Cycling UK Forum

shadwellrhino wrote:I bought a Synapse to replace a Sirrus a couple of years ago. I did so because I was fed up of being overtaken by guys on road bikes. I still get overtaken (!) but the Synapse is quicker and more comfortable. I spent months finding the right bike and hesitated a great deal as I have back problems and needed a fairly upright position to mitigate this. My advice is to arrange test rides on new bikes from your LBS and this will tell you if road bikes make a big enough difference to justify the change. From my experience the difference is marginal, but a road bike of similar quality to the Sirrus will definitely be quicker.

Well i am now in the exact same situation as I picked up a more or less brand new Cannondale Synapse Sora 2015 last weekend. I have read through all of the comments and taken them all onboard. I think the above quote encapsulates my feelings. I am doing about 100-150 miles per week and just want to feel that I am on the best machine that I can afford to be on when cycling. For me I have noticed a difference but as described it is marginal.

The sirrus will still be my daily for the 40mile commute but it is nice to have the Synapse to disappear off on during the weekends.

Turning out to be a very interesting topic and thanks for all the replies! I have cleats but haven't fitted as yet. I am averaging about 100 miles a week on the sirrus and love it. I am going to spend some time this week tweaking the setup based on the commentsame posted.

I'm averaging 15mph over a hilly 60 miles but surely the bike aids in the ability to increase your average time?

Thanks all for the responses so far..they are very much appreciated.

I am going to try and push my seat back slightly and see what effect that has as I have been feeling slight crunched up on the bike. I am also going to go and have a look at 2nd hand Synapse 2015 Sora at the weekend to see how it feels. Unfortunately budgets at the moment are tight so new isnt an option other than the Btwin 520 or the Boardman Sport.

Si and Meic, it is lovely to join a board where people give sensible, thought out and constructive responses....thank you!

So reading between the lines it sounds like if I stick with the Sirrus I am likely to have less chance of punctures and possibly a more comfortable ride however I will probably have to work harder overall to keep up as I cannot get as 'aero' and the rolling resistance of the 30's will be higher.

....hmm the conundrum continues.

Thanks for the response....i suppose the answer is that I want to do the best that I can. I know I will complete it but i dont want to come away feeling that I could have done better. Everyone that I am doing it with is on road bikes and I dont want to feel that I am going to be constantly left behind. I just cant work out whether there will be a noticeable difference between the fitness and the road.

Hi all

I am currently riding a 2016 Specialized Sirrus Elite Disc 'Fitness Bike' and love it (https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/hy ... red_318931). I am training for a 100 mile sportif and am trying to work out what difference I would feel in comfort and in speed by going for a full road bike?

I am thinking about a Cannondale Synapse / Boardman Road Sport / Btwin Triban 520 but am really struggling to find any comparisons in performance etc between a Fitness (not a hybrid) and a Road bike.

I have fitted bar ends and happily cycle 50+miles on the Sirrus. It has 30mm tyres and seems to chug along well but I do feel that I cannot get down out of the wind.

I dont want to invest money in the new bike to find that there is no real difference between the new one and the flat bar bike that I already have.

Does anyone have experience of making the swap or advise on whether to simply stick with what I have?

Thanks in advance.