More recent Cannondale Synapse

rickpaulos

Well-Known Member
got this today and wondering what year it is.
Cannondale Synapse
serial number? Didn't find one on the frame but it has a sticker on the bb shell. hardly what I'd call a serial number.
Durace rear der (replaced the ultegra?)
Ultegra front der and Ultegra flight deck shifters.
Cannondale carbon cranks.
Cannondale fire stem and seat post.
Easton EA70 race wheels.
previous owner says it has a bb creaking. Decided it was better to replace the bike.
 

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JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
According to Cannondale, current bikes should have a serial number decal on the BB shell.
Either the previous owner removed it,peeled itself off, repainted..or maybe a warranty replacement frame
 

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rickpaulos

Well-Known Member
Thanks about that bar code sticker. I just looked the bike over again and found no number or other stickers. I did find a date code on the front Ultegra derailleur. DG 2005 July. The bike has Ultegra: f der, brake caliper and sti shifters and a Dura Ace r der.

The sticker (photo in the op) that reads 60000050/SLV appears to decode as 2006 50cm Silver color scheme.
The BI-0302 is very similar to codes seen on countless Trek bikes.

Maybe there is a number under the cable guide. I'll check later.

no Synapse in the 2005 catalog.

The 2006 catalog has 6 variations of the Synapse in the "Performance Rider" category. None seem to have the variation # on them Offered in full carbon fibre or aluminum. I suppose the carbon 1/2/3 frames are identical and it's just the parts that vary. All the 1/2/3 carbon frames are listed in the same 3 color combos. Each of the aluminum models 2/3/4 has it's own unique 2 color options.

Synapse Carbon 1 [Dura Ace 10 speed]
Synapse Carbon 2 [Ultegra group with Dura Ace r der] <<-- Best match for parts
Synapse Carbon 3 [105 group with Ultegra r der]
Synapse (aluminum 2)
Synapse (aluminum 3)
Synapse (aluminum 4)

None have the Easton wheels but wheels are an easy up/down grade.

Estimated retail price of $3199.
 

rickpaulos

Well-Known Member
I took it for a short spin around the block with 2 hills to check for creaking. None noticed with running shoes on. But the shifters got stuck in the big ring - big cog gear. So a cleaning and lube and they work like new again. Rerouted the cables so they don't rub on the side of the head tube. Took the ugly cages and pump holder off. Restacked the headset spacers to get the bars up higher to fit me better. The bike is a 50 cm and I usually ride a 54 or 55. Swaped out the Shimano road pedals for spds so its ready for a longer test ride. 17.4 pounds on the scale. Barely a scratch on it. There is some staining/fading where a computer sensor was attached to the fork. The cable wear on the head tubes is the only visible marring.

Our local bike coop has a policy of test riding every bike once it's tuned up. There are some issues you just won't catch when the bike is on a repair stand. So I've ridden thousands of different bikes. My own preferred road bike is a Litespeed Ultimate. It's very rare that any other bike even comes close. This Cannondale is no Litespeed but it sure beats most others. I'd say its a top ten of the ~5000 bikes we've had at the coop.
 

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
Glad to hear you got the little issues fixed on it. It would be nice if there was local bike co-op near me. Sadly, rural/small town Texas is not a biking mecca.
 

rickpaulos

Well-Known Member
updates

After the around the block test ride where things seemed okay, I relocated the bike from my van (hot interior) to the cool basement. The next day I headed out for a long ride but the crank was klunking so I only got to the corner and returned. After a long battle, I got the crank out. The axle is aluminum. The bolts are aluminum. The self extracting rings are aluminum. Someone apparently severely over tightened the bolts trying to 'fix' the klunk. Weill they striped both bolts and damaged the axle threads. One bolt had the removal lip sheared off. I removed the removal rings and used far more force to remove the bolts that I wanted to. I figured at this point it was all shot anyhow. I used a steel shaft and the shot mallet to get the right crank off. Lots of close examination and I found the aluminum insert in the left hollow carbon crank is slightly loose. ie, trash. That was the source of the klunk. Kinda like an old school cotter pin that was loose. Repeated searches on the web reveals most of these cranks have failed. There was a 2007/2008 recall on them for improperly heat treated axles. Not the issue on this one. FSA made the cranks for Cannondale but they have different specs. The extractor threading is larger than FSA branded FSA cranks. I ordered a special Cannondale bb30 crank extractor but it doesn't fit. At this time, the left crank (trash) is stuck on the axle (trash). The frame has an aluminum sleeve in the bb (good) to house the bearings (good). The coop had a FSA Omega BB30 but the axle to right arm press fitting is loose and there is no fixing that one. I bought a very reasonably priced FSA Gossamer bb30 2 piece crank set and installed that. It's working fine. From what I can tell, Shimano doesn't make bb30 cranks. There are some aftermarket adapters to fit better cranks to bb30 frames.

A 44 mile test ride and a spoke broke on a very smooth bit of road surface. Rode the last 20 miles home in 'limp mode' so I wouldn't cause any more damage. Boutique wheels! Straight pull Sapim brand spokes, about 281 mm. $18 for 1 spoke on ebay or a 3 pack for $26. A local bike shop was open sunday and they had a couple of DT straight pull spokes in a close enough lengths. Black instead of silver but who will notice. Every other nipple is black, the others silver. Tire off and axle has to come out to replace the left side radial spokes on the Easton wheels (not oem).

I did find more surface damage on the frame. Chain suck took off about 1/2 square inch of the finish. And the front wheel qr was over tightened and took the finish off the dropout. Seriously, carbon bike owners need to buy torque wrenches and get trained on how to use them. Snap.

My initial opinion of the ride quality has been over ridden. A long ride and I say it's pretty good. The less weight compared to my Litespeed with it's heavy wheels and accessories is noticeable. it certainly rides much nicer than the many ~$1000 aluminum bikes that i've test ridden. But I would not take on Iowa gravel roads. Seems too delicate for that kind of abuse that I often inflict on the Litespeed with no issues.

Cannondale.carbon.SI.crank (4).JPG


cannondale.on.bridge.jpg
 

black lightning 1987

Moderator
Staff member
I might try to salvage that crank.

Where did the spoke break? Spoke prices have gotten way out of hand. No more 25 cent DTs these days.
 

black lightning 1987

Moderator
Staff member
Yes, spoke prices are stupid throughout the spectrum but you're really going to pay for wheel specific spokes. Not sure if even Campagnolo specific spokes are $15 each though.
 
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