First ride Cannondale Synapse Carbon 2 RL

We were sent the Synapse Carbon 2 RL – radar and lights but no electronic gears. It’s third from bottom in the range and costs £4,000. In this ‘beetle green’ colourway it looks great. Under the light the green turns a kind of coppery bronze.

I have to admit I was expecting the SmartSense to be more integrated. We’re used to seeing concept bikes and e-bikes with built-in lights – and there was a Trek Lync commuter bike with integrated, internally wired lights as long ago as 2014.

However, the