Cannondale for no reason other then I own one.

....and an eight-ball.

Ditto. I own a 2006 Six13. It's a nice bike. I'm completely biased, though.

I bought a Cannondale because I loved the way it rode. You should buy a bike for a similar reason.

I wish it was safe to do a "blind" test for bikes. When I bought a nice violin, a crucial part of the purchase, after I narrowed down to three instruments, was having someone else play for me while I listened with my eyes closed. This is to ensure I'm not letting things like color, wood flame appearance, pricetag, etc. weigh my decision.

With my eyes open, I preferred one instrument. Closed, I preferred one with a color I didn't really care for. I bought that second one, and I love it.

My point is; the label shouldn't really influence the decision, but unfortunately it does. If there was a way to ride without seeing the label or knowing which bike it was...that would be a great test. I will say though that the fact that my Cannondale is made in the US is special to me.

I thought they used Alcoa aluminum... at least, there was a time when they had a little Alcoa decal on the frames...?

Aluminum Company of America...

They still do, at least for any of the frames made with so called "Optimo Aluminum. Alcoa is indeed an American company, HQ'd in Pittsburgh or Philly I think, but they have mines all over the world. I've got a relative working in an Alcoa office in Brazil.


FYI

The thing about mining aluminum is you sort of need to do it where there is actually aluminum to mine.

You may want to actually compare the geometry of these two bikes to their racing counterparts before making this assumption. There's very little geometry difference between them, and almost nothing about the geometry that makes them more comfortable.

The added comfort, if it exists, comes from frame construction, not geo.

it was actually a custom frame with a SL2 front and a Roubaix rear end....something you and I cannot get our hands on...unless he starts selling bikes to support another habit he has:lol:

I'M not sure yet, I saw today 2 used bikes, caad9 full record and ksyrium es... very low mileage, the guy must sell... just 1400$ or six 13 2006 dura ace (3000 miles) 1500$$

I dont know which one..

Where did you see this?!

Look at all the Cannondale shill here. How about a Cannondale supporter who doesn't have any attachment to Cannondale?

Can you tell me what size they are? It looks like a good deal, I'm also in Quebec city and I've been thinking about getting a new bike.

We own the bikes we like :thumb:


Hmmm Chicken/egg argument ensues....

hmmm.. I did compare the geometry. Yes, the differences are subtle... however, the geometry most definitely contributes to the comfort of the bicycle. If it didn't, cannondale would have just kept the geometry the same on the synapse as the Six13 and just constructed the frame differently. When discussing the synapse geometry with the cannondale rep, I pointed out that the differences in geometry seemed insignificant... he looked at me like I was crazy and said "would you buy you shoes a half-size smaller or bigger just because it seems insignificant? Small changes can make a huge difference in the way things fit." He was absolutely right, riding the six13 on a trainer and the synapse on a trainer there is a significant difference in position. Of course, with the synapse, you can mess with it... take off the head tube riser and flip the stem and you're going to be in a more aero position but you still won't be riding with six13 geometry.

I only bring this up because the OP said that he wasn't going to race. Yet the bicycles that he is considering are race bikes. Of course, if he chooses to race a synapse or roubaix he can do that. He can also ride long distances on the six13 or the tarmac. For me, it makes a difference. I try to zero in on the tool that is best for the job. If money is no object... hell buy all four bikes, then you know that you haven't gone wrong.

Ask Jeeves...then pick the Tarmac :-)