In the Pacific Northwest you had better love your fender bike. Fenders are an almost constant requirement from November to the end of February. Add in other days with wet roads, after rain, fog, condensation, and it ends up being a lot of time on a fender bike.
My key requirements were simple – room for 28mm tires and fenders, good fender mounting system, and gloss finish. Of course, it had to be disc. I considered a range of gravel bikes but, I have a gravel bike that I like (and only use 6 – 10 times per year) so a road bike made more sense assuming enough room for decent tires under fenders. I also didn’t want a bike with any mechanical suspension tricks so Specialized and Trek were not candidates.
I found a good deal on a Cannondale Synapse (not Hi Mod) and hearing that the latest model had good tire clearance and fender mounts, I pulled the trigger. The build is straightforward – mostly Sram Red (Force Wifli RD), with Juin Tech hybrid calipers. I built it during the recent snow storm, but over the last 3 days have been able to get 3 decent 100km+ rides to get a good sense of it.
The standout thing is the space for tires which merited sharing with WW's. My 30 mm G-One Speeds measure 32mm on the Industry Nine wheels when pumped up to 80 psi and clear the fenders nicely. At 65 psi, the pressure I actually ride, they measure about 31.3 – 31.6mm. The closest spot is the front fork, but I have ridden through all sorts of pine needs, sticks, leaves, etc. and there was zero debris catching inside the fender.
The bike itself is excellent. Comfortable as promised. Cracked road surfaces pass almost unnoticed. It is the smoothest ride I have ever experienced. Out of the saddle climbing stiffness is more then adequate. Handling is a perfect balance between maneuverability and stability. A really good descender. Geometry is reasonable for an endurance bike. I feel nicely perched on top of the bike instead of wallowing inside it like with some endurance frames with super low bottom brackets and tall headtubes. Still, it is an endurance bike and I'd probably be happier with it slammed but until I decide that it's a keeper, I don't want to cut any more steerer off. Overall just a great all-purpose frameset.
Sorry no glamour photos, just a few to show the fender clearance. In the photos the tires are at 80 psi and measuring a fat 32mm. Fenders are SKS Longboard 35. They have been warmed with a heat gun and the radius opened up a bit.
Gloss finish for easy clean up. A nice feature in a winter bike.
Lots of space under the rear fender.
Tightest spot under the fork but still good room.
Nice fender mount system with a little plastic piece that keeps the fender support off the carbon to protect the finish.
Underneath the bottom bracket complete with remnants of splatter from today's ride. That is an amazing amount of room for a 32mm tire and fender on a road bike.
And if you come to the Faser Valley here, come and ride with me! 
