Caad 10 105 vs Specialized Dolce Elite 105

[hjakeway]

I am buying my first road bike (Yeah!) and I have narrowed my search ( I think) to the Cannondale Caad 10 with 105 and the Specialized Dolce Elite with 105.

I have ridden the Dolce and loved it. I rode the Cannondale Synapse Carbon fem 6 and liked it but really want to stay with an alum frame. Can someone please help me with this!

I will be ridding some short rides but plan on doing long 40+ rides. The roads here tend to be not so smooth and can be hilly.

[zoom-zoom]

Why not get an alum. Synapse...? The CAAD would feel VERY different from the Synapse. You may like it, you may not. It's quite a bit more aggressive. I went from a Synapse (alum.) to a SuperSix, which has identical geometry to the CAAD, but in carbon. Very different feel, even though they are the same size.

[Owlie]

The CAAD10 will probably be lighter and nicer aluminum than the Dolce, but it's a more aggressive bike--it was designed to be raced, even though the catalog no longer makes mention of this. (At least for Cannondale's women's road bikes, the "beat the boys" tag belongs to the SuperSix.) The Dolce is a more relaxed bike.

See if you can find an aluminum Synapse.

[zoom-zoom]

The roads here tend to be not so smooth...

FYI, some aluminum frames can also be really miserable on rough roads, like chip-seal. Not all (my Synapse was miserable on rough roads, but my aluminum Redline Conquest feels nearly as buttery on our roads as my SuperSix).

[hjakeway]

Thank you... I would love to try the alum Synapse I am having a very hard time finding bikes my size to demo. My husband is also searching and when we go to a shop... he gets to demo 3-4 and I am lucky if they havce 1 for me. But I will try to locate one to try.

[Owlie]

Thank you... I would love to try the alum Synapse I am having a very hard time finding bikes my size to demo. My husband is also searching and when we go to a shop... he gets to demo 3-4 and I am lucky if they havce 1 for me. But I will try to locate one to try.

I completely understand. In my case, it's a matter of being too tall for most of the WSD bikes they have on the floor, and not tall enough (or built correctly!) for the unisex. Trying to find a bike to try can be a nightmare! DBF, on the other hand, can go into a bike shop and everything fits him.

Consider going with the CAAD10 if your roads aren't good, assuming it fits and you want to stick with aluminum for budget reasons. It's supposed to ride nicely for being aluminum--shop guy says about as nicely as the SuperSix for a lot less. That assumes, though, that you want a more aggressive bike.

[hjakeway]

I took your advice and looked at the Caad 10 and it looks really nice. I may have changed my search lol

Also I need to correct the Specialized... it is the Dolce Comp Compact with 105's. I rode an '11 I can get a deal on so it would be about the same price as a '12 Caad 10. so the REAL question for me is ... whcih is the better bike. I think I want a "less agressive" bike but I know some of that can be changed by changing the stem (to a certain extent).

Getting so confused now!

[zoom-zoom]

I took your advice and looked at the Caad 10 and it looks really nice. I may have changed my search lol

Also I need to correct the Specialized... it is the Dolce Comp Compact with 105's. I rode an '11 I can get a deal on so it would be about the same price as a '12 Caad 10. so the REAL question for me is ... whcih is the better bike. I think I want a "less agressive" bike but I know some of that can be changed by changing the stem (to a certain extent).

Getting so confused now!

If you want a less aggressive bike, then the CAAD is probably not the bike you want. Yeah, you can put a shorter, more angled stem on it, but you'd be better off having a bike with less aggressive geometry in the first place (like the Synapse). The CAAD is not going to be as comfortable for longer rides as it would be for more performance-oriented riding.

[zoom-zoom]

BTW, I have never ridden ANY of my bikes before purchasing, because shops don't frequently have smaller frames in-stock. If you liked the carbon Synapse, then I see no reason why you wouldn't also like the same bike in aluminum. The geometry and components are the same.

Yes, it's ideal to test-ride a bike before buying, but it's not always practical. I trust my LBS friend to know what's going to work for me based upon my measurements, flexibility, and riding style. So far, so good!

[kmhurchla]

This is my first post. I just rode my first 150+ mile ride in 2 days and felt my trusty used Caad 3 is ready to become my commuter bike. I'm looking forward to getting something that fits my body and my riding just right. I came today looking for some honest female input on just these bikes, and this post has confirmed what I suspected that I think I'm a candidate for a Synapse. I generally ride 40-65 miles once or twice a week with shorter rides and commutes in between. The longer rides are a mix of road and paved trail but mostly trail (Schuykill Trail in Philly to be precise). I do like to pass the boys and hope to do more of that, but by no means am I going semi-pro, so the idea of a constantly more aggressive stance might not suit (yet)?. Kirsten, I gather you'd agree from your feedback here, but if you have any more input I'd much appreciate it. How were you riding when you first felt you were into the more aggressive position?

My husband is pushing the carbon, but I hear you and others say the new Cannondale aluminum frames are as good, so what's the real determining factor, other than the sticker shock on carbon? Is it handling, or shock absorption differences?

[zoom-zoom]

I knew I wanted a more aggressive frame when we kept swapping out spacers and flipping my stem to get me lower...and I still felt cramped and too upright. We had considered trying a longer stem, at that point, but I already felt like the steering on my Synapse was sorta numb, so I was afraid that a longer stem would only increase the lack of responsiveness.

Plus I found the aluminum on the Synapse to be very buzzy on our rough roads. What is interesting is that I have talked to people who have ridden the alum CAADs and the Synapse and also found the Synapse to be a rougher ride. This kind of surprises me, since I would have thought that more relaxed and flexible geometry would have dampened vibration more, not less.

I must say that I am very fond of my carbon SuperSix, though. It really smoothes out some roads that I had avoided after they were freshly chip-sealed last Summer. For me it's just as comfortable on long rides as it is on shorter, faster ones. I think a lot of this comfort depends upon a person's flexibility and physique, though. I have a long torso relative to my legs, so I like the longer reach. With my Synapse I was on the right size for my leg length, but had a really difficult time in the drops, since the cockpit was shorter than on the SuperSix.

[kmhurchla]

Thanks Kirsten. I think I'll try riding a SuperSix as to not undersell myself. I do love riding in the drops and how much quicker and easier the ride is, and giving my other muscle groups a break that way. On the SuperSix, do you still feel comfortable riding intermittently upright on the bars or hoods? Can you have a bike adjusted so that there's a good balance, at least until you're feeling stronger in the drops in traffic, cars or bike traffic on a ride? On my current Caad 3 ride, I haven't been able to ride in the drops as much on long ride because of discomfort on the seat, and in general feeling like my bike size is a bit of a stretch for me in the length making it feel like I'm holding up too much of my body weight that way with too outstretched arms. Or perhaps that's partly long ride fatigue and definitely needing a different seat. I'm going to check out the seat discussion strings of which I saw a few already, but also hoping even stock seats on the newer bikes and maybe on the women's bike would be an improvement. I think the tilt or lack of on my seat now is part of the issue, it's meant to be riden upright.

My budget doesn't give room for a brand new in the Cannondale line, esp. not one with higher end components, sram red and the like. I'm scoping Craigslist for a model a few years older, hoping I can get a better bike for more around the $2,500 mark or less maybe. I like the idea of trying out and riding a bunch of bikes, and want to be sure what I buy is in good shape and all the components are meant to fit together, not someone who knows just as much as I or less dumping stuff together on a good frame. Though there's no shortage of bike shops in Philly, I can't say I've found any one I trust too much, and don't feel comfortable taking up their energy and time only to go buy cheaper online. But I can't warrant spending more for this year's models now and also don't want to buy out of my class and end up with something flashier than my riding level. My husband and I are DIYers in all other parts of our lives, and both trying to learn more about fixing and building bikes, but I'm not opposed to saving more and waiting until I can afford a better bike than blower a couple thousand and wishing I hadn't. I just plan to take some time doing research and looking, trying and hope to be ready when the right bike comes along. Good used bikes get snapped up quick so I want to know what I'm looking for.

[zoom-zoom]

Thanks Kirsten. I think I'll try riding a SuperSix as to not undersell myself. I do love riding in the drops and how much quicker and easier the ride is, and giving my other muscle groups a break that way. On the SuperSix, do you still feel comfortable riding intermittently upright on the bars or hoods? Can you have a bike adjusted so that there's a good balance, at least until you're feeling stronger in the drops in traffic, cars or bike traffic on a ride? On my current Caad 3 ride, I haven't been able to ride in the drops as much on long ride because of discomfort on the seat, and in general feeling like my bike size is a bit of a stretch for me in the length making it feel like I'm holding up too much of my body weight that way with too outstretched arms. Or perhaps that's partly long ride fatigue and definitely needing a different seat. I'm going to check out the seat discussion strings of which I saw a few already, but also hoping even stock seats on the newer bikes and maybe on the women's bike would be an improvement. I think the tilt or lack of on my seat now is part of the issue, it's meant to be riden upright.

My budget doesn't give room for a brand new in the Cannondale line, esp. not one with higher end components, sram red and the like. I'm scoping Craigslist for a model a few years older, hoping I can get a better bike for more around the $2,500 mark or less maybe. I like the idea of trying out and riding a bunch of bikes, and want to be sure what I buy is in good shape and all the components are meant to fit together, not someone who knows just as much as I or less dumping stuff together on a good frame. Though there's no shortage of bike shops in Philly, I can't say I've found any one I trust too much, and don't feel comfortable taking up their energy and time only to go buy cheaper online. But I can't warrant spending more for this year's models now and also don't want to buy out of my class and end up with something flashier than my riding level. My husband and I are DIYers in all other parts of our lives, and both trying to learn more about fixing and building bikes, but I'm not opposed to saving more and waiting until I can afford a better bike than blower a couple thousand and wishing I hadn't. I just plan to take some time doing research and looking, trying and hope to be ready when the right bike comes along. Good used bikes get snapped up quick so I want to know what I'm looking for.

I spend probably 85-90% of my time on the hoods. I almost never ride on the bars and don't ride in the drops a huge amount of the time, mostly only during hard intervals, races, downhill, or into the wind.

You know, you could get a brand new SuperSix Rival 4 with full warranty for about your budget, then upgrade the components later. Or maybe look for one of last year's models with something like Ultegra or Force.

That saddle thing can be quite a saga. I think I may have FINALLY found one that works great for me (Bontrager Affinity RL) after trying a lot of different saddles. Even though it's marketed as a saddle for those who ride with a relatively upright posture, I find that the divet/dent up front and the softer padding through the nose are working MUCH better for me than a cut-out with softer edges. I wish they were still making the RXL with metal rails, though. I can't justify the extra $$ for oversized carbon rails (which I think would require a different seatpost than what I have...ie even MORE $$$). The RL is a bit softer than I like.

What saddles have you not had luck with?

[kmhurchla]

sounds like we ride similarly, I like the control of being on the hoods for quick access to braking, unless I can really get some room. I live the idea of looking at what I could get new in my range, and updating components later. I really hadn't thought of that. I have always had bikes that were cobbled together, and actually like the idea of starting fresh and getting some individual help with fitting. Even if I do find something I think will fit used, I might take it into a shop to fit me for the seat and handlebar height.

I really don't know what my current seat is off the top of my head, but it's pretty cushy and wide in the back, not at all a racing type model. When I bought my Caad3 used, the guy had this women's seat and swapped it out for me and I've riden it since. I thought it was fine until I started doing longer rides of course. I will take a look at the Bontrager you recommend, it's hard to imagine the little dent is enough to keep pressure off key areas, but I'll try anything! My husband got fed up with his and splurged on an Amado seat with the fork cut out in the front, and he's certain that I should try a women's version of that. It's hard to warrant spending when you're not sure you'll like it, but I just gotta bite the bullet and try some. My legs recovered quickly from a 150 mile weekend, but my saddle left a longer lasting impression!

[hjakeway]

Well Ladies I went with the CAAD 10 with the 105's. I am slightly worried about the more agressive cockpit but am having faith that messing with the stem will put me slighty more upright. I plan on doing a lot of longer "tour" rides and not in to racing yet. I hope I made the right choice

I take delivery of it on Saturday. Thank you so very much for all you input and insight it really helped make my decision!