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Comprehensive Road Bike Review

Brand: Cannondale
Model: Synapse Feminine Carbon 3
Model Year: 2006
Date Purchased: June 2006
Component/Feature Details:

• Front Derailleur – Shimano 105
• Rear Derailleur – Shimano Ultegra
• Shifters – Shimano 10-speed, reach adjust
• Brakeset – Shimano 105
• Brakelevers – Shimano 10-speed, reach adjust
• Rims – Mavic Aksium Race

Summary:
This Cannondale road bike is an absolute pleasure to ride and it’s incredibly fast. Nice, stiff ride, handles very well. Excellent for climbing, with good power transfer. Great balance between aggressive positioning and comfort for the long rides. I decided to go with a conservative set of components and I have not had any problems with the quality even though I push the bike pretty hard. So far, this has been a g-reat bike!

LizRating

Each of the following 12 criteria were rated from 1 to 7, where:

1-1.9 = Product is not competitive in this specific area.
2-3.9 = Product is somewhat competitive in this specific area, but other products are considerably more competitive. Product needs improvement.
4-5.9 = Product is competitive, but some products may outperform it. Minor details when it comes to possible improvements.6-7 = Product clearly oupterforms the competition in this specific area.

• Aesthetic Appearance: 6.5
  The white gets dirty pretty fast, but the bike is beautiful.
• Robust: 6
  The paint seems to chip off easily.
• Number of Possible Improvements: 1
  The only improvement I could find was that the paint job could be a bit more robust.
• Pricing Competitiveness: 6.5
  Very well priced compared to the Trek 5000 WSD and the Specialized Ruby womens bikes.
• Comfort: 6.8
  I don’t know that you could get much more comfy than this bike. The only thing I could improve on the components that came with the bike are the handlebar tape and the saddle…pretty minor.
• Component Performance: 5.5
  I knew what I was getting myself into when I bought medium grade components, but have been pleasantly suprised by the performance of the components.
• Frame: 7
  Excellent. Aborbs vibrations well, great power transfer, doesn’t feel mushy, excellent for climbing.
• Suspension/Vibration: 7
  Frame absorbs vibrations well. I’m happy with the rear seat stays and fork. Light weight for climbing.
• Rims/Tires: 6.8
  Great so far. No problems here.
• Brand: 7
  Cannondale makes a good bike for sure.
• Overall Performance: 6.8
  Exceptional performance – great off the starts, great climbing, fast downhill, nice and smooth. This bike is nimble and handles very well.
• Level of Recommendation: 6.8
  Overall, this is a great bike and I would definitely recommend it.

Based on the ratings of the 12 criteria above the Cannondale Synapse Carbon Road Bike received an overall LizRating of 6.6 out of 7, where:

1-1.9 = Pick another product: The product is just not competitive in the market. May as well start from scratch.
2-3.9 = There may be better products out there: somewhat competitive, but missing a major aspect of the performance or functionality or are outperformed by the competition severely in an area of performance or functionality. Product needs improvement. May have one terrific aspect, but weak in other areas.
4-5.9 = Recommended: competitive, but may be slightly outperformed by some products in the market in minor aspects.
6-7 = Highly recommended: outperforms other products in nearly all aspects; down to the nitty gritty on what could be improved.

Other Comments and Suggestions:
This is my first carbon frame and I’ve found that once you go carbon you’ll never go back. Another interesting factor that affected my comfort on the bike is that after several test rides I decided to get a bike sized two centimeters smaller than recommended, which turned out to be a good decision for me. With this particular bike geometry, a size smaller kept me from being too stretched out, but still within a good fit range in all the other dimensions. The point is that when choosing your bike geometry and size, you need to make sure all of the dimensions work for you, not just the typically provided bike size dimension. Ultimately, bike fit is critical so you can be comfortable on your bike for hours at a time. I didn’t know a bike could be so comfortable until I fully understood what a good bike fit felt like when purchasing this bike. It’s worth the extra effort.

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