The Cannondale Synapse has long been aimed at the endurance and ‘real world’ rider. With its legendary comfort married to a chassis that still delivered the thrill and excitement of a road race bike, it has found favour among countless riders, from the pros to the humble weekend warrior.
The latest iteration of the Synapse sees Cannondale stepping back and taking stock. Simplicity, usability and integration are all evident, with the ‘average’ rider the centre of the Synapse approach. The new Synapse is a Unisex bike platform too, expanding options without labelling your preference for colour.
If there is one thing that Cannondale do well, it’s create bikes with a ‘feel’ - something often spoken about with Italian brands but equally, sometimes lost with North American offerings. The Cannondale Synapse retains that sense of ride-ability while delivering geometric tweaks and opening up still further, the remit of the platform.
In recent years the Synapse has become more versatile with greater tyre clearance and subtle geometry shifts that have given the bikes an almost (but not quite) gravel leaning. With the Supersix becoming more accessible as a race bike (in terms of positioning) and with the development of the Topstone as a dedicated Gravel platform, I honestly thought the Synapse might disappear.
I was wrong.
Cannondale have given the Synapse new meaning. In the Covid era we have seen countless folks take to cycling, many of whom had no real experience of road riding historically. Talking to these customers, they are forgiven for feeling bamboozled at the range of options and ‘types’ of road bike on offer today. The Synapse for these customers is the perfect option, being as it is, the purist form of road bike - one that allows the rider the simple pleasure and freedom to enjoy riding a bike - all while keeping them racy or comfortable (or both) depending on how and where and with whom they choose to ride.
Cannondale have made some changes to the chassis that keeps things simple. I love this approach. Too often companies (across all things, not just cycling) over complicate things and this becomes an issue for the end user. Consumers rarely have the 2-3 year development meeting history and engineering rationale to understand why things have been created in such a way. Additionally, while these complex details may have minuscule benefits at the pinnacle of the sport, often the hassle that their complexity creates for the day-to-day rider vastly outweighs the benefit. Most people just want to get on their bike and ride it. End of.
So, the 2022 Synapse has a normal seat clamp system - you remember those, an external clamp with a bolt and the boffins have resisted the urge to cable everything internally - so if you need to fix something you likely can yourself, or without a long wait! On all but the top 2 models the handlebar and stem are a traditional set up too, making for easy position / component changes without expensive and potentially harder to come by proprietary bar / stem combos.
The comfort that defines the range remains with discreet flex zones in the rear, seat tube and seatpost designed to keep you in the saddle longer but without dulling the ride feel. In addition, the latest Synapse also features dropped rear seat stays to further enhance the plushness.
Couple those features with a whopping 35mm tyre clearance and you can be assured of a forgiving ride over the long-haul as well as the capability to take to the roads less travelled - or less well surfaced!
The lightweight carbon construction features subtle aerodynamic shaping and each size is laid-up in a way that delivers uniform stiffness and compliance across the size run so you experience the ride as you should, regardless of how tall or small you are. The Geometry has been modified slightly to make the Synapse a super accessible platform, all while retaining its engaging, confident handling and is equipped with all the mounts you might need.
The biggest change though, is the introduction of Smart Sense. Cannondale’s suite - developed with Garmin - of integrated lights, radar and electronic shifting augmentation. Along with subtle paint details that enhance visibility, these features make riding safely that bit easier - and the rider can choose which level suits: L for just lights, RL for Radar and Lights and RLE for Radar, Lights and Electronic shifting.
Each Synapse with SmartSense has a power pack that you snap into the cradle at the base of the down tube before you set off. This intelligent system of lights and rear-facing radar (where specs’d) keeps you more visible and more aware of what’s around you.
Ultimately designed to be the perfect all round road bike with versatility and capability at its heart, the new Cannondale Synapse marries this ethos with a suite of practical and safety focused features to let you focus on the fun while the bike takes care of much of the rest. Composed, capable, and easy to ride hard on all kinds of roads. It’s the perfect balance between the speed of Cannondale’s race-winning machines, and the up-for-anything adventurousness of their gravel bikes. It’s a pure celebration of everything we love about road riding.