Jake the Snake or Cannondale Synapse?

BIkerGoPro55

Need help choosing a commuter friendly bike! I have no budget in mind. I might use it for the odd dirt/grass path. Which of those would you chose? The Jake or the Cannondale?

Jake the Snake specs:
- 1x10 drivetrain w/ Wolftooth 40t ring up front and 11/36 Shimano XT cassette in back
- Easton EA70 wheelset
- SRAM carbon cranks
- TRP Spyre brakes
- Rim brakes
- Knobby Cyclocross tires

Cannondale Synapse 2016 specs:
- Carbon fork
- Full 11spd ultegra groupo. 50/34 front 11-32 rear
- Disc brakes
- Road tires

Let me know what you think! Work commute is about 5km each way but I will be using it for general commuting too. Thanks! Appreciate any opinions.

MattPillinger

From your choices and riding you wish to do I'd get the Jake everytime, but put 28mm tyres on it

It is more built for Cyclocross and hence a bit sturdier than the road racing Synapse. If you want to go off road at all then I wouldn't be riding the Cannondale.

other ones you might wish to consider - Bianchi AllRoad, Specialized tricross, Cannondale CAAD X (which is a the Cannondale equivalent of the Jake), Ridley XBow. I'm sure there are others ...

arthur_scrimshaw

I've yet to be convinced by the 1x setup for road bikes, I can see the benefits on mtb and Cx bikes (chain retention on rough ground?) but on a road bike it just seems pointless and expensive. The wide range cassettes are still very expensive and are one of the regular consumable items along with the chain, whereas chainrings last forever figuratively speaking if the rest of the drivetrain is looked after.

bendertherobot

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

I've yet to be convinced by the 1x setup for road bikes, I can see the benefits on mtb and Cx bikes (chain retention on rough ground?) but on a road bike it just seems pointless and expensive. The wide range cassettes are still very expensive and are one of the regular consumable items along with the chain, whereas chainrings last forever figuratively speaking if the rest of the drivetrain is looked after.

11-32 is pretty cheap. Ultegra is only £45. Getting 11 speed 36t is harder. It's not really about chainrings per se, just the ease of everything else.

arthur_scrimshaw

I would expect that you would spin out fairly fast on a 40/11 on the road as well?

I guess the op needs to work out if they are going to spending most time on the roads and if so if that gearing is going to work for him/her?

keef66

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

I would expect that you would spin out fairly fast on a 40/11 on the road as well?

I guess the op needs to work out if they are going to spending most time on the roads and if so if that gearing is going to work for him/her?

Yep, depends on the kind of riding / terrain. I live in only gently undulating countryside and when I ride the bike with a triple chainset I spend more than 95% of my time in the middle 39t chainring and using all the cogs on an 12-27 cassette. I still rarely spin out in 39x12. On those rare occasions I encounter a longish or steep downhill and a tailwind I often CBA to change into the 50t chainring and just coast instead

BIkerGoPro55

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

I would expect that you would spin out fairly fast on a 40/11 on the road as well?

I guess the op needs to work out if they are going to spending most time on the roads and if so if that gearing is going to work for him/her?

Appreciate all the responses! I'll be doing mainly road. Lots of hills/rainy weather. I am personally leaning more towards the Snake. There are parts of road I can't use the road as it's too narrow. So I'll have to use the sidewalk. I read that road bikes get flats often on sidewalks? Not sure how true that is.

I will also be taking it through a park with a dirt path. I guess that kind of automatically screams Cyclocross? One more thing; it does have rim brakes so should I worry about stopping power? Or is the whole rim vs disc brake debate all pure marketing?

Thanks!

arthur_scrimshaw

Re brakes - I have bikes with rim brakes as well as cable and hydraulic disc brakes. In the dry I'd say there was not much difference between them only that the feel of the hydraulics is nicer in my opinion. In the wet, discs start to work faster than rims but you can normally adjust your riding to take that into account. Emergency stops in the wet are the only time you might regret not having disks.

Avenger197396

Cannondale CAADX?

The Rookie

My commuter runs 1x9, as my commute is predictable I have the gearing to suite, a 44t up front and a 12-28 out back, can get to over 40mph on the downhill sections of the commute.

gbsahne001

Must be an old jake the snake spec then, as the 2016 shows a 46/36 crankset, with 11speed 11-32 and disc brakes.

The Kona Jake CX model has a 48/34 crankset, 10 speed and disc brakes, plus £300 cheaper from cyclestore @ £799

The Rookie

The Jakes have been disc since 2014MY (13MY was still rim).
http://2014.konaworld.com/bikes.cfm

Given it has a Wolftooth ring I'm guessing he's looking at a preloved bike.

veronese68

Rim brakes on a Jake would be cantis, I'd go disc without a doubt.

The Rookie

Veronese68 wrote:

Rim brakes on a Jake would be cantis

Isn't that a contradiction? You can't call canti's brakes as they don't!