I have three road bikes.

Cervelo s3 – fast areo
Pickenflick – 1×11 cx/ gravel bike
Cannondale synapse Di2 ultegra carbon disc – should be for 70+ mile rides.

Love the cervelo, love the pickenflick but the synapse is pretty shit at everything.
It’s not fast, it’s isn’t comfortable and doesn’t do anything particularly well other than be a dull uninteresting space takerupper in the bunker.

So. Do I buy a new frame ( must be 9mm sq compatible due to the Reynolds assault wheels ) and install the ultegra Di2 or just ditch the whole thing and rearrange the three bike spread.buy something else.

Or what frame which is distance focussed that uses 9mm sq ? Bowman pilgrim or just sell the synapse and keep the wheels and 28s for the pickenflick.

I’m sur you’ll think of something I haven’t.

Try some fast tyres
Put a lower stem on it

They’re usually held in high regard.

The stem has been between -3cm and slammed @ -8.
Cervelo is -10 cm so flexability isn’t an issue.
Pickenflick is -4cm

All have the same distance between saddle tip ( same saddle ) and top of hood.
Hood angles are the same. seat angle is within 3o depending on drop.

Tyres – cervelo assault 25 gp4000 with latex tubes / synapse assault disc 28 with latex tubes.

Do an 80mile ride on the pickenflick with the assault wheels on, then do the same ride on the synapse and decide from there. Remember to wear the same shorts and ideally same weather (not easy in the UK to prebook weather!). If you actually have the enthusiasm for the synapse ride then this is a good indicator also

I was in Italy recently and was chatting to an American guy who’d hired a Synapse to avoid bringing his own bike all the way over from the States.

In spite of it being a high spec bike with Di2 and disc brakes, he absolutely hated it; said it was heavy, dead feeling, uncomfortable and poor handling. He spent the whole week wishing he’d brought his own bike.

Personally I can’t stand Cannondale, a hatred dating back to the days when I worked in a shop that sold them and finding we had more problems with them than all the other brands in our line up put together.

I have an S3 which I also love.

I had a Trek Boone (older version which was QR) which was good. That said my new Domane SLR is just amazing. Its fast, responsive and comfortable. The issue for you here would seem to be the wheels BUT I am almost certain that Reynolds sell hub adaptors and I think the assaults can be adapted..??? Or have the rims rebuilt onto Hope or Novatec hubs which are multi adaptable?

Funnily enough I’ve been on the Turbo bike a bit recently as the Cervelo and Trek both had warranty issues. Its an old Bianchi Via Nirone and is a huge amount of fun. Perhaps go older for a frame?

Already done the wheel swap and 70 mile ride.
I ride around 300 miles a week so ive been testing the options. I really want three bikes to differentiate betwen them.

I live in Switzerland so the synapse was an all day- everyday bike for the mountains. Nimble, quick, agile. But it’s dead and heavy feeling.

The pickenflick feels more agile so I can only assume it’s the frame.

I guess I need to look for a new endurance frame – whatever they are.

Update – the Reynolds are 2015 so they Hubs are 9mm only. I could rebuild etc but then it becomes super expensive when I can buy a canyon for 4K all in or try an bowman frame for £700.

Tempted by Chinese carbon for 500 – njee likes his and puts in enough miles to have an opinion.

Update 2 – the synapse was originally a winter bike but moving to Switzerland meant my miles per month increased massively.

You already have a bike for 70+ mile rides, the S3. If it were me, the 3rd bike would be for winter duties and if the Synapse wasn’t doing it, I’d change the frame for something more suitable for the job. Fairlight Strael comes immediately to mind.

I’m sur you’ll think of something I haven’t.

Nope, it’s your bike and you’ve clearly ridden it loads. If you think it rides like shit then I’m sure it does.

Only reason I’m posting really is to say maybe go for a normal race bike rather than an “endurance” bike if you’re fit and flexible.

I sacked off my Defy for being a bit bland, returning to a CR1 SL as I prefer something a bit sharper – and I find my carbon post and carbon laminate wheels give a lovely smooth ride anyway.

If I was buying new I’d probably have got a Canyon Ultimate CF SL or SLX.

Fairlight Strael. Interesting.
Didn’t know they existed.

Try some fast tyres
Put a lower stem on it

50% right.

Better tyres transform a bike. Even more so if they’re skinwalls. 🙂

Then, get a proper bike fit, which may or may not involve a lower stem
That’s a great bike, deserves a chance.

Only reason I’m posting really is to say maybe go for a normal race bike rather than an “endurance” bike if you’re fit and flexible.

Exactly what I thought. I’d only go for a Synapse if I wasn’t flexible enough for a Supersix. (If I was looking at Cannondales.)

Already had a bike fit this year. Happy with drop up to 12 cm.
I’m 41 🙂

I guess the marketing of micro suspension etc suckered me in. I expected more.

I may look for a caad 12 or super 6 as I usually like Cannondale and don’t want to stump 3k on a cervelo c frame.

3t strada is super tempting

Already had a bike fit this year. Happy with drop up to 12 cm.
The stem has been between -3cm and slammed @ -8.
Cervelo is -10 cm so flexability isn’t an issue.
Pickenflick is -4cm

If you’ve had a fit and happly with it why are your three bikes set up differently??

I have three different road bikes, but the contact points are all in the exact same position, set back, reach and drop.

I felt the same about my caadx…untill I rode it for 70mls into a block 15mph headwind, we became friends after that.

Actually very rare to hear people not liking the synapse, but suspect you are similar to me in that you like the way a race bike fits and rides.

If you are looking for something nimble/agile, then maybe endurance bikes aren’t going to be for you as they are designed to be docile/stable for mamils that struggle to reach past their bellies.

Buying new from that genre of bike i’d probably be looking at a BMC Roadmachine as it seems to be at the less sedate end of the spectrum.

Unless you are riding a lot of crappy surfaces, i’d echo @rutland’s advice and ride the cervelo and make bike #3 a proper mud-guarded up wet weather bike.

The Synapse is a MAMIL bike. It’s not bad, but if you’re riding 300 miles a week, you’re not the rider this bike is designed for.

I felt exactly the same way about a Scott CR1 HMX I had for a while. Despite weighing 890gms F&F and having an RRP of £2.2k (frame only), it was a high, wanderey, pedestrian yawn-fest to ride.

I had this same thing with a domane, was dull as dishwater uninvolving etc every single review said it was the dogs dangles for endurance bikes …..oddly I’m happier now on what many would consider as an out and out race bike

Similar experience with Roubaix – race bikes are much more my thing. I thought that there was a lot of BS talked about feeling of different bikes – but demoing the Roubaix made me think otherwise. Not for me at all. I like a bike to feel b responsive and fast, not like a dull armchair.

I had the same issue after borrowing a Synapse for a few days. After hearing all the rave reviews I was expecting something more…. but it was just a little bit dull and lifeless.

On the other hand my Supersix is a fun and exciting ride. If your back can cope with the race geometry I’d go for one every time. Put some 25mm tyres on it and it’s also amazingly comfortable.

I was considering a synapse,, is yours the hi mod or standard carbon ? Is there a notable difference?

If it is set up exactly as per the cervelo and still is a poor ride, sell it. If you can’t match the cervelo position due to geometry (head tube is too long), even with a minus 17 degree stem, sell it.

But try these first. Small differences in position will magnify small geometry differences.

For reference, my Defy is every bit as nice to ride as my Propel. Sure the geometry is a tiny bit slacker but my position is identical on both

Swap stem, match saddle position, then decide. And of course match the tyres to the cervelo.

This is my issue with the recent trend of making road bikes into touring bikes. It helps people progress but is it really that much trouble?

Just get a proper road bike and ride for goodness sake.

Bin the pickenflick thingummybob and ditch the synapse and get one of these.

I’m not surprised in the slightest the synapse is dull, it’s designed to be dull and comfortable for a different demographic than you. The zing from the S3 is very hard to replicate and you’re into that.
So ditch both the Pick’ and Synapse and buy an Open. Plenty of convertible options on daily rides, one day stick some 28’s on it and do your endurance rides, the following day some 33’s CX wheels and go blast around the forests, or the following day some 38-40’s on it and head for the forest roads. You just need two sets of wheels and a set of gear ratios from ultra low to mid to give the versatility..

IMO.

Interesting discussion. I bought a half-price CR1 frame a few years ago and I find it pretty dull to ride, even with light wheels and a similar position to my racier geometry bike.

If you’ve got the flexibility I agree with the others saying you don’t need an “endurance” frame. Either get a new racier frame – SuperSix, Izalco, Ultimate kind of thing, or a winter frame that can take guards.

For a race-geo winter frame I can highly recommend the De Rosa Milanino training. Guard mounts, long drop brakes, takes a (wide) 28mm tyre with the guards too. I use it in the summer if there’s a hint of rain and if I could only have one bike for the UK, it would probably be this one.

It sounds like you’ve messed about with it enough. Seems strange though, as they’re not particularly tall/long/slack, at least not compared to alot of other “Endurance” style bikes.

I imagine you’d lose alot of money if sold complete, so your best option would be to sell the frame and build another bike with the parts. Kinesis Aithein disc looks pretty sharp.

Quite like my hi-mod Synapse disc. It manages to be both stiffer than my previous TCR, and more comfortable/smooth than my ti Lynskey. The TCR was jarringly harsh, and the Lynskey felt like it had to be wound up to go anywhere. It’s obviously never going to be a crit racer, but for its intended purpose, it fits the bill for me. Mine has 28mm Pro Ones on Enve’s, so that doesn’t hurt either! I test rode a Roubaix, and that thing was dull and lifeless in comparison.

If you ride a Synapse you need a positive rise stem, 60mm of spacers, huge saddle bag, upward tilted handle bars. Don’t forget to leave the wheel reflectors on. On the bike you’ll need hairy legs, knees pointing outwards, and a sub 70 cadence. Camel back and baggy shorts optional, although I’d recommend a helmet that looks like a melted cool box. Now you are ready for your first sportive.

Bugger