Hi all! I’m looking to start my road biking journey and would love some help finding a used bike to begin with since I don’t know anything about them.
I’ve come across a 51 cm Cannondale Synapse Ultra for $350 (aluminum frame, don’t know the year) and a 51 cm 2015 Specialized Dolce(?) for $250. The Cannondale was last serviced early 2024 and the Specialized has barely been ridden but would need new tires and pedals. I don’t know much beyond that but would also love to know what are good questions to ask the sellers in order to make an informed decision.
Would either of these be good options? I haven’t been fitted, but am 5’3” with an inseam between 27-28”. Thank you so much!
by tsitg
5 Comments
I like the Cannondale’s color a lot more. Ask each owner if they’ve had to replace parts besides the chain/cables. New tires would be pretty expensive too, for the Specialized. I’d try to haggle the Cannondale down a bit.
It depends what year the cannondale is, I would probably go with it since your not experienced and tires can make it all more expensive. Serviced bikes are the key.
The most important thing is the size, 51 should be fine for you but it still could possibly be kind of big. You should try to find the year and then you can google the size chart for it for the specific year. Road bike sizing is the trickiest part of road biking.
Looks like a 2011 Cannondale Synapse Alloy 7.
Go to your local bike store (LBS) and asked to be sized for a new road bike. Once you know your cm size, it should be easy to look up older models on google for size charts to see how each bike is sized for that year/model.
Where you at? I have a 51 Look 555 w ultegra/da id sell cheap.