JoeOxfordCT

Good Morning from rainy Connecticut...

Perusing the 2009 Cannondale website. I know the Synapse frame is more well known in it's carbon versions, Synapse Carbon and Synapse Carbon Hi-Mod, but C'dale also offers an Aluminum model that's still made in Bedford like the CAAD line of frames. It also comes with a BB30 bottom bracket standard as well.

Anyone have any experience with the Alu Synapse frame ? It's a little more in my price range.

https://www.cannondale.com/bikes/09/c...5C_9RAS5T.html

I am looking for more of a century bike rather than a crit racer.....

Thanks !

J.

BarracksSi

There's an aluminum Synapse with BB30? I don't see the option on their site. I see it for the carbon versions, though.

But anyway, I've only test ridden an aluminum Synapse, and it was a really nice ride. I'd prefer one over my CAAD8 for long rides. Between the 5 and 7 models, I'd lean towards the 5 for its nicer 105-based drivetrain, although the extra spokes on the 7's wheels would be better for long rides into the middle of nowhere.

Dirk Calloway

I just picked up an '08 Synapse 6 compact and i am completely happy with it. i would reccomend it for sure.

ridethecliche

Wheels can be swapped pretty easily.

Edit: Wow... The 09 stuff looks awesome. The synapses look really cool and the CAAD9 paint schemes are incredible. Too bad they don't have the naked Al or the red+naked Al like 07. I really miss that color scheme I had on my old frame. I have the brushed Al 08 now, but I really prefer the decal scheme of other years since it has a nice CAAD9 on the top tube (instead of on the outside of the seatstays) and the handmade in USA logo on the outside of the seat stays instead of the inside of them.

That's just a minor complaint from me though, my frame still rocks.

BarracksSi

True, but it's nice to have what you want right off the rack, too. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the wheels that came on my CAAD8 since I got Fulcrums.

jaxgtr

back ups, trainer wheels or ebay fodder.

JoeOxfordCT

If you follow the link I posted and then click on where is says Brochure, it opens up a PDF regarding the alloy Synapse models.

Quoted from the PDF:

The Concept
Sometimes cyclists want the speed and performance of a road bike but
with geometry that’s a bit kinder for all-day rides and century-length charity
events. Cannondale’s designers took all the best aspects of its aluminum
shaping experience and combined it with a slightly more upright riding
position on the Synapse.

The Purpose
Recreational riders, cyclists returning to road riding after a bit of time
away, and anybody else who wants a road bike in an attractive,
thoughtfully designed frame should turn to the Synapse.
FrameTechnology
• Cannondale-developed BB30 technology allows riders to use the lightestand stiffest cranksets on the market
• Carbon bonding technology that joins the main frame with seat and chainstays is stronger and lighter than welding

BarracksSi

I wonder if you'd have to get the frame separately to get the BB30, then. The CAAD9 frame can be had with it via team order, so maybe that would work with the all-alloy Synapse. None of the standard alloy models show BB30 in their specs.

rtruectoc

from examining the spec on the web site, it seems that the bb30 is only on the carbon models. ill post back when we get some in the shop

JoeOxfordCT

If it's wrong then the pdf is wrong because the pdf is specifically about the alloy models....

Here's a direct link to the pdf in question....

https://video.cannondale.com/brochure/09SynapseAlloy.pdf

BarracksSi

I've noticed sometimes that Cannondale talks about features in another part of a series but aren't available in the particular frame that the copy is connected to.

Neither of the cranksets in the alloy models are designated as being BB30, either. And, the PDF talks a lot about carbon, which only makes up the fork on the alloy Synapses, not at all part of the frame itself.

Check the different specs between the Synapse Carbon 6 and Carbon 5.

JoeOxfordCT

I saw, I saw.....stop bumming me out....I'm clinging to my fantasy of an alu BB30 bike that I can actually afford until my contact at Cannondale returns my email inquiry regarding this....

BarracksSi

Sorry..

JoeOxfordCT

So while you're here can you give me anymore feedback on the alloy Synapse vs. the CAAD line of frames ? The CAAD9 was my initial choice and I may yet go back to it but it's recently dawned on me that I'm much more likely to be riding centuries and/or not be on a regular riding program than be racing where I hear nothing but good things about the CAAD9. Can't afford to spring for the carbon Synapse. I like what I've read about the Synapse being more comfortable without sacrificing performance. I do like to go fast when I can...

BarracksSi

If you're stronger than me (probably true), you'll kick my butt even if you're on a Synapse and I'm on a Slice Ultimate.

To me, the Synapse does feel smoother than the CAAD bikes, almost as if it already had a carbon rear triangle. It was very comparable to the Allez and Nirone that I also tried out, although it's a little more lively. I got my CAAD8 because it feels fast (just like I have fun with my car and its modded suspension), yet I could imagine having some flavor of Synapse instead for the more casual riding I tend to do.

Stronger riders than me have commented that the Synapse is like other flexy frames in that, when really pounded hard, it can feel a bit whippy. The CAAD doesn't do that at all, but you will feel more of the pavement, too.

I'll put it this way: If I were to start over and have one nice road bike, it would be a Synapse. Or maybe a Six13..

BarracksSi

Oh yeah -- when you get to try these out in person, find a test loop of fast straights, crappy pavement, and nice turns, almost like an automaker's proving grounds. I took my test rides through some alleys and down a particularly neglected street with cracked asphalt.

Ride fast and you can cover a lot of ground in twenty minutes, before the shop staff starts to get worried. Leave behind some valuable collateral, too.

JoeOxfordCT

I'm still waiting to hear from my contact at Cannondale but I have a feeling you're right about the BB30 being only available on the carbon rather than alloy models.....

Not sure where I'm heading at this point. CAAD9 looks very nice, Synapse alloy 5 as well. I guess it's not a bad choice between the two of them.....a big bulk of my riding takes place in the mornings before work....40 minutes, 60 minutes, even 2 hours in June & July when the sun comes up around 5am. For me it's more about aerobic minutes rather than miles or avg speed. Weekends are a toss up. Sometimes I can kill a morning or even a whole day doing a ride. More often though, I'm working on the house and all I can fit in is a 45 minute ride late in the day. I belong to a club, Sound Cyclists, in Southern CT. I enjoy doing occasional B or B- group rides in late winter/spring/early summer. However, what I've noticed in the past couple years is that I can get a good amount of miles in in late winter/early spring. I show up at these group rides and am usually in the top 1/3 to 1/4 of riders. Then, in May, the weather really turns for the better and I get involved in projects around the house. (ex-carpenter) By mid July everyone else in the club has ramped up their mileage while mine has actually tapered since April. Folks whom I crushed are now crushing me .

One day my house will be finished and I'll be able to ride many more miles that what I currently have time for. However, as much as I enjoy riding, doing group rides & centuries, my main reason for riding is as a form of weight control. A 5 or 7 hour organized century does me better for weight control than a fast 2-2.5 hour group ride. I feel bad when I get shelled from a group ride in mid July by folks I know have nothing on me other than hours in the saddle. However, doing centuries, what do I care if I do 100 miles in 6 or 7 or even 8 hours as long as I'm aerobic, it's all good.

So it's with this in mind that I look at both these models. Part of me wants the fast CAAD9 for doing group rides. Another part of me says, be realistic, you want to do century rides which are probably more helpful towards your ultimate goal of weight control and many times you may not have as many base miles as you should for rides this length so be nice to your 45yr old body and go for comfort.

rtruectoc

the main place that you will notice the extra stiffness is in the bottom bracket area. so when climbing or pedaling hard the synapse will not transfer as much power to the pedals. i just switched from a salsa casseroll to a caad 8 and I was surprised that i find it more aggressive but not less comfortable. fwiw i am using 25mm tires, a carbon seatpost and a selle italia pro link saddle. if you like a little drop from saddle to bars then you will like the caad 9. if you need an upright position ie bars even with saddle then synapse