Cannondale’s Synapse LTD RLE remains firmly rooted in endurance riding. But that category has changed significantly in the last several years. First, the low and laid back designs of yesteryear have largely subsided in favor of more aggressive riding positions that still take rider comfort into account as a top priority.
From there, the gravel scene has influenced the endurance category heavily. The Synapse, for example, has heaps of tire clearance — up to 35mm tires can fit on this bad boy — to handle all-road conditions. Riders want to do more with their bikes, and the Synapse delivers on that front.
Price: $7,050
Rating: ★★★★☆
Specs:
- Shimano GRX Di2 11-speed drivetrain, 48/31 chainrings, 11-34 cassette
- Shimano GRX brakes
- HollowGram 45 Knot carbon wheels
- HollowGram SAVE SystemBar
- WTB Exposure TCS tires, 700x30c, tubeless ready
What I like: Comfortable, fast ride; lots of tire clearance for versatility; lights turn on automatically; comfortable integrated handlebar with adjustability; responsive steering that’s not overly sensitive to rider input
What I’d change: Battery life is inconsistent; lights don’t always turn on automatically
My call: While the big news is Cannondale’s attempt to integrate all the most common safety tools into the Synapse, the ride quality far outshines the bells and whistles. The Synapse is an excellent choice for all-road riding and can even handle gravel tires.
But Cannondale’s big splash with the updated Synapse is SmartSense. That system includes a downtube mounted battery that powers front and rear lights designed by Lezyne. And it also powers a rear-facing radar courtesy of a collaboration with Garmin. All of those components auto-start as soon as your wheels start turning.
While the SmartSense features sure are nice for some riders, the real advantages of the newly designed Synapse lie in its exceptional ride quality. It’s comfortable and fun, and now it’s versatile enough to tackle terrain ranging from paved racecourses to dirt road recon rides.
Cannondale Synapse LTD RLE: Build
There are plenty of build options on the Cannondale website. My Synapse LTD RLE came with a Shimano GRX Di2 drivetrain, furthering the all-road narrative. And the HollowGram 45 Knot carbon wheels came stock with 30mm WTB Exposure tires. This strikes a nice balance between on-pavement and on-gravel capabilities.
You can read the entire spec rundown, and more about SmartSense, by checking out the “Lemme See That!” first look right here.
Of note, because the rear light and radar are integrated into the saddle/seatpost junction, you’re left with a bit of a conundrum when it comes to saddle bags. I was able to get my saddle bag to fit, but it took some doing. Some saddle bags won’t fit at all.
To solve that problem, Cannondale includes bosses for a gas tank-style bag on the top tube. This allows you to store your ride tools and nutrition. The gas-tank-style bag is certainly a more convenient location, especially for nutrition. But it can also interfere with your pedal stroke, especially when you’re out of the saddle. This comes down to personal preference, but I have not enjoyed having such bags in this location as I tend to hit my knees on them.
SmartSense Integration
About all that integration: the front and rear lights are made by Lezyne. They’re well built and very bright. I had no complaints at all with these lights and I’m glad to see that Cannondale chose a high-quality light pairing for the Synapse.
It seems inevitable that some customers won’t want the lights chosen for them. It really wasn’t an issue for me. I’ve tested more lights than I care to remember, and Lezyne’s offerings have, more often than not, offered excellent light visibility and usability. If you want to simply get the complete package of components you’d likely invest in anyway, without having to think about it, this is a great combination.
The Synapse also integrates a Garmin rear-facing radar. This communicates with your smartphone or your head unit to alert you to traffic approaching from behind. It’s essentially the Garmin Varia system, but integrated.
I have mixed feelings about radars in general. While some riders may find it useful to be alerted to drivers approaching them from behind, I found it alarming and it made me look at my head unit more often. That meant I was taking my eyes off the road more often.
Still, for riders who may not be accustomed to riding on the road, the Varia can provide valuable information. A rider can adjust position on the road according to the presence of traffic, for example. This system will largely boil down to personal preference. I see the value, but it certainly isn’t for me.
The SmartSense battery mounts to the bottom of the down tube and powers the lights and radar. It has an LED system to indicate battery life. To remove the battery, pull the lever on the side and the battery will release.
I received my test bike in the winter, which means the Synapse sat in my garage for extended periods of time between rides. The battery had a tendency to drain over time, and it’s not very quick to charge. But battery life during regular use was fine, lasting several rides with plenty of battery life to spare.
Cannondale Synapse LTD RLE: The Ride
I rode the Synapse here in Colorado, starting in the late winter and into a wet and chilly early spring. Most of my riding time was spent on pavement, with short forays on gravel roads. And this seems to be exactly what the Synapse was designed to excel at.
It’s first and foremost a comfortable and fun ride. While Cannondale’s handlebar and stem are technically of the “integrated cockpit” ilk, there is some adjustability to it. So I was able to find a comfortable hand position both on the tops and in the drops. And my computer slotted into the integrated mount, which means I didn’t have to fuss around looking for a mount that I could rig to the non-round bars.
The Synapse’s handling characteristics really make the bike shine. Endurance bikes for years felt sluggish and languid, and you really had to coax the bikes through switchbacks and sharp corners. Not so with the Synapse. Handling feels lithe and responsive without hedging into the twitchy world of pure race bikes that take every bit of rider input and turn it into front wheel movement. In other words, the Synapse hits the right balance of responsive and stable. Win win.
It was odd at first to look down and see 30mm tires on the pavement. I generally ride 28mm tires on the road, and these particular tires with these particular wheels happen to have a pretty wide look about them. But they never felt sluggish, and the Knot wheels with WTB tires didn’t wander or creep during cornering. Once I hit gravel roads, I was happy to have the extra width.
Cannondale Synapse LTD RLE: Final Word
There isn’t much to complain about with the Synapse LTD RLE. While I found the radar system to be extraneous, and I’m not wild about having a bulky battery mounted on my down tube that doesn’t even power my drivetrain components, I think the integration of front and rear lights — especially given they’re high quality Lezyne lights — is a win for just about every consumer. If you’re stickler for picking out your own customizations, you’ll be irked by this, sure. But it simplifies one step of the process for the vast majority of consumers.
The real joy of the bike, however, has nothing to do with those integrations. It’s just a fun, capable, and versatile bike, period. You won’t want to hit long stretches of sketchy gravel with it, but if your daily rides include shorter stretches of tame gravel in between longer stretches of pavement, the Synapse is purpose-built for you.