I want a new road bike, but not sure what to get. I’ve currently got a low spec Aluminium Cannondale Synapse and want something lighter and better spec’d. Most of my riding is 60ish mile club rides, however I do the occasional 100+miler or sportive. I want to get quicker, but don’t want to sacrifice my back etc. My main decision needs to be whether I get a carbon Synapse or similar or whether I go for something more racey like the Cannondale Supersix Evo. I know that someone will be along shortly to suggest I try some, but it’s quite difficult as I’m 6’5″ and shops are reluctant to order bikes in sizes that they may struggle to sell and how can I tell if the Supersix Evo will be ok on a 100+mile ride by sitting on it and pootling around a car park (plus I’ve only owned one road bike)? At the end of the day I’m sure I’ll be happy whatever I get, but please share your experience/ opinion so I can pretend there’s logic behind buying whatever has the prettiest paint job!! Thanks.

the Super Six Evo comes stock with a conical headset top cap and a decent stack of spacers under the stem – it certainly is not as aggressive as many race bikes

to get the really aggressive position (taller drop between saddle and bar) you’d need to swap out the conical top cap for a dome style top cap and remove the spacer stack

you should have no issues getting a comfortable position with the Super Six Evo, if you found the reach a little long you can always fit a shorter reach bar (i.e. Zipp SL-70) which will avoid fitting a short stem, which generally does bad things to the bike handling and weight balance.

I currently ride a Super Six Evo in the same size as I had my Tarmac SL4 and found the fit much better on the Cannondale, and the ride more comfortable in terms of road shock, whilst also being a much snappier frame under power (frame also about 300gm lighter)

I’ve got a plain SuperSix and find it very comfy and have ridden up to 100 mile on it.

which will avoid fitting a short stem, which generally does bad things to the bike handling and weight balance.

I’ve wondered about this recently, how does the bike know what length your stem is vs. the reach of your bars? At the end of the day it’s all to do with where your hands are vs. your steerer tube isn’t it?

JEngledow, I can speak from frustrating personal experience, if you change your position lower or further away and you’re not in your early twenties, give your body lots of advance notice and get stretching and strengthening! I dropped the bars 1cm on my Synapse but co-incidentally started riding in a lower position (i.e. more time in the aero position, more time in the drops). The combined effect was tendinosis at the back of my knees from keeping my hamstrings in a slightly more stretched position than they were used to 🙁

At the end of the day I’m sure I’ll be happy whatever I get, but please share your experience/ opinion so I can pretend there’s logic behind buying whatever has the prettiest paint job!

I love your honesty. This is pretty much exactly my approach to bike buying as well. 🙂

I’ve never really understood what I was supposed to be looking for when I rode in 50-metre circles around a car park, or whatever.

@13thfloormonk

the Zipp shorter reach bars have a shape that puts your hands much closer to the brake lever blade when in the drops, as well as slightly shortening the reach between bar centre and hood grip position

this seems to have a much less detrimental effect than running an excessively short stem (I’ve experimented with many combinations of bars and stems) which tends to make the front wheel very light causing scary descents and cramped climbs

Esher_shore, interested in your thought on a short stem.I’m currently building up a frame (which I know is slightly too long for me, but I want the length of the headtube to ease the aches of aging bones).

Going to try an 80mm stem. What experience have you had with what sort of stem length?

Thanks.

which tends to make the front wheel very light causing scary descents and cramped climbs

Hmm, I’ll need to defer to your experience on that one but not sure I buy it!

100mm stem + 70mm reach bars = 170mm ‘reach’ from steerer tube
80mm stem + 90mm reach bars = 170mm ‘reach’ from steerer tube

Both scenarios would put your weight in exactly the same position over the front wheel, and would give you exactly the same leverage when steering.

I guess the only difference is when you’re sitting on the tops which would explain the cramped climbing feeling but descending on the tops sounds a bit suicidal! 😀

edit: actually I guess I see your point about the curve of the bars, gives you more reach when in the drops but not as much when in the hoods, sort of splitting the difference.

Esher_shore, interested in your thought on a short stem.I’m currently building up a frame (which I know is slightly too long for me, but I want the length of the headtube to ease the aches of aging bones).

Going to try an 80mm stem. What experience have you had with what sort of stem length?

descending/high speed cornering/out of the saddle climbing probably won’t be ideal.

The best thing is to size the bike around the correct length stem and drop for you.

You’d be better off with a smaller frame and a higher, longer stem.

Also OP; at 6’5″ a longer/lower frame can usually be more comfy. For example, my mate (6’4″) normally rides a race frame, but it’s in bit’s so he now does most of his riding on his touring bike.

Unfortunately, he’s struggling to get a comfy position on it at the minute and suffers with back pain, due to the fact the bars are too high/close to the saddle, forcing him to sit in a rather more upright position than he usually rides with (130mm slammed stem and a 600mm TT so lots of space).

I went from an older, racier Cannondale (Alloy R3000), to a newer Synapse Carbon. I much prefer the taller front end on the Synapse and the ride is so much smoother / less harsh on bad roads. The 28mm tyres probably also help smooth things out a bit although I’m toying with going to 25mm to see how they work/feel. I may drop the stem a bit by moving a spacer or two from underneath to above the stem soon to see how that feels as the stack height is quite high. Plenty of options to adjust the height/fit to suit though.

If you are worried about fit and the impact on your back, why not invest in a proper bike fit first and allay any doubts before purchase.

Some years back I went to Cyclefit – (when they were the only show in town). Not only did they measure me properly, they also checked and corrected things I would never have thought of, such as how much my feet turn in/out, whether both legs are the same length, how flexible I was etc. They changed my position quite a bit – to something that felt quite odd to start with, but I went from suffering back pain after 20 mile on the bike, to being happy to ride 100+ in a fairly short time.

Well worth the investment first IMHO.