Customers say, FAIL, to Cannondale Synapse
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- Опубліковано 21 січ 2022
- #Cannondale #synapse #roadcycling
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Always avoid proprietary parts on bikes.
I really like the idea of having built in light systems with a rear radar system!
Well I love it. BB30 is killed off!!!
I think a 5 year old had something to do with it. 🤔
What next, 100% round bottom bracket openings?
@@WowRixter never happen 😂
@@waynosfotos yes, they can market non-round bb shells as providing pedal efficiency like elliptical chainrings
@@waynosfotos I certainly think I played my part!
I won't be upgrading any time soon, very happy with my 6.4 kg 2012 Cannondale Supersix Evo, sporting 11 speed DA 9000 mechanical, rim brakes and a Garmin Varia radar light on the rear, still my favourite and fastest bike I own or have ridden. 🚴.
I bought the 2022 Carbon 3L (lights but no radar). After 3 years of commuting and dealing with charging multiple components, this bike has been a game changer. I don’t agree with all the negative comments although I do understand them.
For me, leaving my house at 4:30 am means that I am often very sleepy when getting ready to leave. I have had many rides where one light or all lights didn’t get charged overnight and I end up riding in the dark.
My commute is 20 km each way. In the summer, I am completely drained and brain dead when I get home on a hot day. It will be so helpful to only have one battery to think of charging.
Aside from the tech, this bike is a dream to ride. If you are a commuter - especially one that travels a fair distance every day - the bike and the tech will be worth every penny you spend.
The idea is great, but lacks flexibility, that is what i do believe people are upset about.
I can't understand why the manufacturers are trying to complicate the bike instead of making it easier for the bike...
I honestly think that they think That us the consumer need new gadgets/gimmicks to keep us buying bikes. This could not be further from the truth most cyclist that buy road bikes are enthusiasts who follow racing and love cycling no matter what we're riding.
Proprietary parts lock you into their eco system. Or you need a new bike as the part is obsolete. It is all about money and marketing.
More complicated bike -> more fancy/more things to break (to be annoying) -> more reasons to swap -> more money flow
To a high end shop mechanic like myself, with decades of experience, new bike 'technology' is NOTHING but job security, more service, more sales, more complexity, MORE PROFIT.
I repair this sort of junk everyday. I can afford and buy any and all of it little above cost. I refuse to. There's only one brand bike in my shop I'd hardly even consider.
I like the idea, but the bulky powerpack is a no-go. Cannondale should have implemented a storage compartement like the Trek Domane has in the down tube and put the battery there. Shouldn't be a problem to take it out for charging.
We have a lot of those bike paths with very light gravel here in Germany. I ride them with my road bike and 25mm tyres all the time and never flat but if I did have rim breaks I would need to worry about my carbon rims. Disc breaks on these Endurance Bikes seems like a good idea to me nowadays.
I regularly ride tow paths lanes and trails on my steel road bike as long as it’s fully wet and the mud isn’t sticking I can ride them on my steel Giant peleton. I always amazed at how little tyre you actually need on rolling terrain at speeds above 3mph and below 10mph there’s very little you can’t ride on 25mmroad tyres.
... rim brakes* (break = Bruch/Pause)
Great advice.
My fix: Battery should be flush with the frame so it's invisible like the Scott (I think) front brake cover. Install USB ports into the frame instead of lights. That way you can connect your own lights or remove them as you want. Add a few more for cell phone, computer charging.
Voila!
I don't think USB are waterproof
I have purchased the 105 bike but I plan to remove the lights so I can use my own and take them on and off whatever I want and I feel my lights have better technology than theirs. I don’t know what I’m gonna do with the cables though if I leave them in do I have to tape them to the other cables?
Yes I agree Cannondale may have asked the wrong question but I should’ve asked is would you like a integrated system but one that you can’t take on and off the bike? Or would you like a integrated system that you can takeoff the bike?
I'm guessing this is for the first time buyer that can be sold on the integration and safety of radar and lights.
Not the biggest blunder, that would have been their motor cross bike that sank the original company!
Not a bad bike, lots of good aspects. But I feel the product doesn’t quite hit the target market accurately, for example they need to solve the issue of where to store a spare tube, lever, c02 etc not the saddle bags a non option. Plus 350 lumens isn’t really bright enough to ride unlit streets.
If I were them I’d make a Specialized swat style box that integrates the battery above the BB and allows storage for spare tube etc.
Or just sell a battery-less/lightless version…Actually just checked the base model is without lights. But looks weird with the battery dent in the down tube…I feel your right, it’s almost a fantastic bike but the integration of lights throws up questions that leaves you feeling disappointed.
Love this bike!
I think they’ve done a pretty good job, if people are particular about their lights there’s nothing stopping you from adding your own lights.
But then you have two sets of lights on your bike including a shitload of features you'll never use.
Of course the electronic equipment can be questionable. It suits someone, someone may not be satisfied with it. I personally appreciate the possibility of connecting the electronics on the bike with a smart phone with a bunch of features. The radar is also very practical and increasing the safety of cycling. Another thing is the driver characteristics of the bike which are absolutely perfect. The bike is perfectly fast and at the same time smooth and comfortable. I was really surprised how pleasant and fun the ride can be.
I don‘t think that they target the enthusiastic cycling fanatic, but more the 30-50 year old, academics, working in good payed jobs that want a stylish, practical commuter, but do not want an e-bike for their 20-30min commuting ride in the city. This is probably a larger segment than the people in the same age group with the same income that want a race bike (they probably splash out on a titanium custom bike and not a cannondale).
However, with the move to more standard and reliable parts (bb, seatpost, fender mounts and radar) they appeal to the hassle free (simple = clean) and safety needs of this segment (probably they have kids ant want get rolled over by a bus). And if you are fit enough you can still go out on a long ride on the weekend… Let us see how it sells.
If you don't want to get rolled by a bus don't risk riding a bicycle in traffic. A radar will not change the route or drivers awareness. The guy with the radar probably wear ninja black clothing
Would probably be easier or better just to integrate the mounts and design a range of lights to compliment the the lines of the bike and offer the lights separately so they can offer updates and upgrades in the future.
I know cannondale like to do things their own way its actually something I quite like about them but its sent them in to receivership a number of times.
Kinda reminds of another company that we're both fans of.
Yeah, true.
I have wireless security sistem on my bike, never needs charging. It's called mirror. On serious side, I have idea for safety. One blinker that will be on every disc brake bike. Use disc to generate electricity during braking and install flashing Led on calipers. If you get all big manufacturers to make this price would be negledabille, so would the weight.
Soon as I saw the ‘box’ it was an immediate no from me. Old Synapse a great bike - used a lot in the uk as a winter bike with fenders. I was genuinely interested in this bike.
Worse thing you can do is ask people What they would want or use. To many variables.
Cannondale have such a potted history of getting a bike so right and yet let it down by some quirky add on that isn’t for everyone. Kudos for giving it a go though.
Going back to the 4S crosser which was an awesome motor. The mapping was spot on. But then you ask someone else and they’d say it was crap. Same with the Slate great drop bar ally framed bike. Let down slightly by not enough rear tyre clearance for our northern hemisphere climate. Doesn’t stop me riding it. And then there was the 52 chain ring on the 2x that made no sense. So envious of those blue skies in the background more than anything though 😉🍀
I have synapse 2021 model year. I like the idea of integrated lights and radar in general. Especially internal cable routing. I’m ok with rear light with break sensor + radar. But front light is disappointing. For night time this light is too weak. I want to have 1000 lumen light for night time. Plan to buy lupine Al sf with high/low switch on the handle bar. And at that point all smart-sense integration fall apart, because I can’t purchase 1000 lumen light from Cannondale, but lupine can’t use Cannondale battery. But I don’t want to carry two big batteries. Do you understand…
Also I personally upset about external cable routing at the front
You should seriously consider a hub dynamo set up. Unlimited light= unlimited riding.
I just bought the $2,400 model because it did not have any of the tech on it. I just wanted that all- road frameset. The new Synapse with 35mm tire clearance (32c cyclocross tires?), comfort built in- makes for a nice inexpensive all- road bike. But, I will be stripping it down to the headset and rebuilding it with upgraded parts and wheels that I have sitting around.
I did the same thing with the Black On Black 2016 Supersix Evo (When they first started using the straight blade carbon fork and extra tire clearance).
A great fail- Remember their built in crankset powermeter that a customer had an option to activate for $500 after they purchased the bike?
Cdale should have made the light and radar an option and if people liked it no harm no foul. And of course the price is always a problem these days! Hopefully they will see to much tech can be pain. Let the tec people have fun but have the choice of a traditional way.
Like the bike, bar the integrated lights etc.. maybe a option for customers who want it, and a carbon plate to cover the battery area for those who don’t?
Yeah, it would of been that simple, option without, or with. But they decided it is a auto ticked option.
that a prescription sunglasses or generic with bottom section that aid far sighted reading? close to impossible to get prescription sunglasses with -0.9 index lol
Not prescription, just bifocal cheap safety glasses.
Absolutely fantastic for the money 💰
I tried so hard to make it work including a plan to remove the lights and cables but then I realized I would looking down at the odd, open space where the battery would have been. So I cancelled my order of the bike unfortunately to go to another brand. Not angry, just the way it goes with the changes that occur in the industry from time to time.
Yeah, sorry to hear.
The fact that a product manager or whoever was in charge gave a green light to this bike is unbelievable. To release such a cluttered design full of cable spaghetti in 2022 is beyond me, you couldn't pay me to buy this bike. Instead of creating a clean, integrated design with some clever design choices, they released a garage built by part-time "Harry" duckling of a bicycle. I shake my head. Nice channel btw, following!
The so called clean integrated designs have a host of problems. Also as a home mechanic who actually prefers to work on my own bikes I prefer less integration.
Cheers thanks for the sub
I hear integration and I move on to the next bike.
Integration is job security for me, but it's a freakin waste of time. We charge extra to service these bikes. Lots extra. Time is money! I could earn lots more money wrenching on simpler bikes. Bicycles should be simple reliable machines.
I can get the highest end bikes just above cost. I'll never own one, even if it was free I'd sell it in a heartbeat.
Integration and proprietary garbage are a waste of time and money.
@@rollinrat4850 I had to go to my LBS this morning, the guys in shop were saying a guy came in with an orbea orca (fully internal cables), the steerer was a bit stiff, all it needed was a new lower bearing. But because of the integration, they had to take the whole bloody thing apart and charged the guy a fortune. That would normally be a 5 minute job tops with the only annoying bit being making sure the stem is aligned perfectly with the wheel.
What the hell is the point of this? Every bloody bike has this now, Scott and orbea even do it on their cheapest tiagra bikes.
The survey must have asked: Would you like a sleek look to the lights and battery or would you like hideous, bulky and tangled look?
That big black box is ugly. I also hate top tube warts.
You're completely correct about how people have different preferences lights. I prefer lights that mount with rubber straps I can completely remove them. I hate mounts that I have to leave on my bike.
But the Synapse has a threaded bottom bracket which is a huge step in the right direction (though knowing Cannondale, it's some weird proprietary size.)
No it is BSA. So all good.
@@waynosfotos Wow, I'm shocked...
That is true that three or four years down the road people want the light replaced or the battery replaced and Cannondale will say we don’t support that anymore we have a bigger system and you have to buy a new bike for it. However there’s gonna be a lot of people who have taken the lights off and never use them and so they’re going to be a lot on eBay in three or four years To support the people that need the new lights or batteries
Lol
Good to see that finally a major bicycle manufacturer is getting some flak for their too-smart (aka stupid) electronic systems. Cannondale's integrated lights are a solution to a problem nobody asked for. A bike light does not need the same features as a car light, and if you need anything "smart" on a bike it's in other places than the lights. They also chose the wrong type of bike to put permanent lights on. A sports bike needs to be lightweight, so you want your lights to be removable, and bikes people want a permanent lights on are usually normal "get-around bicycles", not made for workouts of high speeds.
Yep, no one likes it.
Why doesn't somebody just come out with a battery pack in the shape of a water bottle and have 2 or 3 USB-A connectors ports. Almost every light is charged via USB today. That could be a reasonable unifying option. Cannondale could then do the internal cable routing and provide cables that are all USB-C at the tip or if a person wants something different, offer a module that changes to mico-USB, or perhaps someone would have to recable at there LBS like with Di2
That's exactly what I said. What were they thinking?
it doesn't even need to be shaped like a bottle. It just needs to attach to the bottle cage braze ons.
@@robertcatuara5118 they could make it waterproof by providing some sort of gasket cover over the USB connections. Maybe USB-C only, which can be made to IPX8 i believe. Some bright engineer could figure it out
@@barrytantlinger1033 that might be an idea too
Check out dynamo hub systems. Endless light= endless rides. They're a game changer. No heavy battery and you can charge other devices when the light is off.
Disc brakes don't work anybetter IRL. When you go to use your brakes.
I think if it came with just the radar people would be happy.
I just watched a Cycling Weekly video and they said they asked Cannondale what their response was to the negative public responses and Cannondale said 'Well there are a lot of other brands people can go buy". I guess they don't care if people buy their bike or not. This is what you get when a company gets so big they don't care about the customer. Just an FYI that bit of tech they added is about $1300 if you compare the bike to other bikes in it's class.
Thanks for the feedback. I think they do care. 🤔
@@waynosfotos So do you think Cycling Weekly was lying about what Cannondale said?
@@wasupwitdat1mofiki94 Who cares what Cycling Weakly has to say? Crackenfail probably didn't buy enough ad space for a stellar review!
Its another proprietary battery. It sucks. I prefer using my BBB strike 1000 light its powered by a standard removable battery
Not only do they get rid of tech quickly but in the process they give customers the “shaft”…
Like the Vlog. Made me think more. Still love Cannondale. This new entry level bike seems to be geared for a new generation of riders.
They do offer one Synapse w/o Smart Sense, at least here in Canada, but sadly it is Tiagra.
Yeah, i was thinking, do they offer the frame only? 🤔 This may be a solution?
@@waynosfotos Not that I'm aware of, plus you would have to live with the depression in the frame where the battery mounts. Personaly I'm all in for Smart Sense as I already run a Garmin radar with built-in light and Garmin Varia headlight. I don't ride at night, it's just to be seen. I would love to buy a Synapse but my bike shop says they won't be getting one until 2023!
Yeah, saw the ”smart sense” label and didn’t read any further. Shame. I suspect some product manager thought s/he was going to be a great success, but integration typically implies rigid systems that are unusable after a few years. Then, Cannondale managed to persuade people to ride mtb’s with only half a fork, but why does it have to be compulsory?
Any bike that is 99 % right, I'll take it.
Ffs it even has 28 spoke wheels, that is very sensible for your average rider who isnt a 65kg pro. Other than the lights and battery this is a genuinely great bike. I'm considering a BMC roadmachine, but I'm thinking if I wait a year, Cannondale might eventually offer this without the battery.
Yeah, it is kind of a blemish on a great item. 🤔
24 spokes are fine even for 100kg riders
There lights. Who cares. The actual bike is excellent
The Panini Bar on Crimea. If you know you know.
All roads lead to Panini, when your talking coffee! Hee hee
When BMW or Mercedes sell a car in the UK, the steering wheel is on the 'correct' side 🤪 and the lights are set up for the UK market.......if you sell something worldwide, you have to make a number of variations to suit the country you are selling to.....they are a large manufacturer so should be able to do this.
I have to admit, I didn't think of the future proofing and upgrades.....I get fed up enough with my Fitbit, I have an older charge 2 which I wear at work then swap to my new charge 5 when I get home, evolution of the same model....... different charger.
I actually like the bike and the idea is cool. Will bikes go this way or will we be watching 'bike technology that flopped' in 5 years time 🤷
I realise on the face of it, yes manufacturers need to accommodate for left and righthand drive. But under the bonnet car manufacturers do the same as i suggested. It would be just to expensive to design cars for every countries manufacturers guidelines.
@@waynosfotos let's see if it sells.....mind at the moment, everything bike related is selling 🤪
I live in the USA, and would love an English bicycle, but the cost to convert it is just too much.
@@robertcatuara5118 don't you guys have the brakes opposite to the UK? We are front brake on the right like a motorbike.
There are a lot of negative comments about the Radar. The Garmin Radar has gotten such a massive positive response from the cycling community and there has to be a reason for that. It's not just a novelty but it does help keep cyclists safer. I am an older rider and my flexibility is going away just like my youth. I can't turn my head enough to look back and there is that balance thing. I tend to move in the direction I am looking which is something that everybody does. We cyclists all know that the sides of the road are not the best in condition and in most cases the worst place to ride. So I like to move out into the road more when I can to take advantage of smoother road surfaces. That also offers a more relaxed ride. The Radar warns me of vehicles coming from behind in enough time for me to move back to the side of the road also when it's safe to move back out into the road. And I don't have to keep twisting my neck to try to look around every 15 seconds. I guarantee that the people that criticize the radar have never used it, probably because they have low IQs that restrict them from most of the joys of life.
For sure 👍
Wow just attack people's intellect over a cycling product.
I'm also an older cyclist and I don't have or have used the radar.
I live in a urban environment and almost all of my cycling is done in this environment. The amount of vehicles coming up on me from behind is almost non stop making the radar ineffective for my riding uses. What works for one rider doesn't always work for others.
@@jjmoto65 it is actually the opposite, everyone uses this argument about City riding with the radar.
Plain and simple they don't know how it works, you need to try it.
The radar can pick up to 6 cars in line behind each other and from 140 metres back.
So not only do you know if a car is coming but if the flow is continous or just one car. This is very handy when turning across traffic or passing parked cars.
I get the beep can be annoying but can be turned off, and isn't that loud on my wahoo.
It is a game changer in city cycling! I have no affiliation with Garmin, in fact had a lot of problems with Garmin products, but this is the best product they make
In my opinion.
How many of us buy a bike then swap out everything that we don't want? Not me, cos I looked at both bikes' components spec sheet and thought, 'frame and groupset is fine, rest in the bin', so I bought framesets and paid a guy to make my bike mine. I am mystified as to why anyone buys a bike at all. Stem length, saddle, bar width, wheels, tires, collar, seatpost, bar tape. All so personal. Now add to the list..... lights. Now, Trek etc, just sell framesets. With standard holes. And preferably an option for the antiquated braking system you shelved. Please?
Yeah build your own bike. That is the best way when spending this type of money.
Apparently you can get the bike without the tech ???
The Cannondale man said no.
Only in a Tiagra equipped version.
That must be why they're basically sold out already.
Lol, i think everything is sold out already.
That guy from Cannondale on David Arthur's channel didn't defend this integrated light system, he defended the bike radar concept, which few disagree with. Nobody in the comments is complaining about radar, they don't have to buy it. But they have to buy it with this bike and they cannot then use it on their other bikes.
Also whilst this does sound admittedly very vain, I would hate for anyone to think I was riding an ebike based on that ugly battery sticking out of the downtube.
I think the Radar is a gimmick. I have not seen any evidence bit report to show that it makes a rider safer from traffic. I understand it's hard to measure. Radar is useful it facilitates operator safety and is a tool for navigation and much more. As a defensive tool it works only when a reaction occurs to a real threat. Now does that mean that a cyclist will react to every approaching vehicle because that would see a rider pulling off the road constantly. So most won't so a driver hits a cyclist what's the point of the radar.
I don't think its vain to not want to be seen as a lazy feeble ebike owner. I wouldnt be caught dead riding an ebike. Ok so maybe others don't care what I ride..but I do. Pride, and sticking with it!
@@glennoc8585 Yes it is indeed a gimmick. Something that may help some people feel safe but in reality does nothing. Just annoying beeps, added ugly weight, added expense.
@@glennoc8585 I don't use one either but the point is, its optional, whereas you cannot buy this bike without the integration.
That's a good point about multiple bikes. It would be like if they sold you an integrated head unit.
So you set a standard to sell bikes with lights, Some bike's with out light's so you crash you bike in to a car or a car hits on your bike without the light , Are you as a manufacture liable for not having the light for safety. Be carful of the standard you set or you my have integrated lights on all bike's.
Yes is true, the "reasonable person" or company standard.
All Cannondale need to do is put threaded BB’s on all of their bikes.
Well this one now has one 👍
The BSA bb is the best thing about this bike. Its not enough IMO.
Why didn't the name "Touring" bike come up when these gravel/ allroad bikes were being developed? Because that's all they are really. A bike that can take you places where skinny tire, fragile frame bikes shouldn't go. Marketing people should stick to tradition of cycling and quit trying to reinvent the wheel.
That's not the way marketing bullshit works. Wise people recognize this and boycott such products.
No cost, no loss, no adopted problems. Its simple. There are good alternatives.
Bike is well thought out for it’s target audience. 25-40yrs well paid professionals who want a sleek modern bike. Integrated lights, because that audience doesn’t want the hassle of installing lights on their bike and want that « clean » look. - I hate these newer bikes, seem like 5 years down the line, they’ll end up in the bin once the technology that’s integrated on it stops working. That’s generally what happens with ebikes
Yes ebikes are disposable very quickly
The majority of all modern bike are considered disposable after 5-10 years. Lots of parts are proprietary and become difficult to source. Manufacturing quality is an obvious bad joke!
Big bike corporations are traded on the stock market. Bicycles are considered commodities. In many places they are considered overpriced toys. What would that tell you?
@@rollinrat4850 Capitalism’s answer to our unsustainable ecological impact, a consumerist society. The bike industry’s incessant need to keep producing and selling. Theres possibly enough to give 2 bikes to each person in the world population by now lol
@@atboy4342 Ive got maybe a dozen bikes, frames, parts and several dozen wheels, right now. I'm not sure. I do build them all. I'll sometimes give them away to someone who really 'needs' transportation.
But you're certainly barkin' up the wrong tree. I try not to discuss politics on cycling channels. Anyways, I'm just one guy. I can't effect that 'change'.
I just deal with the reality. Quality is what it is. Quality must be proven and never assumed. High quality is measured and assured. It requires lots of documentation in the real world. Humans MUST take responsibility for 'their quality'.
That's what I did repairing aircraft and building surgical instruments. I'm a retired mechanical inspector and machinist. Ive rejected things of far higher quality than mere plastic bicycles.
Plastic bicycles are often manufactured in a particular communist country that shits on the rest of the planet. I'm not impressed, to put it nicely. If I can possibly help it, they DONT get my money. I can read labels and I try my best to buy locally made products.
If you desire something made exactly the way you really want it, try to DIY. That's exactly what I try to do and I've said it all along.
Ive got to admit, I've capitalized on my ability to support my family and myself. I'll never trust any government! They've ALL proven themselves!
Ive never paid anyone to repair my bicycles or assemble them. Not only my bikes either. Ive been building bikes since I was a young kid. I build wheels. Ive own the ability and machinery to build most of the parts. My old riding buddy is teaching me to braze and build beautiful steel frames. None of this is rocket science.
I know for a fact I am going to pay dearly for high quality no matter who's running the show. It costs more, requires more effort, expensive raw materials and requires more time. Plenty of high quality alternatives exist. We just need to ignore marketing bullshit, think for ourselves and find them.
Funny thing is that I often find good quslity for free or cheap. 'Old junk' collecting dust or rust, forgotten in someone's basement or storage. I can often improve the quality in this respect. High quality bicycles are extremely simple and reliable machines.