A slippery slope, and a new lease on life

I have been commuting year round in Seattle on my trusty Synapse Disc 105 Alloy since I bought it new in 2015. For much of that time, I was riding 20mi round trip, M-F. I've put big, big miles on it, and the miles keep rolling by.

After finally chewing through the cup & cone hub bearings in the original wheels (despite numerous services), I decided it was time to step up to a new wheelset with sealed cartridge bearings. About a month after I got the new wheels, the rear shifter cable snapped in the lever head and weirdly took out a delicate spring inside the mechanism which rendered it useless. Naturally, that means it's time for a new groupset! So here we are, the ol' gal is now dressed for the times of the day.

New parts installed:

• Shimano 105 R7100 12spd groupset (was previously 105 5800 11spd w/mechanical disc and FSA Gossamer crankset)
• Astral Wanderlust wheels with White Industries CLD hubs
• PRO Vibe Aero alloy handlebar (40cm)
• Selle Italia SLR Boost Endurance saddle

Carryover parts:

• Portland Design Works Full Metal Fenders
• Axiom Streamliner Disc rack
• Shimano M520 pedals

The install was pretty straightforward for the most part. I had to drill out the internal cable stops to enable switching from mechanical brakes to hydraulic. The new 105 hydraulic brake calipers are also flat-mount and the frame is post-mount, so adapters were needed there. And changing from the stock FSA Gossamer crankset to the Shimano 105 Hollowtech II crankset required an FSA 24mm reducer to work in the BB30 bottom bracket.

I love this frame so much and now it feels even better. The change to hydraulic brakes is a huge eye opener for me. They feel so incredibly nice compared to the mechanical disc with TRP Spyre calipers I had on previously.