Looking back at the 2014/15 Bike of the Year, the Cannondale Synapse Carbon Ultegra Disc, reveals its foresight in incorporating features like disc brakes, 28mm tyres, and a focus on comfort that are now commonplace in the cycling world.
With disc brakes, 28mm tyres, and a big focus on comfort, the Synapse was a glimpse into the future – and it offered a superb ride. As a road bike with disc brakes, 28mm tyres and a huge focus on comfort, it sounds a lot like any number of today’s bikes. We’re not saying that any of those features was radical a decade ago – not by a long shot – but they weren’t as mainstream as they are today.
Disc brakes on road bikes have been around for years, of course, but they only started to dominate the market once the UCI allowed them in racing. Trials of that began in late 2015 – and there were various ups and downs to keep us amused for a while – but disc brakes were only fully permitted from 2018. Back then we described the 28mm tyres fitted to the Cannondale Synapse Carbon Ultegra Disc as “plush”. These days, 28mm is just… normal. In fact, today's Synapse bikes come fitted with 30mm tyres and have space for 35mm. It wasn’t as if Cannondale was doing anything unique in adding these features – other brands were doing similar things – but narrower tyres and rim brakes still ruled at the time. The 2015 Synapse was also designed to offer plenty of comfort courtesy of an endurance geometry. The 56cm model we reviewed had a 18.6cm head tube, for example and 72.5° (head) and 73.5° (seat) tube angles, along with a fairly lengthy wheelbase (100.5cm) for plenty of stability. Cannondale said that the geometry struck “the ideal balance between pure race positioning and upright comfort; perfect for long days in the saddle and confident handling on all road surfaces.” We pretty much agreed. Beyond that, the Synapse offered what Cannondale called its SAVE PLUS Micro-suspension system with a carbon layup designed to dissipate road buzz, chainstays and seatstays intended to track over imperfections in the road surface, a scalloped seat tube and a seatpost that was an unusually narrow 25.4mm in diameter. Along with a collarless seat clamp, this was designed to flex to provide more comfort. Of course, bike comfort has always been a major consideration, but Cannondale was taking things really, really seriously here. “Constructed with the flex to give and the snap to go, Synapse lets you rule any road, anywhere,” it said in its marketing literature. “The ideal blend of compliance, rigidity and weight makes for a dream bike that redefines endurance.”“The combination of different frame features makes for a bike that is wonderfully smooth and compliant and leaves you feeling a lot fresher after a hard ride on hard roads than a comparable race bike,” we said. “Where the Synapse really succeeds is in balancing the frame and fork stiffness demanded by those who like to ride everywhere as fast as possible and stomp up hills, with the comfort and compliance that ensures it will satisfy those wanting a comfortable bike for any adventure.” Don’t get us wrong, the Cannondale Synapse Carbon Ultegra Disc was certainly of its time in many ways
DISC BRAKES COMFORT TYRES SYNAPSE ENDURANCE
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