And the winner is…
Which bike deserves a ceremonial cobble? Step forward the Synapse
There was at least one thing we agreed on here, quite by accident, and that’s the existential question of endurance bikes. Do they exist? How are they different from – in Sam’s words – that encroaching threat of lightweight bikes and gravel bikes, which seem to be drifting inexorably towards each other, despite starting poles apart.
But there’s a difference, at least for now, because try as they might there is no bike from any other category that can match what these bikes do, and that’s to make fast comfortable. It’s to make robust lightweight. It’s to make the classically highly strung racer truly hardy. And it’s the Cannondale Synapse that trumps them all, receiving one first place and two second-place votes in our proportional representation voting system. But before we delve into why, it’s interesting to note the joint second place finishers: the Trek Domane and Specialized Roubaix.
When the big reveal came, we were all astonished that the Specialized and Trek hadn’t been anyone’s top choice considering the brands’ endurance bike heritage and the quality of their offerings today. But when brass tacks were examined, we each realised that while clever active suspension designs – Trek’s Isospeed and Specialized’s Furtureshock – looked so enticing a few years back, time and tyres have put them in the shade. Yes, maybe if you lived in the Arenberg Trench you’d want those bikes, but for the rest of us – and for a bike that holds real-world versatility as a core value – those bikes’ design elements look overly complex and overweight.
Each of the four bikes here ticks all the endurance boxes with the minimum of fuss. But not only does the Cannondale Synapse possess the tyre clearance, the shock-absorbing layup, the skinny flexy seatpost and racer-style geometry, it was also the first to take these elements and blend them into a bike that is comfortable, versatile, easy to live with and fast. It does it with simplicity and efficiency. Oh, and it also does it at a pretty affordable price.
Try as they might there is no bike from any other category that can match what these bikes do