New Bike!

Picked up my new bike yesterday after work. I have a hunch REI wasn't too thrilled over the status of my old/new bike that I took back. For only having had it a few months, it looked pretty gnarly. That's what biking the shit out of a bike does. I felt a little bad about its condition, but that feeling was quickly overshadowed by the excitement over the new bike.

Without further ado, here it is.

CANNONDALE SYNAPSE DISC 5 105:

 

Shifters: Shimano 105
Front derailleur: Shimano 105
Rear derailleur: Shimano 105
Cranks: FSA Gossamer, BB30, 50/34
Cassette: Shimano Tiagra 4600, 12-30
Wheels: Maddux RD 3.0 Disc rims, Formula hubs
Tires: Schwalbe Lugano PP, 25c
Stem: Cannondale C3 alloy
Handlebar: Cannondale C3 Compact alloy
Seatpost: Cannondale C3 alloy, 25.4mm
Saddle: Cannondale Stage Ergo
Brakes: Promax Render R disc, 160mm (front) & 140mm (rear) rotors

I have no idea what these things are. Or do. What I noticed, however, was the god awful noise it made this morning on my way to work. The noise went partially away when I tapped the brakes. I think I like the bike, but not sure yet. Size-wise it feels better, but I won't know for sure until I've taken it for a couple of serious spins up a mountain or two.

All these new bits and pieces make me a little nervous.

 

This bike is a little less girly than my last bike. No pink or white, which I like. I've done some online research and found some stuff that makes me feel less doubtful about this bike. Not that I am particularly so.

 

I did way less research with this bike than my last - the one I took back, since I felt pretty comfortable with Cannondale as a brand, just not the size and the gears.

 

The new bike has disk breaks which is a change for me. I've always had break pads before. According to BikeSoup Magazine, disc breaks are here to stay and here are some of the reasons why:

 

The potential advantages of a hydraulic road disc set-up:

• Increased braking performance – very desirable in unpredictable situations Eg. commuting
• Improved safety when a thru axle system is incorporated – stronger and less prone to failure than a skewer system
• Wheel rims can be designed for one specific purpose – containing the tyres
• High performance braking in all weather conditions
• No cable stretch resulting in reduced braking performance
• More predictable braking across all riding conditions, hence improved safety
• Improved choice of tyre width without restriction of brake caliper
• More consistent wheel alignment with thru axle set-up
• Acceleration gains from potentially more affordable lightweight rims
• More predictable handling

Possible disadvantages of a hydraulic road disc set-up:

• Increased bike weight – frameset & components
• Increased chance of skidding and losing traction under heavy braking
• No current present axle standard but most are using 142mm x 12mm (rear) & 142mm x 15mm (front)
• Better brake modulation (horses for courses!)

At the end of the day, increased breaking performance or predictable handling aside, what matters to me is that I like riding the bike. Not saying that I shouldn't do some research before buying a bike because it will save me from making obvious mistakes such as getting something like this:

Or this:

But considering it took me about three months to figure out what worked and didn't work about my last bike, no research in the world can make a bike fit when it doesn't.

 

As far as a name goes, I haven't committed enough to give it one yet. I'm open to suggestions.