I have searched the forums and there does not really seem to be a lot of information on the new frame. I may buy this bike or the system 6. I would like to know more about the differences between the two. I have read the Cannondale site, and realize that the Synapse is supposed to be more comfortable. Is this true? I have never ridden anything but AL bikes for 22 years. I love to climb, and I will not race. Any feedback will be appreciated.

The real problem is the fact that I love the way the system 6 looks, but I do not want to buy an uncomfortable bike.

First I will tell you to go to a dealer and ride both bikes to see which you prefer, but I'll bet you go for the Synapse. I have the 2006 Carbon 1 Synapse that I've been riding since the end of November. I have almost 1400 miles on it so far including two full centuries in the last three weeks. It is absolutly one of the best riding bikes I've ever been on. I live at the edge of the Texas hill country so climbing is a fact of life around here and my Synapse just makes the hills seem a lot easier. I'm not a young kid either at 49 yrs old and I can ride 50, 60 or even 100 miles and not feel like I've been beat up (here in TX chip seal passes for pavement and makes for a rough ride).

I must concur :thumbsup: , the Synapse 1 is a great ride. I have not done any century rides but after about 20 or 30 miles you still feel like your capable of riding more. I am 46 and riding is going to become my new sport since I cannot play basketball, football, or jog as I did before. You cannot go wrong with the Synapse. The System 6 I cannot talk about until Saturday. There are not too many in my area to test ride. I am buying mine based on the trust and feel I have in my Synapse, it cannot feel worst costing 3 grand more. You make the decision before you put your money down and ensure you ride the both bikes. I will see you mine but not many people like a totally black bike.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?p=960871#poststop

I've ridden both the Synapse 1 and Synapse 2. The ride quality was identical (Same frame with differences being components and wheels) The Synapse is the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden. I compared Orbea Orca, Specialized Roubaix, Scott CR-1, Trek 5.9 SL Madone, Cannondale Caad 8. Synapse was the most natural fitting bike I've been on. I wouldn't hesitate to get a Synapse. In fact, I am saving up for one.

Another satisfied Synapse rider here -- I have a 2005 Carbon 2 that I bought new in 2006 -- but I agree, I haven't seen anything on the forums about the newer "SL" Synapses.

As to comfort...I dunno what to say. Perhaps this is a result of some personal fit issues, but I *don't* think I would ever call my Synapse a "comfortable" ride. It's not an "uncomfortable" ride...and it's definitely a "smooth" ride...but when I think of the word "comfortable" I think completely pain & ache free, plush like a sofa, something I could fall asleep sitting on...

IOW, no bicycle on earth! So maybe I just have a semantic problem with the concept of a "comfortable" bike. Now that I think about it...I guess the Synapse was the most "comfortable" of the bikes I test rode back when I was shopping, that's why I bought it. But now that I'm riding 100-200 miles per week on it, I'm still pretty sore come Sunday night.

I love my Synapse, and assuming the SL has the same geometry, who wouldn't want to shave a few hundred grams off their frame?

I have a SL2, and I've ridden a couple Six13's.

The SL2 is much more comfortable than the Six13's in terms of smoothness. The handling seems about the same to me, but I'm sure that some will argue that.
The Six13 seemed much quicker accelerating, but again this may be due to different wheelsets or other factors.

For me personally, the SL2 was the better mix of comfort/performance. I don't race(road bikes), and I ride medium length rides (50 miles) a few times a week.

The SL frame's were supposedly the 'lightest frame' C-dale made in 2006. I'm pretty sure I saw that on one of their brochures. That may influence your decision if you want the lightest bike you can get overall.

I just got a 07 SL and love it. Did one century ride on it. At first the more upright position felt strange but after an hour I felt great on it.

Try both before making a decision. While there is definitely a difference in feel between the 2 bikes, the Systemsix is far from a harsh ride. The Cannondale race-geometry bikes are a far cry from what they were years ago. I have a Supersix and feel like I could ride it all day. Where you may feel a world of difference will be in the climbing. Don't take anyone's word for it, try them yourself.

What about The Synapse vs the Synapse SL version? What's the difference -besides the money- ?

I'm scheduled for my fitting next Tuesday, and yes, I bought the Synapse Carbon 1.

My first road bike. I mainly ride MTB but have added the Cannondale to help with some cardio. Tested it up against the likes of Giant's OCR and Spec Roubaix.
Both were similar but the Cannondale has a "feel" the others can't quite match.
I also spoke to two other riders who found the Synapse to be tops in comfort and speed.
For me a full on race bike was not going to make my new bike addition a good experience.
Small baby steps.

I'll follow up at a later date.

I have a 2007 SL 1 Compact. I love it. I changed the saddle to a Selle Italia SLR and the cassette to a DA 12-27 cassette. I also tried the top of the line Six13 but did not like it as much as the Synapse.

I've had it for a year now and couldn't be happier.

Prior to getting mine I'd ridden one a few months prior when the C'dale Demo Center was in town. It was love at first ride.

I'd been riding a mid-90's Lemond Victore, a ti frame made by Litespeed in classic Lemond geometry and always loved the ride quality of that bike. It was very comfy and did a good job of taking the edge off of the crappy road we have here in Humboldt County.

BUT, the Synapse ride is dramaticaly superior to my beloved Lemond.

Here I am riding it to 2nd place on the "hill course" in the College of the Redwoods Time Trial.