New bike adventure: my first (real) ride on my new Synapse!

[gocard]

Took my new bike out on a 15 mile ride in gorgeous weather. We went over some respectably bumpy parts but I felt great overall, for my first real ride on a road bike! The seat though...yeah. I need to get some padded shorts. I'm going to consider mountain bike shorts first until I start cycling a lot more, and then I might think about actual road bike shorts. Here's a picture!

http://i870.photobucket.com/albums/ab267/firstserveCSS/IMG_2334.jpg

[thekarens]

Congrats! Beautiful bike! Just my .02 as a newbie, but I'd go ahead and get the cycling shorts. I ride a MTB and still went with the cycling shorts. It was worth every penny and it didn't take me long to get over feeling weird in them.

[Owlie]

Very pretty bike! Go ahead and get the shorts. Better to spend the money once.

[gocard]

Owlie and thekarens, you do have valid points. I'm more accustomed to the way the mtn bike shorts look. Are there any relatively affordable beginner shorts that you might recommend? I have been reading about cheaper shorts and there are downsides to some of them, but I imagine the whole shorts business is a learning process as well to learn what I like and don't like.

[thekarens]

I was and am on a budget. I got mine at Performance Bike for $40. I went online, read reviews them tried on some. Picked the most comfortable pair. I've only had them a couple weekends, but so far I'm very pleased. Before after 7 miles I was super tender on one side, not any more.

[gocard]

Thanks, thekarens. That price range is where I'd be most comfortable. I am glad you are liking your choice! I will go to Sports Basement to check out their selection and maybe Performance later. Side note, I just watched a clip on Performance Bikes reviewing one of the shorts. Now I finally know how to say "chamois" lol.

[zoom-zoom]

Now I finally know how to say "chamois" lol.

Of course, we say it all wrong here in the US, though. :p

Great bike...my first bike was a 2010 Synapse Féminine 5 alloy. Great bike, but I was ready for an even racier bike really soon after (and then a CX bike after that)...and now am anxiously awaiting the delivery of my first mountain bike fit well for me (first one ever was a POS and too big...current bike is nicer, but too small). You are on the road to a wonderful addiction--enjoy! :D

[lph]

[QUOTE=zoom-zoom;656542]Of course, we say it all wrong here in the US, though. :p

Now I'm curious - how do you say it in the US?

I hardly ever speak English anymore, just read and write it (not that I would find many people interested in talking about chamois anyway). I'd just assumed it's pronounced as in French, sha-MWAH.

[pll]

I would have pronounced as lph suggests (French), but here (Midwest), I have only heard the equivalent of 'shammy'. Even the Merriam Webster dictionary has it that way (listen here (http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=chamoi01&word=chamois&text=\%3Cspan%20class%3D%22unicode%22%3E%CB%88%3C%2Fspan%3Esha-m%C4%93%2C%20%3Cem%3Esense%201%20also%3C%2Fem%3E%20sham-%3Cspan%20class%3D%22unicode%22%3E%CB%88%3C%2Fspan%3Ew%C3%A4\)). Does not make much sense to me...

[gocard]

I always thought it was pronounced the way lph mentioned, sha-MWAH. It wasn't until I watched the video and realized "shammy" = chamois. I looked it up on the M-W dictionary and sure enough..."shammy"

[azfiddle]

I started with the Performance shorts that are about $40 on sale. They were good for starters. Sometimes you can find some on ebay or discount websites. I have gotten several pairs of Giordana shorts for $30-$35 on Ebay (they list for $80) and I like them a lot.

[Owlie]

Owlie and thekarens, you do have valid points. I'm more accustomed to the way the mtn bike shorts look. Are there any relatively affordable beginner shorts that you might recommend? I have been reading about cheaper shorts and there are downsides to some of them, but I imagine the whole shorts business is a learning process as well to learn what I like and don't like.

My first shorts were from Performance (the $40 (on sale) ones). They were fine to start out, and the Ultra shorts look pretty nice if you can swing them. Look for sales. My most expensive pair of shorts is actually the least comfortable!

[gocard]

Okay, I shopped around and found a pair of reasonably priced shorts. Thanks everyone for your advice - I'll give it a try. Just posting to give an initial experience of the Synapse. Hopefully this can be of some help to someone who is in the market and is considering this model.

Little bit of background: This is my first road bike - I've had mountain bikes in the past, mainly to get around during college. I knew next to nothing about road biking but I love speed and how sleek the bikes look on the road. I plan to ride as a new hobby and alternative to tennis and I don't intend to race.

First things first: I love my Synapse! I rode over some pretty bumpy terrain on a wooden bridge and over some rougher patches but I was very comfortable overall. Of course, if you're riding over those kinds of surfaces you're going to feel the vibration. However, I can't compare to an aluminum version since I hadn't tested the alloy one over such bumpy surfaces to tell a difference.

I totally botched shifting gears to go uphill with the Apex...I didn't push in far enough and ended up going to a smaller cog...defeating the purpose entirely! As this is the first time I've had a bike where the gears actually...shifted, I will need to ride and shift around more to get the feel of it. Next time I should be ready to tackle that hill again. Once I had the gears in a useable state, I felt that climbing up the next smaller hill was not a problem.

I really thought I'd be dead tired and sore the next day but aside from my *ahem* derriere, I felt perfectly fine. I loved going downhill. It was kind of scary and I had to partially hold onto my brakes the whole time but it was exhilarating. Such a thrilll! From my perspective, although the Synapse is marketed as a plusher, more relaxed bike, it can be wonderfully speedy. Hopefully it will be even faster once I've gotten stronger. Can't wait to go riding again this weekend, with padding this time.

I started out intending to buy an alloy bike. I was set on trying a Felt Z85 or F75 from the specs, and wasn't keen on the WSD versions. I was bummed to find out that I didn't fit on a 51 Felt, and therefore couldn't test ride any unisex Felts without ordering. The ones I tested that stood out the most were the Ruby Elite and the Supersix 105. I think I tested the Ruby Elite, the first carbon bike I tried, before going to another store to try the carbon Synapse. I loved the Ruby - it was super comfortable from the get go, but I couldn't stomach the high price tag for it.

I really liked the Supersix but it felt a little too stretched. Perhaps I would have bought it if a smaller size had been available for me to test, but then there was the Synapse...sitting right next to its Supersix sister. I liked the Synapse because it was a comfortable stretched feeling and it could be fast when I wanted it to be. I was also able to confirm a price match to get $600 off. This was a huge factor in me caving in to buy a carbon bike. Since the 2013 models are in, it may be possible to get some pretty sweet deals on the 2012s.

Road bikes start off at a much, much higher price point than I'm used to, I'm still trying to get over the fact that I paid way more than I'd originally planned, but well...I bought into the whole carbon thing, got a great deal, and didn't want to be enviously eyeing a new bike all the time.

Ugh. I ramble. If you managed to read to the end, thanks for your patience :D

[TigerMom]

Okay, I shopped around and found a pair of reasonably priced shorts. Thanks everyone for your advice - I'll give it a try. Just posting to give an initial experience of the Synapse. Hopefully this can be of some help to someone who is in the market and is considering this model.

Little bit of background: This is my first road bike - I've had mountain bikes in the past, mainly to get around during college. I knew next to nothing about road biking but I love speed and how sleek the bikes look on the road. I plan to ride as a new hobby and alternative to tennis and I don't intend to race.

First things first: I love my Synapse! I rode over some pretty bumpy terrain on a wooden bridge and over some rougher patches but I was very comfortable overall. Of course, if you're riding over those kinds of surfaces you're going to feel the vibration. However, I can't compare to an aluminum version since I hadn't tested the alloy one over such bumpy surfaces to tell a difference.

I totally botched shifting gears to go uphill with the Apex...I didn't push in far enough and ended up going to a smaller cog...defeating the purpose entirely! As this is the first time I've had a bike where the gears actually...shifted, I will need to ride and shift around more to get the feel of it. Next time I should be ready to tackle that hill again. Once I had the gears in a useable state, I felt that climbing up the next smaller hill was not a problem.

I really thought I'd be dead tired and sore the next day but aside from my *ahem* derriere, I felt perfectly fine. I loved going downhill. It was kind of scary and I had to partially hold onto my brakes the whole time but it was exhilarating. Such a thrilll! From my perspective, although the Synapse is marketed as a plusher, more relaxed bike, it can be wonderfully speedy. Hopefully it will be even faster once I've gotten stronger. Can't wait to go riding again this weekend, with padding this time.

I started out intending to buy an alloy bike. I was set on trying a Felt Z85 or F75 from the specs, and wasn't keen on the WSD versions. I was bummed to find out that I didn't fit on a 51 Felt, and therefore couldn't test ride any unisex Felts without ordering. The ones I tested that stood out the most were the Ruby Elite and the Supersix 105. I think I tested the Ruby Elite, the first carbon bike I tried, before going to another store to try the carbon Synapse. I loved the Ruby - it was super comfortable from the get go, but I couldn't stomach the high price tag for it.

I really liked the Supersix but it felt a little too stretched. Perhaps I would have bought it if a smaller size had been available for me to test, but then there was the Synapse...sitting right next to its Supersix sister. I liked the Synapse because it was a comfortable stretched feeling and it could be fast when I wanted it to be. I was also able to confirm a price match to get $600 off. This was a huge factor in me caving in to buy a carbon bike. Since the 2013 models are in, it may be possible to get some pretty sweet deals on the 2012s.

Road bikes start off at a much, much higher price point than I'm used to, I'm still trying to get over the fact that I paid way more than I'd originally planned, but well...I bought into the whole carbon thing, got a great deal, and didn't want to be enviously eyeing a new bike all the time.


Ugh. I ramble. If you managed to read to the end, thanks for your patience :D

You did the smart thing. You tested and researched and negotiated a great deal on your bike. You love your Carbon Synapse and get to enjoy it from the beginning instead of "enviously eyeing a new bike all the time" (Now you don't have to pay more to upgrade 6 mo later).

Yipee to another fellow biker who's loving her bike!:p
___________________________________________________________
2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle

2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle

[Amira]

My two cents is that you will never regret spending money on high-quality shorts, with good chamois. Whether they are MTB style or road, to me, good shorts make or break a long ride. And, it's not just the chamois, but living in Texas, I've learned that you get what you pay for when it comes to fabrics for moisture mangement in super hot weather and the way waistbands and leg bands fit. I've been my own personal guinea pig this year testing and testing and testing different pairs. I'm most partial to Capo, an Italian brand, but also have really others by Louis Garneau, Terry (Bella) and a pair by Hincapie that are Coldblack fabric.

There's nothing better than finding a great pair of shorts on sale. And, FWIW, I never ever put mine in the dryer.

[zoom-zoom]

I really liked the Supersix but it felt a little too stretched. Perhaps I would have bought it if a smaller size had been available for me to test, but then there was the Synapse...sitting right next to its Supersix sister. I liked the Synapse because it was a comfortable stretched feeling and it could be fast when I wanted it to be..

I get what you're saying. My WSD Synapse and unisex SuperSix are the same size, but feel VERY different in terms of fit. I can't recall if the WSD SuperSix has different geometry (I don't *think* it does, just different handlebars and hoods and saddle). I found the Synapse to be too upright, but sometimes I wish my SuperSix were less aggressive. By the end of the Summer I love the fit of my SuperSix, since my body from the hips up are stronger, but it can be a bit stretched feeling until maybe July or so. I believe my TT measurement is 51.5...50.5-51 would probably be perfect for me.

[Owlie]

I get what you're saying. My WSD Synapse and unisex SuperSix are the same size, but feel VERY different in terms of fit. I can't recall if the WSD SuperSix has different geometry (I don't *think* it does, just different handlebars and hoods and saddle). I found the Synapse to be too upright, but sometimes I wish my SuperSix were less aggressive. By the end of the Summer I love the fit of my SuperSix, since my body from the hips up are stronger, but it can be a bit stretched feeling until maybe July or so. I believe my TT measurement is 51.5...50.5-51 would probably be perfect for me.

The past year's model was different, and I believe the 2013s are too. I need a 52-53 cm TT on an aggressive bike. On a women's SuperSix, I'm a 51cm (TT=52cm). In the men's, I'm somewhere between sizes--I'd be on a 50 or a 52 (52 cm and 53.5cm TT, respectively). Of course, the men's version always looks better. [Mourns her inability to get the sweet blue-black-white women's Supersix from 2012, and is very unhappy about the swirly graphics on the mostly-white women's versions for 2013]

[buffybike]

Congrats on your new bike--it's gorgeous!! When I first started riding, I was so broke after I bought the bike that I purchased a cheap jersey and the cheapest, most padded shorts the LBS had. Within a couple of months I was upgrading to better shorts. Another thing I've found is that certain shorts fit better with certain saddles. I used to love my PI Sugar shorts until I changed saddles and now they feel like they don't "fit" at all. If possible, wait until you know you're going to stick with your saddle, THEN find your perfect short.

[gocard]

I tested both the unisex supersix and the women's supersix in the same size, 51. They felt the same to me in that I didn't feel too comfortable putting so much weight on my arms especially if I was getting a bike to ride longer distances. I'm sure that getting a better fit before the test ride or going down to 48 for the supersix would have made my decision much tougher.

I am not a big fan of the swirly designs and pastel colors of many WSD styles and started out not even wanting to consider WSD if I could swing a unisex bike. I was very surprised to learn that the unisex and WSD Synapses have the exact same frame geometries - at least for 2012. The main differences that I could tell were the color, swirly features on some models, seat and narrower handle bars.

While the unisex synapses looked really sharp in the predominantly black/white designs, I was drawn to the striking colors of the WSD carbon 5 (black with lime green accents), carbon 6 and supersix 3 (both have teal, carbon black and white). Because it seemed like I could fit on a unisex bike just as well as a WSD synapse, it really just came down to the looks and price in the end: looks cool, not super swirly and a nice deal. It's pretty cool because on the synapse 6, I can see the carbon pattern on the black parts. :) Oh look, I'm gushing again. I can't help it! I feel like I'm going to be taking pictures of my bike whenever I go out riding. :p

[zoom-zoom]

It's pretty cool because on the synapse 6, I can see the graphite pattern on the black parts. :) Oh look, I'm gushing again. I can't help it! I feel like I'm going to be taking pictures of my bike whenever I go out riding. :p

You know, I miss the days when carbon was left mostly bare. There are some really beautiful carbon bikes with matte or glossy or even sort of glittery finishes over the carbon. DH's first Roubaix was a matte finish on carbon. Very sharp and understated. That frame developed a crack, so Specialized replaced it with the current model for that year, which was entirely painted over with white and blue...boring and kinda garish.

My bike is carbon, but painted white and orange and gray. I LOVE the white and orange, but wish instead of gray areas that they had left that clearcoat over carbon. I think that would be cool and add some unique pattern. I blame the backlash a few years back against carbon. When it started trickling down to mid-grade bikes it no longer had the same cache, so elitist types got their knickers in a twist that us plebeians were riding "their" material...and started badmouthing it. Not long after that it was no longer "cool." to have visible carbon on bikes. Shame, since it's such an attractive material to look at. I love the iridescence and it can come in different colors, too, or have tinted clearcoats applied over it.

So I'm jealous that your bike has those carbon patterns on display. I need to see one of those up-close! I'll bet it's really beautiful.

[gocard]

You know, I miss the days when carbon was left mostly bare. There are some really beautiful carbon bikes with matte or glossy or even sort of glittery finishes over the carbon. DH's first Roubaix was a matte finish on carbon. Very sharp and understated. That frame developed a crack, so Specialized replaced it with the current model for that year, which was entirely painted over with white and blue...boring and kinda garish.

My bike is carbon, but painted white and orange and gray. I LOVE the white and orange, but wish instead of gray areas that they had left that clearcoat over carbon. I think that would be cool and add some unique pattern. I blame the backlash a few years back against carbon. When it started trickling down to mid-grade bikes it no longer had the same cache, so elitist types got their knickers in a twist that us plebeians were riding "their" material...and started badmouthing it. Not long after that it was no longer "cool." to have visible carbon on bikes. Shame, since it's such an attractive material to look at. I love the iridescence and it can come in different colors, too, or have tinted clearcoats applied over it.

So I'm jealous that your bike has those carbon patterns on display. I need to see one of those up-close! I'll bet it's really beautiful.

Interesting background! I have seen the orange and white SuperSix and I think it looks really nice. I have seen several unisex bikes with more of the exposed carbon but I think some of the Ruby's (at least 2012) had some pretty sleek looking exposed carbon bikes as well. I didn't know the Synapse color scheme included that...I just assumed "exposed carbon" was another fancy way to market black paint on a bike. :P In my defense, I am a complete newbie here!

I'll have to look at it under sunlight again when I go for a ride this weekend. I definitely see it in the fork but not so much on the other black parts of the bike.

Are there general threads where people post pictures of their bikes? I would love to see what everyone in TE is riding, any kind of bike!