The carbon age is upon us, it's everywhere. You can even kit yourself out with carbon weave pumps, but let's not forget that there's a lot to be said for aluminium. For a start it carries a more forgiving price tag and then there's all those years of tried and tested research behind it.

Cannondale introduced its first bicycle in 1983 raising the cycling world's eyebrows with their handcrafted aluminium frames that were both lighter and stiffer than the steel models that dominated the market at the time. Cannondale certainly know a thing or two about building bikes and when they launched the new women's specific Synapse range last year, we were more than keen to get our hands on one.

The Synapse range of bikes are designed to be both comfortable and fast, with slightly a longer wheelbase and a more relaxed women specific geometry with the philosophy that long rides should be relished and not endured. The top end Synapse is an all carbon affair, but the aluminium version has the same design philosophy at a more friendly price point.

To prove, it's not all about carbon we went for the Synapse alloy. We couldn't completely lose the carbon fibre though so benefited from carbon forks making for a performance bike without going to the dizzy heights of high-end race models.

Frame

First of all let's talk about how beautiful the Synapse Alloy Féminine frame is. Ok, so looks aren't everything but this frame is the complete package, and we couldn't help getting excited when we took this one out of the box. Available in Mediterranean Blue or Velvet Red the paint job on this is subtle, making for a feminine but not too fussy looking frame. Cannondale have made oversized tubing a bit of a trademark feature of their frames which we're personally a fan of. They've continued in this tradition with the Synapse which makes you feel like you're in for a confident ride and it also adds to our satisfaction with the appearance of the bike too.

You expect obsessive engineering with Cannondale, and the finish of the frame fails to disappoint. Aluminium tubes are lovingly welded, with an integrated headset up front. And for riding comfort the seat stays curve gracefully right down to the neat dropouts. For additional compliance, the chain stays feature the SAVE (Synapse Active Vibration Elimination), which essentially means the stays are squashed a bit on the middle section, providing a smooth ride.

There are four sizes in the range, we tested the 50cm, which fit our 5' 2” tester just perfectly. The top tube measured 52cm, and combined with the short stem gave a good fit - with just enough stretch without giving us back problems. A nice touch are the carbon forks, labelled with the same SAVE technology as the rear stays, and offered a good level of vibration damping, ideal on some of the less than smooth roads we've been riding recently.

Components

For the price, the Synapse comes with a good range of components. There's a good smattering of Shimano 105 - as dependable as you'll ever need - and a Truvatic Touro chainset. As a fan of the triple, (some of us can't quite let that granny ring go) this made for a great complete package, with the 30/42/52 gave a good spread of gears for loads of miles on varying gradients. There's a mix of Cannondale branded finishing kit, and Cannondale Delta brake callipers coped well. Wheels are Mavic CXP22 32h rims built around some fine Cannondale Earth hubs. We liked the shape of the ITM Elle handlebar, and it's held in place by a Cannondale C4 31.8mm stem. .

Ride

The first thing we noticed about the ride of the Synapse was the level of power transfer. Cannondale say that the “sloping, hourglass curve of the seatstays improve lateral stiffness transferring your energy directly to the pavement” and we'd have to agree entirely. It's akin to that feeling when you attempt a dreaded hill but it feels easier than you ever remember, making you realise that all that hard work has paid off and you're actually fitter. Getting on this bike makes you feel that every pedal stroke is being utilised efficiently and that you're really putting the power down.

The longer head tube and relaxed geometry makes for an incredibly comfy bike on all the rides we took it on. It's certainly a lot more comfortable than many race bikes we've ridden. Riding to work, racing and long training rides were all coped with just fine. Pushing on a bit faster and the Synapse really comes alive, and the steering is still sharp enough for a lively and engaging ride. We found it a touch twitchy on the very first ride, probsbly from us jumping off a bike with a lower bar setup, but we soon grew used to this and appreciated the comfort. Cornering is a clear ace in the Synape's sleeve, it just loves been pushed through corners fast and laid over and climbing too, is tackled with a clear confidence. It's a spritely bike as we've come to expect and love from Cannondale, it feels like every penny of your hard earned cash is spent in the right places, mainly the frame and fork and in our view you can't go wrong with that.

Verdict

Far from the days when you received a doubtful look from the bike shop assistant at the mention of women's specific designs there really is an expanding choice for female riders now. It really is about finding what suits your riding and your budget. There is an increasing range of high-end bikes for women, on the market however we've found that at this price-point you're getting a lot for your money with the Synapse. It gives you confidence, stiffness, power transfer and the forks reduce road buzz. It's responsive without being twitchy, great for cornering fast but not to the extent of some race-specific designs which may not give you a relaxed enough ride for miles, more suited to tearing up a race circuit. All this said, we were confident riding at race speed on the Synapse. Overall a great all rounder, great performance, great price giving you more relaxed and enjoyable riding.

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This really performs, has great appearance, good price and is v comfy!

Umm...

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Frame: Synapse Alloy Féminine
Fork: Synapse S.A.V.E., 50mm rake
Rims: Mach1 CFX, 32 hole
Hubs: Cannondale Earth
Spokes: DT Swiss Champion
Tyres: Maxxis Fuse w/Nylon breaker, 700 x 23c
Crank: TruVatiV Touro triple, 30/42/52
Chain: Shimano 9-speed
Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN-26
Front Derailleur: Shimano Tiagra triple
Rear Derailleur: Shimano 105 triple
Shifters/brake levers: Shimano 9-speed, reach adjust
Handlebars: ITM Elle
Stem: Cannondale C3
Headset: FSA Alloy integrated
Brakeset: Cannondale Delta
Saddle: Selle Royal Women's Dardo Chromoly
Seat Post: Cannondale C-2 Carbon-wrapped

Price: £1, 049
Colours: Mediterranean Blue (gloss) (BLU), Velvet Red (gloss) (RED).
Sizes: 47, 50, 53, 56 cm
Contact:Cannondale Customer Services +41 61 487 9380 or www.cannondale.com for details.

Photo Gallery

Out and about	Triple action	Rear seat stays