CANNONDALE SYNAPSE CARBON DISC DURA-ACE £3,999.99 CANNONDALE.COM

The Synapse has evolved from an upright riding-positioned, longdistance bike to this latest generation, which combines a lightweight chassis and sorted endurance-biased but speedfocused geometry. The 610mm stack and 393mm reach on our 58cm test bike is combined with a wheelbase that’s just 9mm over a metre. It has a 58mm trail for the fork, which enables a nice snap to the steering without compromising stability. Cannondale also introduces a change in the bottom bracket drop to 70mm, reducing it to make the bike feel right with the trend for bigger tyres.

The Synapse frame is a very clean piece of design. At the back, both the chain and seatstays transition from ovalised at the ends to an almost flat-plate shape through the centre. This, combined with the specific layup used by Cannondale in its SAVE carbon, enables a stiff and light frame (1,100g) to comply enough to null road buzz and vibrations.

The Synapse still adheres to the classic two-triangle approach to frame design. Up front, the Synapse fork uses SAVE carbon in the layup, and the slender fork dimensions again aid in vibration damping. Yet, when leaning onto them into corners, there’s no hint of flex and no tell-tale brake rub front or rear when climbing or sprinting.

AERO ADVANTAGES

Aiding the ride feel up front is Cannondale’s SAVE Hollowgram carbon bar and stem, which eschews a standard round clamp in favour of a crescent-shaped cradle that the bar sits into. The bar (certainly not clip-on tri-bar friendly) is attached to the stem via bolts that go straight through it. It gives the aero advantage of a one-piece bar with the adjustment of a standard bar.

On the road the SAVE bar feels noticeably more compliant than the standard bar of the Simplon. The