+1

Beach cruiser + drop bars + disk fork.

Should I swap out the no name masi stem/seatpost on my masi speciale fixed for thomson elite stem/seatpost? If I sell and buy used I should be paying around 20-40 extra. Worth it?

Not unless there is something wrong with them, like you want to go longer or something.

:thumb:

Now we're cookin' with fire. + suspension post?

+ walmart gel seat that's as wide as a plank + streamer bar ends

This build is beggin' for some Zipps.

Hello everyone. Should I buy a cannondale carbon synapse 6 with apex group(bought in 2012) from a friend for $1400? Its 54cm, I currently ride a 53cm FG and have never been professionally fitted.
thanks!
(sorry not ssfg, i dont think the road forum has a "should i?" thread)

Seems over priced.

what wheels?

most likely overpriced, or at best, not a great deal.

It better have some relatively new name brand carbon wheels at that price.

perhaps bike prices are different up here in Canada. he bought it from our lbs for $1700.

Resale value for used bikes/ parts is totally different no matter where you are.
Fair market price is near/ around half MSRP especially for such a run of the mill' bike. That would be the fair value. What else you pay over that is out of being a friend.

Your "friend" is not offering you a great deal. I'd only give it a passing thought if I was actually lusting after that exact model in a 2014 or leftover 2013 model and your friend's bike was cheaper. Even then, once you account for used bike/no warranty, mileage your friend accumulated, maintenance he did not do, wear items he did not replace, and any gratis service on a new bike you'd get if you bought new, it's a rather poor deal.

But don't haggle with a friend you want to keep, merely casually pass on the deal.

You could get the 2014 alloy synapse 6 for $1250, sure the carbon version is a bit more at $2060, but I think I'd check out a Cannondale dealer to see what they have left over from last year. You could probably get a pretty decent price on the 2013 stuff.

So I had thought about selling the Leader because I never ride it anymore, but I realized I probably won't get as much as I would want, so I think I'm going to keep it.

That being said, what could I do to change up the ride a bit/lot, so that it's not as similar to my CAAD? Both the CAAD and the Leader have like identical setups now, and I really don't get as excited to ride the Leader anymore.

Change your bars up! When I was in your situation with only a road and fixed I would rotate between risers, bullhorns and drops every few months. New bars are cheap and will dramatically change the character of your bike. If you go the flat bars/risers route, don't go too narrow. Start at ~20" and see how that feels.

How about mustache bars? I've always been interested in those, and it would be neat to try them out.

And about stems, I have a 120mm stem on right now, should I try to shorten that up, or I could leave it?

Good question. I've never ridden mustache bars on my own bike, so I can't say. Since they're already gonna shorten your reach quite a bit I'd say stick with the stem you've got and see how that feels first. If you want it, I've got an extra 100mm 31.8mm threadless stem you can have.

+1.
Right now I have horns on one bike and drops on the other.
Probably throwing risers on my beater in the next month or so, for short rides around town and learned some tricks.

You go short and tall with mustache bars. So far I don't know anybody that thinks they're comfortable. I used mine for a long time and switched it between a fixed gear, road bike, and commuter road bike but it didn't work out in the long run. I would go with Rivendell's redesign of the mustache bar if you choose to go that way http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/hb3a.htm

I use the same stem with my mustache bars as I do with my drops, and it's really comfortable. Also, there is about 4-5cm of drop from my saddle to the mustache handlebars. I like it :D.

This. If you think about it, most of the hand positions are forward of the stem clamp, so most people like them better if the stem is shorter than what would normally be used on drop bars.

It too found it best like that when it was on my road bike but I prefer drops there.
Now I feel dumb for saying short and tall. I should be more descriptive.

Need a frame, should I?
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...d=380176164113

Do a little research on that particular frame. Google is your friend.

Found a bunch of comments you said :P

I am in the midst of a dilemma...

I have a classic Italian steel track bike as my daily rider. When I got the frame I built it up with whatever parts I had on hand to get it on the road quickly. Since then I've been swapping over piece by piece to Campy bits with my plan being to end up with a full-throated Italian build. I am about there with the exception of the seatpost & wheels.

Here's my problem - I've found Campagnolo rims & hubs that would build into the perfect wheelset to compliment the style of my bike. But, it will be a damned expensive project & will turn out a somewhat heavier than I'd like.

Or - I just ran across a generic Chinese carbon track wheelset with box section rims that is reasonably priced and very light. If I went with this, I will have to stick with these wheels til they die, and give up my original plan for who knows how long.

So what should I be? Italophile (to steal a phrase from Tejano Trackie)...or weight-weenie tightwad?

Which Campy wheelset?