Cannondale Synapse Feminine 4

[hid558]

I know many have asked this but here goes. I am short 4'11" with 27 1/2 inseam. I have a Iron horse 43cm road bike with 8 step ultegra.It is heavy in my opinion. Trying to buy a all carbon bike. But here in Puerto Rico you cannot test the bikes. I am looking at the Cannondale Sypnase 4. Anybody here has this bike? What opinions about it. Other recomendations to look at.
All your opinions will be appreciated.

[OakLeaf]

I looked, but the Synapse has been completely re-vamped since my '07, and I'm not familiar with SRAM components at all, so I'm no help.

I'd just say that if you have to take the leap of faith on a bike you can't test ride, at least compare the geometry to what you're riding now. Do you feel like your present bike fits you well? In the general areas of reach, saddle setback, handling, and standover height, would you change anything about your current bike, and if so, what? Does the geometry of the Synapse frame represent an improvement or a regression in those areas? Would your toe overlap the front tire on the Synapse, and if so, would that be a problem for you?

[skinimini]

I have this bike and I love it! I've been riding only about a year, so I'm not as knowledgeable about specs and quality of the components as others might be. In my experience, it's light, responsive, and it's fast. I chose it over a Trek Madone 4.5 because I can really "feel" the road. The Trek seemed to be a cushier, perhaps even smoother ride. But I really like the fast, sporty feel of the synapse (and the roarange color really gets a lot of attention). It just really comes down to personal preference. The saddle has also been incredibly comfortable for me.

I've had the bike for about 3 months now, and I've only had a couple of minor problems, most likely due to my inexperience. Sometimes when downshifting from the large to small chainring, it takes a couple of times shifting for the chain to move. Again, this is probably due to operator inexperience and not a faulty component. I just don't quite have the touch yet. It has been back to the lbs several times to have the cables tightened (correct terminology?). At first, I had a lot of chain slipping and low gears not engaging. The first time in, the bike mechanic was convinced it was my error until he got on the bike. I know this is pretty typical of new bikes, but I seem to spend more time getting minor adjustments than my other newbie friends. However, I'm having less and less of those problems--it's been a couple of hundred miles now since the last adjustments.

All in all, I'm very happy with the synapse 4 and look forward to many happy miles on this bike. I hope this helps and sorry I can't give you a more technical review. Happy shopping!

I'm 5'3" and the WSD 48 works perfectly for me. No toe overlap and I really needed the more compact frame. I know it's really individualized though.

[hid558]

What do you think about the Scott Contessa? My boyfriend has a Scott cr1, he lowered the saddle and helped me get on it. It feels great. Only thing I can't afford the carbon for women $3000. Would you think the aluminum one $1350 would have the same feeling?

[Pedal Wench]

What do you think about the Scott Contessa? My boyfriend has a Scott cr1, he lowered the saddle and helped me get on it. It feels great. Only thing I can't afford the carbon for women $3000. Would you think the aluminum one $1350 would have the same feeling?

Typically, aluminum has a much harsher ride than carbon, so I have to doubt it will have the same 'feeling' - it will transfer road vibrations to your hands and seat more than carbon will - but by adding a carbon fork, bars, seatpost, etc., you can get rid of some of the vibrations.

[MartianDestiny]

What do you think about the Scott Contessa? My boyfriend has a Scott cr1, he lowered the saddle and helped me get on it. It feels great. Only thing I can't afford the carbon for women $3000. Would you think the aluminum one $1350 would have the same feeling?

If you like Scott look at the CR1 It's not "women's specific" but I don't think the geo is all that different from the Contessa (check me on that) and it comes in different component groups (ie: you can get it cheaper!).

It comes in XS and XXS. At 4'11" (but with a longer torso than most women) I rode the XS CR1 quite happily with a slightly shorter stem than the stock one. Really nice bike.

[batsheva]

i loved my aluminimum 105 equipped cannondale synapse with carbon fork and carbon seatpost. no toe overlap problem and was always comfy even for 70+ mile rides. i have a carbon ruby now, but miss the feel of the road i got with the cannondale alu-carbon mix. it was defintitely more fun than the all-carbon, even though the carbon bike is lighter.. maybe i should sometimes ride that one again for a change? i am 5'2" and 47cm was great.

[OakLeaf]

What do you think about the Scott Contessa? My boyfriend has a Scott cr1, he lowered the saddle and helped me get on it. It feels great. Only thing I can't afford the carbon for women $3000. Would you think the aluminum one $1350 would have the same feeling?

If the reach felt good to you on a man's frame that was too large going by the standover height, then you probably don't want a WSD frame!

[hid558]

Are the sram shifters easy to use? I've heard the are different and that you have to get used to them. I am thinking of a carbon bike because I have back problems and in my bike I feel quite much all the road vibrations and bumps. batsheva why did you get the ruby instead of the sypnase carbon? MartianDestiny you say you are 4'11" whats your standover? Do you still have the CR1? Oakleaf It felt great the seating position but I did feel streched out his is a 52cm

[Cataboo]

There was an sram red thread recently where a lot of people talked about whether or not they liked it and whether it was good for small hands.

You don't necessarily have to go all carbon to get rid of all the vibrations... a set of carbon wheels helps a lot with that. carbon fiber seat stays, seat posts, and forks also help a lot. same with carbon handlebars.

I have one all carbon bike & one titanium bike... both of them are a lot nicer with vibrations than my previous aluminum bike... the titanium vibration/bumps are just more... pleasant and not jarring, I'd say.

[MartianDestiny]

Are the sram shifters easy to use? I've heard the are different and that you have to get used to them. I am thinking of a carbon bike because I have back problems and in my bike I feel quite much all the road vibrations and bumps. batsheva why did you get the ruby instead of the sypnase carbon? MartianDestiny you say you are 4'11" whats your standover? Do you still have the CR1? Oakleaf It felt great the seating position but I did feel streched out his is a 52cm

I ended up buying a Wilier Izoard. The CR1 came in runner up. I was lucky enough to be able to ride 7 different bikes before I chose though.

Standover on my Izoard is ~28-28.25inches (by my measurement, so grain of salt). My inseam without shoes on looks like ~28.5-28.75 inches (I just measured that myself, which you should never do so, again, measurements are suspect).

As you can see I'm pretty darn close with standover on the Izoard. I think with shoes on I have ~1 inch of clearance. (Another benefit to trying before you buy. I'm not sure I'd have been brave enough to get this close with both reach and standover without riding it. The bike, by all respects, is almost too big for me, but my shop is amazing at getting fits dialed in and I just love the bike.)

If anything the Scott was better for standover and they do make one size smaller, even in the CR1.

[OakLeaf]

My inseam without shoes on looks like ~28.5-28.75 inches (I just measured that myself, which you should never do...).

FWIW, actually you can measure your own standover inseam easily and accurately (unlike most other body measurements). Plus you have the benefit of NOT showing the guys at the LBS how much flesh there is in your crotch! - inseam is totally my least favorite measurement at the LBS, and that's exactly why.

Just as always, you'll measure your standover inseam by pulling a bar, roughly the diameter of your bike's top tube, up into your crotch until it hits your pubic bone. A short piece of 1" PVC pipe is good. Duct-tape an erasable magic marker to one end of the bar. Stand on a hard surface, not carpet, at about a 45° angle to a mirror so you can see that the bar is level. Turn the bar so that the end of the magic marker is level with the top of the bar. If you want to be super-accurate, tape a small bubble level across the front of the bar and the magic marker. Then you don't have to use a mirror, but either use a plate glass door or tape a piece of paper to the wall. Pull the bar up, mark the glass or paper, then measure to the ground!

[batsheva]

hid558-

i got the ruby carbon as it was $1000 off for the 2008 model in my size (rare to get a 47cm in the shops around here - they're usually bigger sizes). I kind of wish I had got a top end Cannondale Synapse - but with $1000 off on the Ruby, it brought the Ultegra-SL compnents and carbon frame into a price I could afford - just! If there had been an equal choice between the two bikes at the same price though, I would for sure have gone with the C'dale..

[MartianDestiny]

FWIW, actually you can measure your own standover inseam easily and accurately (unlike most other body measurements). Plus you have the benefit of NOT showing the guys at the LBS how much flesh there is in your crotch! - inseam is totally my least favorite measurement at the LBS, and that's exactly why.

Just as always, you'll measure your standover inseam by pulling a bar, roughly the diameter of your bike's top tube, up into your crotch until it hits your pubic bone. A short piece of 1" PVC pipe is good. Duct-tape an erasable magic marker to one end of the bar. Stand on a hard surface, not carpet, at about a 45° angle to a mirror so you can see that the bar is level. Turn the bar so that the end of the magic marker is level with the top of the bar. If you want to be super-accurate, tape a small bubble level across the front of the bar and the magic marker. Then you don't have to use a mirror, but either use a plate glass door or tape a piece of paper to the wall. Pull the bar up, mark the glass or paper, then measure to the ground!

True, and thanks for the reminder. Let's just say I, err, didn't take this accurate approach last night

[hid558]

What do you think is better? I have the opportunity to buy a new 2009 Synapse 4 for $2138 or would you get a used 2007 Scott contessa for about $1500? At first I was looking for the Contessa used because new it's out of my price range. Then after looking so much I decided that I would go with the new Synapse 4, because its hard to find a 44 cm bike. I think the Synapse will fit better with my standover 27.5 cm. But I think I could manage the contessa standover.