the compression assembly before inserting it. Adjust the length so that the expander is located atlower stem bolt. The top cap and the expander end provides critical support to the carbon steerer whentightening the stem bolts. Adjust the length by threading the top cap on the expander parts.
3. When the assembly is the correct length, insert it into the steerer tube. It is designed to fit snugly insidethe steerer. Insert an Allen key through the access hole in the TOP CAP and into the EXPANDER BOLT.Tighten the to the specified torque.
4. Now, to set bearing preload, insert a 6mm allen key into the hex shape in the TOP CAP itself. Turn theentire top cap clockwise to increase preload. Turning it counter-clockwise will decrease the preload. Whenthe headset preload feels correct, turn the stem to align the handlebar and tighten the stem fork clampbolts to the torque specified for the stem. Consult the stem manufacturer’s instructions. The torquevalues for components are often marked on the part.