Cannondale Synapse 105 2011 Road Bike

Long time since I reviewed but here goes!

I have been riding a hybrid for a year or so but needed a bike more suited to road work. Reason being I am riding a lot of long distance events this year (London to Brighton, London to Southend, London to Paris).
So I have been test riding many model of road bike over the summer.

The Cannondale Synapse 105 comes out miles above the rest and for a few good reasons.

Firstly its has a nice relaxed riding position while maintaining the stiffness needed for power transfer. Compared to the equivalent Giant or Trek, the Synapse makes for a much more comfortable posture due to its reversible handlebar stem to give either an upright or racing style position.
The combination of Carbon rear stays and corbon front forks and seat pin adds lightness to an already lightweight aluminium frame. You wont be hanging around due to weight penalties!
The groupset on this bike is truly top drawer for a sub £1000 bike. Shimano 105 shifters, front mech, rear mech, cassette, BB30 crank and brakes means you will struggle to get better performance from an aluminium priced bike. The 10 speed gearing with dual crank gives you 20 gears that cover all the ranges offered by the cheaper 9 speed Sora and 8 Speed 2300 cassettes. True, these do come with triple cranks but the performance of the dual and the 10 speed cassette of the 105s is fluid, functional and fast!
The stopping power of the bike is immense considering you are riding on 700 x 25 rims with shwalbe tyres. Again this is the performance you would expect from the 105s.
Issues I have had? Not many to be honest.
I had the expected cable stretch at 150 miles that was adjusted by the bike shop. Again corrected at 500 Miles. the only concern I have had is when applying loads through the handlebars. I get an annoying "tap" which I can liken to the sound of a flagpole slap from the cord on a flag flying at full mast on a windy day. Its not the brake or gear cables. It sounds headset related. The bike has been apart twice to find it but no culprit has been found. A slight bit of grease was applied to the headset at last service and this has reduced it somewhat.
Its finished in a beautiful Black and White which gives it another level of class that you would associate with a bike twice its price!
Overall, a fabulous bike for its money and I would not think twice to owning one again.