Which cannondale?

vjncorp

Hi guys, need some help/advice.

Narrowed down to 2 bikes but wanted opinions on what you would go with?

Cannondale supersix evo 105 2016

Or

Cannondale caad12 105 2016?

The caad is £75 more expensive.

Thanks in advance

sloppyschleckonds

What kind of ridin you doin?

vjncorp

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

What kind of ridin you doin?

Novice, road, more comfort riding than races

ravey1981

Both good, both a bit racey, pick the one you like the look of best. Though for comfort a synapse (staying within the cannondale fold) might be more suited. Try and get a test ride.

mcxfisher

If you're looking for comfort and you're over 40 years of age, then the Synapse may well be the right answer.

isotonik

mcxfisher wrote:

If you're looking for comfort and you're over 40 years of age, then the Synapse may well be the right answer.

I agree

daniel_b

isotonik wrote:

mcxfisher wrote:

If you're looking for comfort and you're over 40 years of age, then the Synapse may well be the right answer.

I agree

I third that, the Synapse is a truly wonderful bike, but I suspect the op is after something more racey.
Quite a few supersix owners on here I think, btr to name one.

Edit: Misread the op's reply :oops:
Synapse sounding very good then.

vjncorp

mcxfisher wrote:

If you're looking for comfort and you're over 40 years of age, then the Synapse may well be the right answer.

36 but like the sound of comfort at 40!

What makes the synapse more comfortable? I thought the geometry was near identical as the frames are.

Is there anything on the other bikes I could change to make it more like a synapse comfort wise?

I'll definitely be test riding them including the synapse, only problem is that the synapse is a few hundred pounds more spec for spec

effillo

I got the super six version you are looking at. Great bike, super lively. I find it very comfortable personally but I came from race orientated geo on my previous 2 bikes. The only way to know issue one a couple.

Anonymous

What are your thoughts between those two bikes OP?

Appreciate that you are not 'racing' but why do you think you need the 'comfort'?
You seem to be choosing between two extremes of road cycling (racing and dawdling around country lanes) without considering the middle ground.

How long are your rides going to be?
What do you mean by 'racing'? Literally not entering races, or not riding fast and wanting bike to respond?

If we are going to be agist about this then the CAAD 12 is probably the nearest to road bikes of old, so get that!

The CAAD 12 was a money saving option to a SuperSix I thought.
The resurgence of aluminum bikes is driven by cost, not because there is anything better about them.

The CAAD 12's do look great though, but not a touch on the new SuperSix frame IMO

daniel_b

Personally I would not class the Synapse as a bike for dawdling around coutry lanes, it's a fairly upright postion correct, but there is a wedge of spacers that can be removed to make it into a pretty aggressive position - review below:

http://road.cc/content/review/155985-cannondale-synapse-carbon-ultegra-disc

vjncorp

Carbonator wrote:

What are your thoughts between those two bikes OP?

Appreciate that you are not 'racing' but why do you think you need the 'comfort'?
You seem to be choosing between two extremes of road cycling (racing and dawdling around country lanes) without considering the middle ground.

How long are your rides going to be?
What do you mean by 'racing'? Literally not entering races, or not riding fast and wanting bike to respond?

If we are going to be agist about this then the CAAD 12 is probably the nearest to road bikes of old, so get that!

The CAAD 12 was a money saving option to a SuperSix I thought.
The resurgence of aluminum bikes is driven by cost, not because there is anything better about them.

The CAAD 12's do look great though, but not a touch on the new SuperSix frame IMO

I like both bikes, like the look of the caad slightly more but the frame on the supersix is better (imo) but both bikes spec and geometry are similar. I want to go fast but mainly weekend riding for a couple of hours until I get more confined the the bike and it's limitations, then I may join a local club etc.

My main criteria would be light, good spec, durability and sell off value,in that order. I just feel a carbon bike would be better but the alloy caad is supposed to be amazing.

I'm in 2 minds and cannot decide! Price is also an issue and want value for money but don't want to spend more than £1300, of that £1k is Evans cycle scheme hence why buying from Evans.

Hence why torn between them

Anonymous

You should get the CAAD 12.

You like it the most
Hydro discs will be fine for a summer bike
It will make a better winter bike
It may appeal to more people if you do sell it (rather than keep as winter bike)
You can find out if its too aggressive for you and flog for a Synapse if need be.
You can get a Carbon Ultegra SuperSix as a summer bike if you confirm its not.

2017 SuperSix's are hydro disc, so will be good to have both summer and winter bikes with similar power brakes, that you are used to power of (rather than swapping between very different set ups)

2017 SuperSix's will be nicely discounted by the time you get another ride to work voucher ;-)

bmxboy10

isotonik wrote:

mcxfisher wrote:

If you're looking for comfort and you're over 40 years of age, then the Synapse may well be the right answer.

I agree

I get quite frustrated by people saying the Caad is aggressive and less comfortable as these people clearly have no experience of the bike. I am 42 and overweight I have a Caad10 disc running tyres between 28-32 MM. and it's as comfy as any bike I have owned before including ti and cf bikes. I would get the Caad as I think you get more flexibility on tyre size. I also ride a Tarmac sL4 which I also love but the Caad is more responsive and feels faster it's just a brilliant all round bike once you have it set up to your liking.

germcevoy

I've did 9 hour rides on my Supersix Evo without any comfort issues. It is racey but not excessively so.

Swing a leg over each of them if you can. Getting the right Cannondale frame size is the bigger challenge once you have decided which model to go for. A wrong size Synapse is unlikely to be any more comfortable than a properly sized 12 or Evo.

Anonymous

solboy10 wrote:

isotonik wrote:

mcxfisher wrote:

If you're looking for comfort and you're over 40 years of age, then the Synapse may well be the right answer.

I agree

I get quite frustrated by people saying the Caad is aggressive and less comfortable as these people clearly have no experience of the bike.

I think the frustration is more the assumption that people need pussy Synapses and ultra relaxed Roubaix's etc.

Interesting about the tyre sizes the CAAD will take.

mcxfisher

vjncorp wrote:

mcxfisher wrote:

If you're looking for comfort and you're over 40 years of age, then the Synapse may well be the right answer.

36 but like the sound of comfort at 40!

What makes the synapse more comfortable? I thought the geometry was near identical as the frames are.

Is there anything on the other bikes I could change to make it more like a synapse comfort wise?

I'll definitely be test riding them including the synapse, only problem is that the synapse is a few hundred pounds more spec for spec

I'm not an expert on the geometry, but perhaps it may be worth tracing the frame shapes onto a piece of graph paper in order to see the differences. There is some cunning shaping of the seat and chain stays at the back, and profiling of the forks on the front. All I know is that having tried almost all of the direct big brand competitors, the Synapse came out far in front in the comfort stakes, for me at least. Not only does it smooth out the lumpy stuff, its suppression of tarmac chatter is extraordinary. Somebody at Cannondale did an outstanding job and somehow or another hit the bullseye. Remarkably the Carbon 105 model was the cheapest bike on my test list by £1,000. After 2 months and some long rides I have no regrets.

sloppyschleckonds

Daniel B wrote:

Personally I would not class the Synapse as a bike for dawdling around coutry lanes, it's a fairly upright postion correct, but there is a wedge of spacers that can be removed to make it into a pretty aggressive position - review below:

http://road.cc/content/review/155985-cannondale-synapse-carbon-ultegra-disc

Didn't Sagan ride one of the classics a couple of years ago on a Synapse.

As others have said, fit/ spacers can make most bikes racy or comfy

daniel_b

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

Personally I would not class the Synapse as a bike for dawdling around coutry lanes, it's a fairly upright postion correct, but there is a wedge of spacers that can be removed to make it into a pretty aggressive position - review below:

http://road.cc/content/review/155985-cannondale-synapse-carbon-ultegra-disc

Didn't Sagan ride one of the classics a couple of years ago on a Synapse.

As others have said, fit/ spacers can make most bikes racy or comfy

Indeed he did.

You can also fit 32's on a Synapse, or at least I will be attempting it later this year

tim_wand

As an Evo six owner , who's riden the Caad 12 all be it in Dura Ace spec. If they are the same price and group set ( which seems odd ) then go for the Evo six, the geometry is virtually the same , and besides the 25.4mm seat post on the Caad 12 , I would say the Evo six is still the more compliant ride.

Weak point in the Evo six is the Wheelset, but then again I think its the same one on the Caad 12 at 105 level , I ve fitted 25 mm tyres on my , with both a Ksyrium and Planet X tub wheelset and the clearances are tight, there may be more leeway for fitting bigger rubber on the Caad frame which will give you a smoother ride.

Be careful with Evans and 2015 / 16 year model bikes that you are actually getting new stock and not customer returns , this is common in the Synapse in particularly in popular sizes such as 54/56 cm , They wont tell you until shipping and then offer a minimal discount once you are all excited about getting a new bike.

vjncorp

Thanks to everyone for their replies, I'm leaning more on the super 6 side at rhe moment!

Does anyone know if Evans will be reducing prices any further or should I buy now?

daniel_b

vjncorp wrote:

Thanks to everyone for their replies, I'm leaning more on the super 6 side at rhe moment!

Does anyone know if Evans will be reducing prices any further or should I buy now?

I would have thought it's a dangerous game to play tbh, if it's THE bike you really want, and you have (?) to buy from Evans?

Paulscycles seem to have it for sale in all sizes, Evans have still got the most popular sizes left still.
TCB have 4.2% cashback, so that would help - does your workplace have any kind of reward scheme for retailers?
The one I have gives me 10% or 15% off depending on the offer, so that can be a nice little top up, though it does bypass the TCB cashback.

I waited for the Synapse Ultegra, and that ended up going out of stock, by the time they reduced it again - it was all very messy, and worked itself out in the end, but if you know you want something, and they have it in stock, and you have to buy from them, for the sale of £100 or so, I would be inclined to bite the bullet.

Additionally, I am pretty sure I have seen people on here say that they have matched the 10% discount people get for having BC membership - anyone comment on that?
So perhaps if you rung up and asked (Assuming you have BC Membership) that would be a nice little result.