Synapse Neo SE fenders

Hello there
I have a synapse neo 1 and have fenders ( we say mudguards in the UK) on both rear and front. Looking at the images of the SE it seems the same as my neo 1
The front forks have a screw eyelets on the inside of the lower third of the fork., The top screw attachment is on the back of the top of the fork on my Neo and I would imagine it to be the same on the SE. Certainly the attachment for the rear fender are the same on both bike. A tip for you. I suggest you remove the front wheel when screwing in the front fender screws because going through the spoke with a key is a bugger.
Good luck
 
Yeah, finally figured that out. I’m concerned that a fender brace rod designed for a dropout eyelet would be too long for the inside-the-fork one. It looks like Planet Bike fenders have adjustable rods but Portland Design, which I would prefer, don’t. Would rather. I’d rather not have to cut a rod at the bottom and remount the attachment. Any thoughts?
 
@Antbrewer, thanks for the great tips. Do you know the make/model of the fenders you've used? Did they come with your bike or were they also aftermarket like @Evansilver is talking about with his Planet Bike option? If you have a link or some pictures, that would be useful. I'm up in Canada, where it rains a lot, and we have access to different fenders here than I used to see in San Francisco at Mikes Bikes and other local shops.
 
THe fenders did not come with my bike but the dealer put them on with the rack as a gesture of good will. Strangely there is no manafacture's name on them However these types are readily available in the UK and I am sure the same is in Canada. The rods can be cut at the fender end (see arrow)
IMG_0982.JPG
, very easily and you wouldn't have to touch the screw to fork end.
Hope this helps
 
just got a set of Portland Design Beast 65 (on sale at REI). Question: the hole in the back of the fork crown on my Synapse SE does not appear to be threaded, seems to have a sleeve inside, but does not go all the way thru. How do you use this to attach a front fender bracket?
 
Hello Evansilver
I am a little perplexed on your situation you describe. I cannot think of any good reason why the hole on the fork isn't threaded. Is it possible that this is just a minor manafacturing glitch????
I have seen a number road bikes that obviously have no hole ( threaded or not) on the front forks. However the owner has put fenders on using a bracket/clip that is placed around the fork and screwed tight and the the fender stays are attached to this bracket.
I have spent a little time looking online for such a bracket but alas cannot find any. But they are out there I can assure you. Take the bike to your bike shop and explain the dilemma.
Failing that why not have the hole tapped and threaded. This is a very easy job for your local bike shop to do.
There is always a solution to all problems.
Please let us know how you get on.
 
just got a set of Portland Design Beast 65 (on sale at REI). Question: the hole in the back of the fork crown on my Synapse SE does not appear to be threaded, seems to have a sleeve inside, but does not go all the way thru. How do you use this to attach a front fender bracket?
just got a set of Portland Design Beast 65 (on sale at REI). Question: the hole in the back of the fork crown on my Synapse SE does not appear to be threaded, seems to have a sleeve inside, but does not go all the way thru. How do you use this to attach a front fender bracket?
I'm a little late to this thread, but I just checked the holes in the front fork of my Cannondale Synapse Neo 1. At first, it seemed as if the holes were too large and the bolt I tried just seemed to go in too far without hitting any threads. But I got a somewhat longer bolt (like the ones for water bottle cages) and then found that the threads are deeper inside the hole, not at the outer edge. Hope this helps, though it's a bit late.
 
Yes, I finally figured it out You’re right, the threads are way down inside. Also had to cut the front braces down.Used a big pair of garden loppers. And had to wait for Portland to replace a defective rear brace. Fenders are never fun. Took me about 10 hours altogether but went riding on a muddy gravel road yesterday with big puddles, and not a drop on me or the bike. Very pleased. Had another issue: Couldn’t get the rear thru axle to re-engage the threads on the drive side. Turns out that the derailleur hanger and the threaded socket are one piece, and held in place by a really tiny philips screw accessible from the inside of the frame, and it was a little loose, just enough to keep the threads from engaging. Took me forever to figure this out.
 
Yes, I finally figured it out You’re right, the threads are way down inside. Also had to cut the front braces down.Used a big pair of garden loppers. And had to wait for Portland to replace a defective rear brace. Fenders are never fun. Took me about 10 hours altogether but went riding on a muddy gravel road yesterday with big puddles, and not a drop on me or the bike. Very pleased. Had another issue: Couldn’t get the rear thru axle to re-engage the threads on the drive side. Turns out that the derailleur hanger and the threaded socket are one piece, and held in place by a really tiny philips screw accessible from the inside of the frame, and it was a little loose, just enough to keep the threads from engaging. Took me forever to figure this out.
Good sleuthing! I'll have to pay attention when I remove the rear wheel. I want to change my tires soon.
 
Well I am glad the fender issue has been sorted.
On another point to NH Senior-Gal. Are you changing the tires because of wear or for another reason? I have tubless ready continental tires on mine and they are fine. However I understand from various posts on different forums that they are extremely difficult to remove in the event of a puncture . I wonder if you might have found this to be the case.
 
Well I am glad the fender issue has been sorted.
On another point to NH Senior-Gal. Are you changing the tires because of wear or for another reason? I have tubless ready continental tires on mine and they are fine. However I understand from various posts on different forums that they are extremely difficult to remove in the event of a puncture . I wonder if you might have found this to be the case.
Hello Anthony, I am changing the tires because of wear, although they look like they have many more miles left in them. The tires I have are WTB Exposure 32c, and they have been amazing! I have ridden about 2700 mi (about 4350 km) and have had only one flat (at about 100 miles of riding shortly after I got the bike... go figure). I plan on doing more dirt roads this year and I would rather have new-ish tires for this season. Changing the tire after the flat was a learning experience! Because they are tubeless compatible, they fit very tightly on the rim and it was a real struggle to break the bead to get it off. Getting the tire back on the rim after replacing the tube was not a problem, but pumping it up to a pressure that would seat the bead was a failure with my mini-pump. I now have a better pump so that I can put more air into the tire to seat the bead (I hope...), then reduce the pressure to the level I want. The one flat I had was from a piece of glass not big enough to require a boot for repairing, but big enough for me to see a small slit in the tire. I was worried that a sharp stone could sneak into the slit, so I used "Shoe goo" on the slit to discourage a random stone from poking through. If you can get Shoe goo in the UK, it is a miracle product. I use it to beef up the soles of my sneakers when they wear down, as well as to repair small tears or abrasions in other materials. I have used it to repair an abrasion on my saddle and one on my handlebar tape where it was wearing through from leaning the bike on trees or buildings. Happy riding!
 
Shoe goo? Never heard of it but I naturally do what we all do at such times and googled it. Yes it available here on Amazon and other sites. We do have apparently similar products but I will get myself a tube to hide away in my little saddle bag hopefully to be never used. Thank you for that tip.
So it is true that getting the tyre off is difficult. Hmmm I will perhaps look into this at some stage when the weather turns a little warmer. Mucking about with my bike in the garage at the moment isn't very pleasant. Cos I'm a wimp.
Roll on the warm weather and shirt sleeves and shorts.
 
Shoe goo? Never heard of it but I naturally do what we all do at such times and googled it. Yes it available here on Amazon and other sites. We do have apparently similar products but I will get myself a tube to hide away in my little saddle bag hopefully to be never used. Thank you for that tip.
So it is true that getting the tyre off is difficult. Hmmm I will perhaps look into this at some stage when the weather turns a little warmer. Mucking about with my bike in the garage at the moment isn't very pleasant. Cos I'm a wimp.
Roll on the warm weather and shirt sleeves and shorts.
Shoe goo is really more for home repair since it takes overnight to dry. I carry a small roll of duct tape for on-the-road minor repairs. Also, a few cable ties can come in handy if something comes loose and needs to be reattached. I always carry extra derailleur cables, but I have no idea how to install them on these modern bikes with internal cable routing. Hmm...these e-bikes are great, but they are much harder to repair than the old bikes of the 70s! We have a few warm days here and there, we'll send some your way. ;)
 
Thank you for your tips.
Re Ebikes . They are great and as my asthma increases the cannondale helps but I still puff and pant. Booked mine in for an update on the bosch motor at the end of the month in our local bike shop . Was delighted to learn that they deal with cannondales even though I bought mine from another bike shop much further away. Have a slight noise although I cannot identify from where it is coming from so I really hope it is something that the shop can sort out. Having to send the bike back to bosch would be a real pain.
We awoke to snow here this morning in the English Midlands at 2 degrees. But it is sunny now so perhaps it is coming over from your New Hampshire? That State has always appealed to me to visit. Such beautiful and wild countryside.
Take care.
Anthony
 
Thank you for your tips.
Re Ebikes . They are great and as my asthma increases the cannondale helps but I still puff and pant. Booked mine in for an update on the bosch motor at the end of the month in our local bike shop . Was delighted to learn that they deal with cannondales even though I bought mine from another bike shop much further away. Have a slight noise although I cannot identify from where it is coming from so I really hope it is something that the shop can sort out. Having to send the bike back to bosch would be a real pain.
We awoke to snow here this morning in the English Midlands at 2 degrees. But it is sunny now so perhaps it is coming over from your New Hampshire? That State has always appealed to me to visit. Such beautiful and wild countryside.
Take care.
Anthony
Anthony, let's continue the tip exchange: Hmm... update on Bosch motor? That's a thing? What do they update?
Can you describe your noise to the dealer? Last year I had a creaking sound when pedaling, like what might be heard from an aluminum seat post or handlebar "on my old bikes back in the day". I took it back to the dealer and they fixed it by tightening some screws on the plastic housing (battery cover or motor housing?) I don't know what they tightened exactly, but the creaking sounds went away. And... 2200 miles later...it's back. The screws I can get to are deeply seated small bolts with a star head. You can barely see them with a flashlight. I have a star wrench set and I tried tightening some of the bolts... I don't know that I would recommend this approach since I was afraid of using the wrong size wrench and stripping the bolts. But, I did it anyway because sometimes I'm not too bright. ;) I have done one ride since then and the sound seems to have disappeared, but the jury is still out since the ride was on a very bumpy somewhat-paved road and I'm not sure that I would have noticed any sound other than my tires bouncing through potholes and cracks in the road. I will go back to the dealer if the noise persists.
As for the weather, our snow finally melted last week with some nice days, so we took advantage of the warmth and sun. It got up to 70 deg F yesterday! We are due for more cold weather, but it was nice to be able to get out in summer clothing for a few days. It was weird riding by our favorite lake that still had a fair amount of ice on it.
I'll have to look up English Midlands so that I can better relate to your cycling environs.
Happy sleuthing of the noise and enjoy good weather when it comes!
Brenda
 
Hello Brenda,
In January this year I lost a dear dear sister called Brenda so it seems rather strange to be opening a post with 'Hello Brenda'.
Anyway it is a delight talking with you. You call yourself Senior-Gal. Are you as senior as I am I wonder? I was 73 last week. Still going ''strong''? I do not ask a lady her age so you do not have to answer that question.
Bosch update you ask about? Apparently the update is purely a software update that should/ will give a measurable boost of power and torque.. So if you can explain that to me and how it works that would be very nice indeed?
We shall see.
As for the noise I will follow up your thoughts on this and look at the battery cover etc. We went out yesterday for a very short 12 mile run. Alex my wife on her Ebike but I used my Ridgeback touring bike which I love to bits. I try and use the Synapse and the Ridgeback alternatively as I do not want to become dependent on the ebike. It would be lovely to say that I am as fit as a fiddle but sadly not . My lumbar spine is significantly damaged due to a spinal tumour 10 yrs ago and also an ever increasing asthma problem.
In 2018 and 2019 I cycled alone over the Austrian alps. It was on the last tour that I felt the desperate need for that extra kick. Alex had already bought herself an ebike and seeing at least 80% of the Austrians and Germans of all ages on ebikes I decided to research the one I wanted. After a lot of work I came down to the Synapse neo 1. A beautiful bike but I still puff and pant up the hills but less so. It is a lovely ride and not so dissimilar to my tourer.
I had fenders and a carrier fitted on purchase as I hope to tour on the ebike. I have dreams of cyclecamping again which I did as a youngster with my late twin brother. Alex and I have cycled a lot over the years including the River Danube and River Inn in Austria. However she would not go cyclecamping even though we camp every year anyway. I love cycling with her and also on my own. She is very happy for me to go off on my own anyway so we are both happy.
Today in England is the first day out of Covid lockdown. So things might just start to get to a normaility soon. Hopefully by June all the shops will be open and we will be able to travel wherever we wish in the UK.
Europe since Brexit is in a flipping mess. A very good job we left them I feel but my cycling over there is not very clear yet. We shall see.
Best go now as I am sure this is more than enough for you.
Anthony
 
Hello Brenda,
In January this year I lost a dear dear sister called Brenda so it seems rather strange to be opening a post with 'Hello Brenda'.
Anyway it is a delight talking with you. You call yourself Senior-Gal. Are you as senior as I am I wonder? I was 73 last week. Still going ''strong''? I do not ask a lady her age so you do not have to answer that question.
Bosch update you ask about? Apparently the update is purely a software update that should/ will give a measurable boost of power and torque.. So if you can explain that to me and how it works that would be very nice indeed?
We shall see.
As for the noise I will follow up your thoughts on this and look at the battery cover etc. We went out yesterday for a very short 12 mile run. Alex my wife on her Ebike but I used my Ridgeback touring bike which I love to bits. I try and use the Synapse and the Ridgeback alternatively as I do not want to become dependent on the ebike. It would be lovely to say that I am as fit as a fiddle but sadly not . My lumbar spine is significantly damaged due to a spinal tumour 10 yrs ago and also an ever increasing asthma problem.
In 2018 and 2019 I cycled alone over the Austrian alps. It was on the last tour that I felt the desperate need for that extra kick. Alex had already bought herself an ebike and seeing at least 80% of the Austrians and Germans of all ages on ebikes I decided to research the one I wanted. After a lot of work I came down to the Synapse neo 1. A beautiful bike but I still puff and pant up the hills but less so. It is a lovely ride and not so dissimilar to my tourer.
I had fenders and a carrier fitted on purchase as I hope to tour on the ebike. I have dreams of cyclecamping again which I did as a youngster with my late twin brother. Alex and I have cycled a lot over the years including the River Danube and River Inn in Austria. However she would not go cyclecamping even though we camp every year anyway. I love cycling with her and also on my own. She is very happy for me to go off on my own anyway so we are both happy.
Today in England is the first day out of Covid lockdown. So things might just start to get to a normaility soon. Hopefully by June all the shops will be open and we will be able to travel wherever we wish in the UK.
Europe since Brexit is in a flipping mess. A very good job we left them I feel but my cycling over there is not very clear yet. We shall see.
Best go now as I am sure this is more than enough for you.
Anthony
Hi Anthony, I am going to try a "conversation" with you since I have some touring notes that I think others might not be interested in. I think you might see a checkmark on your profile inbox to read the conversation. This is a test... ;) We'll see if it works.
 
Anthony,
Here is a picture of Jim on his e-trike on Moosilauke Highway in New Hampshire. The trike is an ICE trike and is pretty cool.
 

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