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

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Originally Posted by gocard

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..

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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.

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

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.

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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]

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.

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

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Originally Posted by gocard

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

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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.

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

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.

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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!