Cannondale Synapse 1 review

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Cannondale bills its top-line aluminium Synapse as a fast-riding machine that thrives on the road and beyond.

It comes with a nearly complete Shimano 105 hydraulic groupset, branded wheels, tyres and saddle, and clearance for reasonably wide tyres and mudguards. There are also plenty of fittings for water bottles and luggage.

Throughout my hard-fought winter miles on the Synapse 1, I found it suitably quick with bucket loads of comfort. It's a well-equipped road bike with no obvious shortcomings and will be good for more than just winter training duties.

Cannondale Synapse 1 frame details

The Cannondale Synapse's alloy frame is nicely finished.

Much like the Cube Attain SLX I tested alongsidethe Synapse, it's aluminium with a full-carbon fork. Both bikes have 12mm thru-axles and flat-mount disc brake fittings.

The cabling is routed internally through the frame, but with no proprietary internal routing at the cockpit.

The number of luggage and bottle fittings will cover most needs. There are double bosses on the seat tube, three down tube bosses, another pair under the down tube and bento box mounting points on the top tube.

The latter are designed to work with Cannondale's own luggage range, but other options will also work.

There are full fittings for mudguards, with the extra clearance meaning most full-length fenders should fit without issue.

Cannondale says the maximum tyre width for the Synapse is 32mm, but it points out that there’s “6mm room on each side”. This makes it possible to fit 35mm tyres for a bit of rough-stuff riding without mudguards.

Surprisingly, given the ability to take mudguards is one of the Synapse 1's selling points – and considering the brand's much-quoted 'System Integration' – Cannondale doesn't make fenders for the Synapse.

There are mudguard fittings inside the fork (about a third of the way up) and on the outside of the seatstays, plus a seatstay bridge and a replaceable bridge between the chainstays.

The result is you should be able to choose from a wide range of permanent full-length fenders as well as the likes of the Crud Roadracer and SKS Raceblade.

This year's Synapse 1 is available in a stealthy 'Black Pearl' or the 'Jade' colourway I tested, which I think looks very cool and classy.

Cannondale Synapse 1 geometry

The Synapse 1’s geometry is in the Goldilocks zone – at least for all-road riding.

The head angle is a reasonably racy 71.9 degrees and the seat tube 73 degrees, while the wheelbase is 15mm shorter than the Cube I tested, making it a little more stable and less racy than that bike .

However, at 1,009mm on my test bike, we're not talking super-stretched-out like a full-on endurance bike.

Cannondale Synapse 1 specification

The Cannondale Synapse 1 doesn't come with quite a full 105 R7020 groupset because there's a step down to a non-series RS510 crankset.

It also has the ebike-compatible HG601 chain rather than the HG600, but this is a minor point.

While the crankset is a few grams heavier than the 105-series model – its arms are solid aluminium with inner cutaways – it’s unlikely many will be able to detect any performance differences.

Cannondale has specced DT Swiss R470 rims with Formula hubs. The rims are designed to work best with tyres between 28 and 35mm wide.

The Vittoria Zaffiro Pro tyres fall pretty much in the middle of this – nominally 30mm wide, they measure 32mm when inflated to about 85psi – 5psi below their stated maximum.

One could argue the 32mm measured width hits the sweet spot for comfort over poor road surfaces without adding too much weight.

They're pretty decent road tyres too – an area where companies often compromise when kitting out new bikes.

I'd concur with our review of them – I found them decently grippy, and with a more supple feel than nylon and a low thread count would suggest.

Another plus for the tyres is they're reflective. For commuting and winter cycling, reflectives on wheels and tyres generally help to increase your visibility when picked out by vehicle headlights.

That said, while the DT Swiss rims are tubeless-compatible, the Vittoria tyres are not – so you'll have to buy new tyres if you want to go down the tubeless route.

One final factor is the Synapse 1 is compatible with Cannondale's SmartSense system, although it’s not supplied on this lower-cost model.

Cannondale Synapse 1 ride impressions

With a 9.53kg weight (in a size 54cm) and a relatively similar geometry to that of the Cube, it's no surprise the handling is quite similar too.

I found the Vittoria tyres comfortable on my local wintry rutted and potholed roads.

The Fizik Aliante Delta saddle is also a suitable choice. It has a more rounded profile than some road bike saddles and should be a good starting point for a typical Synapse rider.

That said, of course, saddle choice is always very subjective.

While the weight isn't quite as low as a given race bike, I didn’t feel I was carrying too much excess baggage, which resulted in a lively ride with very good acceleration.

The Synapse would be good as a year-round fast trainer, and I found its acceleration made it a great partner for interval training, with a great feeling of efficiency through the aluminium frame.

Its fender-friendliness also makes it great for group rides, where you won't leave your riding partners covered with detritus thrown up by your tyres (with mudguards fitted, of course).

I found it a very competent climber both in and out of the saddle, where the wide-ranging gears come to your aid.

Descents were fuss-free and, with excellent braking in all conditions, you have the confidence to push into corners, knowing you can brake confidently and safely that little bit later.

The bike was comfortable enough for long-distance road riding with its 30mm tyres, but go up a little and I suspect you could easily go touring and bikepacking on it, aided by its comprehensive range of bosses.

Cannondale Synapse 1 bottom line

I massively enjoyed my time on the Synapse 1 – as much as was possible during some very wintry testing conditions, anyway.

The ride is lively and comfortable, and equally suited to more leisurely days in the saddle and hard training efforts.

The groupset is hard to fault and the step down from 105 to the non-series crankset doesn't affect the shifting quality.

That said, I'd have liked the 105 model for the £1,900 asking price, which you can get elsewhere for less money.