Cannondale Ebike

[Antbrewer]

Just a general enquiry
Has anyone any experience of the Cannondale Synapse Neo 2 bike. I am attracted by the weight of this bike having now had second thoughts on the Fazua system ( Boardman and the Bergamont types). Back onto a Bosch motor again now. I tend to fluctuate in my thinking but will eventually get there.

The Synapse will take mudguards and a rack which is necessary for me .
Any thoughts anyone.
Anthony

[borisface]

Can't comment on the Cannondale, but having recently purchased a cube ebike with Bosch active line plus and 500w/h battery I can say that so far it's been faultless and more fun than expected. My bike weighs in at 24 kgs so is heavier than the Cannondale but the range is still pretty impressive. I weigh 90kgs and reckon on up to 50 mountainous miles 1800m of ascent in eco and tour mode. I've only used the higher powered options, sport and turbo once or twice for a laugh really.

I suspect I went through a similar process to you of weighing up hub v mid drive motors and battery capacity. I'm glad I went with the Bosch as it does feel really natural, a bit like riding a tandem with a strong stoker.

[Antbrewer]

Hi Borisface,
I wonder which Cube model you have?
The weight is an issue with me as I have a two bike Thule towbar rack and there is a limit on the weight of each bike of 25kg so I would obviously have the battery in the car to reduce the overall weight.
I have looked at Cube along with Kalkhoff, KTM, Scott and a few others. These are all in the 23. to 25 kg range or thereabouts whereas the Synapse is considerably lighter.
I appreciate your thoughts.
Anthony
PS When I was a lad I used to ride a tandem with my late twin brother. I was on the back but never thought of myself as a 'strong stoker?'

[Bobbin]

I have a Neo 2. Bought it in June last year and it has been great.
Did a lot of research into other makes and drive systems,and shortlisted two; the Cannondale and the Bianchi Impulso.
However I couldn’t get to road test the Bianchi,so gave up on that despite having Bianchi lust !
Tried the Neo and was really impressed with it,it is very comfortable and rides like a ‘normal’ bike. The drive system is very good and is easy to ride above the 15.5 mph cut off,I don’t usually notice that I’m doing all the work !
Originally I would use the power for the hills only, ( have a heart condition,so not supposed to have a heart rate higher than 125 max and average in the 90s),however as the bike is so nice to ride and the battery lasts me 50+ miles I now use it to ride at the pace I used to under my own steam.
I have full mudguards on but no rack. I ride mainly on road but do tracks and trails,nothing too gnarly though.
I have a gravel bike and mtb which I have converted myself and which are good fun but nothing like as competent as the Neo.
Cheers,
Rob

Ps If you search the pedelecs forum there is an interesting thread about the Neo

[Antbrewer]

Bobbin
That is just the info I like to see. Great. Pleased that you are happy with the bike and ride. This is certainly looking to be my favorite at the moment.
My health isn't all it could be hence seriously thinking Ebikes.
I would be doing roads and lanes mainly and not the rough stuff any more. Those days are long gone sadly.
I will look at the Pedelecs forum.

Thanks again for your input.
Anthony
PS May I ask where you purchased yours from?

[Bobbin]

Glad to be of help !
Bought mine from Evans in Sheffield. They were very good.You can take the bike out on the roads for half an hour which is better than the usual ride round the car park.
They had to order my size ,so had to wait a week but that was no problem as I had a holiday booked in Snowdonia.
Took my Genesis Croix de Fer (I love this bike ! )with front hub motor and did quite a few miles in the mountains which I really enjoyed.
This gave me a good base from which to assess the Neo when I got home. I was very impressed.

[Antbrewer]

Hi Bobbin
I think I would be looking at Evans in Birmingham . I am not sure about the test ride they allow. The shop is in the heart of the city and riding about there might be interesting. We shall see when I am next in town.
Saw the Pedelecs forum you mentioned. Have you had any issues with gear changing as was suggested in that post on the forum I wonder? Must read it again to see exactly what they meant.
If have any more info that you think I would like to hear about please pass it on.
Thanks
Anthony

[luigi]

I have the Cannondale Synapse Neo 1. from Evans in Marlow had 30min test ride on it, this is my first ebike and was hooked straight away, have now owned it 3 weeks and been out on several rides some with club mates. Stop looking at other bikes this one in my opinion is right at the top, it rides just like a normal bike at any speed with the added benefit of help on hills.
The Neo 1 is a higher spec. than Neo 2 . It should not be different in riding experience.

[Antbrewer]

Hi Bobbin
I have have just looked at the Pedelecs forum that you mentioned in your earlier post here. This time I have actually read the whole input on the Cannondale having only read the last page before. Very interesting I must say. Even more enthused about getting the Synapse Neo. I have been researching the various shops that sell Cannondale here in Birmingham and will start phoning around. Often their website says one thing but on talking to them it is not always the case.
Many more pluses than minuses at this stage.
Anthony

[Bobbin]

I found the same problem with websites,it’s better to speak to someone though you do get different answers depending who you speak to !
When I booked a trial run at Evans the guy said I could have a couple of hours ride,then when someone else phoned to say the bike had arrived ,I checked and he said half an hour! He did explain that they had to order the bike in and it wasn’t a demo bike.
Some places will hire a demo bike for the day and knock the hire price off the purchase price ( Evans used to do it but I can’t find any ref.to it on their website) but you can’t always find the bike you want
Re clunky gear change, I do sometimes experience this when shifting very low gears under pressure ( ie out of the saddle uphill) and in sport or turbo mode. Probably rider error though

[Antbrewer]

Hi Bobbin
This morning I found a local bike shop in Birmingham which is a Cannondale distributer. Had a long chat with the owner himself an ex cyclo cross champion. After my chat he then phoned the rep who said he would look into getting one to take to various shops so potential customers like could have a test ride. The owner of the shop then called me back to explain all this. Would I get this personalized service from a big shop chain with staff that might not even be cyclists ? Maybe maybe not.
If I can take my business to a local bike shop with very good reviews and staff that really care then I will. Sometimes one can tell straightaway from the voice and attitude of the shop keeper on the phone whether he knows what he is talking about and whether he is interested in you. This is a shop that I haven't been to before and only about 10 miles from Solihull. Fingers crossed.
Anthony

[neilob]

I have a Synapse Neo 2 and agree with the positive comments above. It is far more ‘natural’ than my previous ebike, a Giant Road E. I ride ebikes for health reasons, and the Cannondale is just perfect. I also shortlisted the Bianchi Impulso but like the post above couldn’t find one to try. Battery life is good (but not as good as the Giant) and the ride is comfortable and predictable. A great bike. You are welcome to try mine (L size) if you need a test ride.

[Antbrewer]

Neilob,
That is a most kind offer and thank you.
I have been on the phone today and found that the Rutland Cycles in Northampton has one in the store and a medium which is my size. They say I can ride it around the car park where there is a small hill???? Whatever that means.
It is only an hour away so that will be arranged I hope in the next week or so.

How good is this forum? Very good I would say.
If hopefully I buy this bike I then have a Ridgeback Voyger for sale. I already have a Claude Butler town bike that I use all the time for shopping, to the library and locally etc.
Again many thanks Neil
Anthony

[colin146]

Recently acquired the Synapse Neo EQ (lights and guards) through the cycle2work scheme and so far it’s a thumbs up from me. 3 X 40 ish mile rides so far, would have been more but current weather getting in the way. Mostly being ridden in ECO mode and getting about 1 mile per 1% of battery. Weight out of the box just over 19kgs.

[borisface]

Hi Borisface,
I wonder which Cube model you have?
The weight is an issue with me as I have a two bike Thule towbar rack and there is a limit on the weight of each bike of 25kg so I would obviously have the battery in the car to reduce the overall weight.
I have looked at Cube along with Kalkhoff, KTM, Scott and a few others. These are all in the 23. to 25 kg range or thereabouts whereas the Synapse is considerably lighter.
I appreciate your thoughts.
Anthony
PS When I was a lad I used to ride a tandem with my late twin brother. I was on the back but never thought of myself as a 'strong stoker?'

Sorry for delay in replying just seen your post. The cube I have is a town sport hybrid pro. I got it from mhwbike in Germany and paid c. £1450. But cube do a great variety of bikes based on the Bosch motor. I bought mine as a bit of a compromise because I share it with my wife who's 5'3" and I'm 6'1" so needed something that would more or less fit both of us. It's also a flat bar model so perhaps not what you're really after. I did look at some cube hybrids which were about 20kgs, but I think you could quite easily get those down another couple of kilos of you changed the fork to a rigid one and got some lighter tyres etc. It depends on your budget and spannering skills. Again though these were flat bar models. One that I did consider was a Wilier that Merlin cycles have based on the Shimano steps motor. But it was another £500 which I couldn't really justify to myself or other half plus it wouldn't have worked for both of us. But maybe it might work for you.https://www.merlincycles.com/wilier-e-a ... 73101.html