Peter Sagan's (Cannondale Pro Cycling) new Cannondale Synapse Carbon Hi-Mod Evo. Cannondale supplies the rising superstar with a custom frame geometry with the more aggressive stack of a 54cm SuperSix Hi-Mod but the reach of a 58cm size. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Peter Sagan's (Cannondale Pro Cycling) custom Cannondale SuperSix Evo for Sunday's Ronde van Vlaanderen. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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The carbon fiber shell on Peter Sagan's (Cannondale Pro Cycling) fi'zi:k Aliante Carbon saddle makes for a very cushy perch. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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The radically split seat tube base on Cannondale's new Synapse Carbon Hi-Mod Evo. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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The radically split seat tube base on Cannondale's new Synapse Carbon Hi-Mod Evo. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Peter Sagan's (Cannondale Pro Cycling) Cannondale Synapse Carbon Hi-Mod Evo fork looks like it's designed to flex rearward. Look at how the fork tips reach back from the forward-swept blade in order to yield a normal rake, too. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Just about everything about how the rear end of Peter Sagan's (Cannondale Pro Cycling) new Cannondale Synapse Carbon Hi-Mod Evo looks purpose-built for comfort. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Peter Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling) prefers the traditional bend of FSA's Energy T aluminum handlebar. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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SRAM Red 2012 brake calipers with carbon-specific pads and a carbon fiber number plate holder for Peter Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling). (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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The bulge on the underside of the seat cluster provides the room for the integrated seatpost binder wedge. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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There's definitely some very radical shaping going on here. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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A short section of Nokon segmented aluminum housing provides some more flexibility for the internally routed rear brake line. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Chain stays are flattened for flex up and down but they're very wide to help keep them from swaying from side to side under power. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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We haven't been able to confirm with Cannondale yet but it looks like the new bike will use carbon dropouts. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Both tape and zip-ties are used to secure the speed sensor on Peter Sagan's (Cannondale Pro Cycling) new Cannondale Synapse Carbon Hi-Mod Evo fork. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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One benefit of using aluminum cages on bumpy courses is that the team mechanics can bent them to hold bottles even tighter. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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The stays are very broad but also quite thin on Peter Sagan's (Cannondale Pro Cycling) Cannondale SuperSix Evo. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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More rubber o-rings are used up front to protect the paint on the head tube. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Peter Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling) uses a custom geometry with the reach of a 58cm but the stack of a 54cm. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Traditional-bend FSA Energy T aluminum handlebars for Peter Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling). (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Cannondale's ultralight SiSL2 hollow aluminum crankarms are hopped up with an SRM power meter and SRAM Red 2012 chainrings. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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SRAM's latest Red rear derailleur is mated to a PC-1070 cassette and PC-1091 chain. Note the rubber o-rings on the housing to protect the paint - and the misplaced Gore Ride-On 'grub' seal, although we're sure that'll be fixed by Sunday. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Cannondale claims the flattened stays on the SuperSix Evo provides a sort of "micro" suspension effect. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Externally located spoke nipples make life a little easier for the Cannondale Pro Cycling team mechanics. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Peter Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling) will apparently use Vision TriMax Carbon TC50 carbon tubular wheels on Sunday. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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The aluminum FSA Energy T traditional-bend bar is clamped to a carbon-wrapped FSA OS-99 stem. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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SRAM 2012 DoubleTap levers with custom green graphics for Peter Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling). (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Peter Sagan's (Cannondale Pro Cycling) FSA OS-99 stem isn't quite slammed atop the headset but it's awfully close. Cut the kid some slack, folks. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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In addition to stiffening up the front end, the super-wide top tube also conveniently allows the brake housing to exit right at the back of the frame. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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The fi'zi:k Aliante Carbon saddle and FSA K-Force SB25 seatpost both get neon green graphics to match. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Peter Sagan's (Cannondale Pro Cycling) tires wear "Kenda SC" hot stamps but they look an awful lot like Veloflex Carbons. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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Vision's PRA front hub features adjustable bearing preload and a carbon fiber center sleeve. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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The flattened seat tube supposedly boosts vertical flex of the rear end for more comfort on rough surfaces. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
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The Synapses of Peter Sagan and his Cannondale Pro Cycling teammate, Maciej Bodnar, are both labeled as 58cm - but one of these things is clearly not like the other. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Peter Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling) didn’t win the 2013 Tour of Flanders but he was awfully close, finishing 1:27 down from winner Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack Leopard). It was arguably still a victory for team sponsor Cannondale, though, as Sagan gave the company's new model its best result to date. Cannondale isn't revealing any details yet but given the company's naming conventions, we're going to go ahead and christen it the Synapse Evo Hi-Mod.
Visually, Sagan's new Synapse is a complete departure from the current version, though it's clearly still designed for comfort on rough surfaces. The stays are even flatter than before, while the seat tube has shed its pseudo-aero profile for a round-to-flat shape that radically splits in two down by the bottom bracket.
The fork blades are more aggressively scalloped than before, too, although they're still built with unusually forward-swept legs with dropouts that reach back to the hub to retain a normal rake.
Cannondale also appears to have made the new Synapse an even higher-performance model with a newly tapered front end (we're guessing 1 1/8in to 1 1/4in), fully split seat stays that are spaced further apart at the seat cluster, and chain stays that are even broader than before. Cable routing is now internal, too, and suffice to say that we expect the new bike to shed a fair bit of weight.
As with Sagan's SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod, Cannondale has supplied the Slovakian cycling superstar with a custom geometry to better suit his aggressively long and low position.
While teammate Maciej Bodnar's standard 58cm Synapse Evo Hi-Mod comes with a 207mm-long head tube, Sagan's bike is built with a similar reach but the stack of a 54cm size, complete with a head tube that's more than 60mm shorter.
Somewhat amazingly considering how different the production SuperSix and Synapse families are in terms of positioning, Sagan's custom fit is virtually identical between his two machines. The one exception is a 15mm lower saddle height on his Synapse Evo Hi-Mod, which was likely done to help maintain proper pedaling performance while he bounces across the cobbles.
The build kits are similar, too, including a SRAM Red 2012 transmission and brakes with a PC-1070 cassette, Vision Metron carbon tubular wheels wrapped with Kenda-badged tires, 175mm-long Cannondale SiSL2 crank arms with an SRM power meter and SRAM Red 2012 53/39T chainrings, a Fizik Aliante saddle, and a 120mm-long, OS-99 carbon-wrapped aluminum stem and 42cm-wide, traditional-bend Energy T aluminum handlebars from FSA.
Sagan has switched things, however, by subbing in Fizik K:ium tubular metallic saddle rails and slightly shallower, 40mm-deep wheels in place of his usual carbon rails and 50mm-deep hoops. Plus, there's the sturdier FSA SL-K seatpost instead of the K-Force, to handle the greater extension.
We weren't able to get an actual weight but the similarly equipped SuperSix Evo comes in at 7.29kg (16.07lb) so we'd expect this Synapse Evo Hi-Mod to be a bit heavier.
We hope you enjoy this in-depth look at Sagan's new machine – as a bonus, we've included detailed shots of his SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod, too.
The radically split seat tube base
Complete bike specifications
Frame: Cannondale Synapse Evo Hi-Mod, custom 58x54cm geometry Fork: Cannondale Synapse Evo Hi-Mod Headset: Cannondale Synapse Evo SL, 1 1/8-to-1 1/4" tapered Stem: FSA OS-99, 120mm x -6° Handlebars: FSA Energy T, 42cm (c-c) Tape/grips: fi'zi:k bar:tape Front brake: SRAM Red 2012 w/ carbon-specific pads Rear brake: SRAM Red 2012 w/ carbon-specific pads Brake levers: SRAM Red 2012 DoubleTap Front derailleur: SRAM Red 2012 Rear derailleur: SRAM Red 2012 Shift levers: SRAM Red 2012 DoubleTap Cassette: SRAM PG-1070, 11-26T Chain: SRAM PC-1091 Crankset: SRM PowerMeter Cannondale SiSL2, 175mm, w/ SRAM Red 2012 53/39T chainrings Bottom bracket: Cannondale BB30 Pedals: Speedplay Zero Stainless Wheelset: Vision Metron 40 tubular Front tire: Kenda "SC" (appears to be 23mm-wide Veloflex Carbon) Rear tire: Kenda "SC" (appears to be 23mm-wide Veloflex Carbon) Saddle: fi'zi:k Aliante k:ium Seat post: FSA SL-K SB20 Bottle cages: Elite Ciussi (2) Computer: SRM PowerControl 7 Other accessories: Gore Ride-On sealed cables and housing
Critical measurements
Rider's height: 1.84m (6' 0") Rider's weight: 75kg (165lb) Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 755mm Saddle setback: 80mm Seat tube length, c-t: 470mm Seat tube length, c-c: 455mm Tip of saddle nose to C of bars (next to stem): 620mm Saddle-to-bar drop (vertical): 105mm Head tube length: 144mm Top tube length: 580mm Total bicycle weight: n/a
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