Mule Hill To Black Canyon - Cervelo C5 Test

Had an opportunity to check out the Cervelo C5 "Endurance" bike for a few days. Joe Morgan @ Encinitas Nytro Multisport set it up as a "test ride" during the week. The C5 is the latest and greatest Endurance bike from Cervelo... loaded with all the Dura Ace Di2 electronic shifting, HED wheels and of course a full carbon spread weighing in at 15.3 lbs! Sounded like a chance to catch some dirt riding and also test out a fast bike.

Cervelo C5 set up rando style

Monday, on the return leg of a Rando route, I stopped off at Nytro in Encinitas to pick up the Cervelo C5. Joe switched over the bottle cages from my Fuji Stealth Carbon ride as I was transferring over the seat bag & Garmin mount. Tires were Conti GrandPrix, same size as my normal Gatorskin Hardshells...28mm, so my repair kit/tubes would work OK, just in case.

Joe took some time to explain how the Di2 "button" shifting worked. Said it would take about 10 minutes on the road to figure it out. The Fuji was stuffed away on a hanging rack in the back of the shop. Forty-minutes after arriving, I was off on the Cervelo C5 to finish the Rando route back to San Marcos. I noticed a few things right away, namely the ease of shifting and the pleasant ride quality, even with higher air pressure in the tires.

I had planned to do a nice long ride on Tuesday, but after checking out the C5 at home, I figured a Tuesday night ride was in order. Being a "Test Bike", it was dirty... the chain still had the factory "cosmoline" and several layers of chain oil on top of that. After several cleaning tries, I opted to get my Park Chain Cleaning Gizmo out of retirement. Easily pulled the wheels with the slick MTb type thru-axles and did a full detail clean job with a final coat of Pledge.

Modified fanny-pak bar bag

Finally satisfied, I now needed to figure out a handlebar bag to carry a few things up front. My regular rando bar bags all had a rigid brace attached or were too big, so I came up with a idea to chop down an old fanny pak and sew on some double sided Velcro! This took me forever with the double leather sewing, but I finally finished up. Next up was mounting the GoPro and Cygolite. I was also testing a new battery pak for the light, which would fit nicely in the new fanny handlebar bag.

I rolled out of San Marcos around 5:00 PM and took the Inland Rail Trail to Escondido. C5 rode great over the root-errupted Bike Trail and I managed to catch several sections of dirt. Temps were on the rise as I checked in at the Mule Hill Chevron Station for a start receipt and a ice fill-up. Time to start the RUSA official "Mule Hill To Black Canyon" route # 1191.

Temps were still hot as I rode fast on the easy Mule Hill Trail. Not many people out this late in the afternoon. C5 handled the lite sand well as I had lowered the air pressure to 70/80 psi. Several patches of deeper, soft sand proved a wider tire would have handled much better than the 28's. Soon I was off the dirt and grinding up Highland Valley Road. Really needed another rear cog or two on the double-digit climbing. 11-28 was doable, but I was hot and cooked by the time I crested the last hill. Good thing for downhills and fading temps. The last miles into Ramona were quick and cool.

Black Canyon sunset selfie

After a short stop at our favorite rando JIB stop, it was full bottles and side streets to miss the downtown evening traffic. Not to worry, as the last turn onto Black Mtn. Road produced less cars and more climbing. Road quickly turned to soft sand laced with washboard riding. C5 seemed to soak up the bumps much better than my carbon Fuji did. I was soon gagging on the dust from a passing pickup. Thanks guys! No place to pull over with the soft shoulders, so I just covered my mouth with a damp rag. Mostly 6% climbing as the road got better toward the top. Nice fast downhill to the bridge while the sun was setting.

Loitering around the Historic 1913 Bridge offered a few nice photos and I was soon "lighting up" for the dark climbing ahead. My USB/Battery Cygolite was plugged into a 16800 mAh battery pak for the night ahead. All my reflective gear in place, time to get serious about this night gravel grinding stuff. Only one truck passed me later on the way to Mesa Grande. I pulled over as it passed slowly with no dust storm. Welcome relief! More washboard as I neared hard surfaced Mesa Grande Road. Spent a few minutes at the mailboxes before smooth riding eastward and down the fast, curvy road to Hwy. 79. Only one car along the way. Construction signs were up denoting "One-Lane Traffic Ahead" into Santa Ysabel. Flashing signboard indicated daylight hours only! Don's Market was a quieter relief.

C5 at Mesa Grande Control

Lots of lights but nary a parked car at this hour. I opted for some 25 cent/gallon water from the machine. Big mistake, as it was awful warm! Nothing turns the body like electrolyte in warm water. Next time it's the outside tap. Temps were now down to mid-70's as I looked up at the star studded sky. I quickly adjusted the Cygolite for a further-out beam for the upcoming speed run toward Ramona.

Whee was all I could say. Only one car passed and maybe I met 6 others on the way. Plenty of light, nice handling bike and super grippy GrandPrixs made those miles a lot of fun. At night, everything seems faster than it really is.

Short stop at Ramona AM/PM. Been thinking about a bottle of Vitamin Water. $2.49 Nope. Gatorade...$1.89 Sorry. Opted for a Big-Gulp Gatorade for $.99. Filled one bottle and drank the rest. Guy at the counter said it's all overpriced. Temps were now hoovering around 75F. Just right.

Mule Hill To Black Canyon route map

I was feeling good now for 24-sleepless hours. Had only one GU Gel and two bananas along the way. A few hours ago, I was crawling up Highland Valley Road in the heat. Now it's time for some cool payback! Nil traffic, smooth riding and just a few little bumps made the end of the route pleasant. I worked those nice hydraulic brakes real good on the downhills, especially the last twisting descent into San Dieguito Valley. Took is easy on the last few miles of dirt trail, as I kept seeing eyes and little critters running about. Guess the coyotes were looking for a late lunch? Pulled into Chevron as the clerk was a little confused why someone was riding this late (early?). Final water fill and I was off to San Marcos via the Inland Rail Trail.

After a good cleaning, I re-lubed the C5 chain with my usual Beoshield T-9. On Thursday, I rode another Rando route and joined up with the OFR Gruppo for a few miles. The next day, I rode the Cervelo C5 back to Nytro, my "Bike Test" complete.

In the few days, I managed a little over 300 miles on the Cervelo C5. Overall, it handled well, took the sting out of the bumps and the shifting was something else. Hydraulic brakes were superb. All said, it was much better than my present carbon rando ride. I could never get the Fizik Antares Saddle to adjust comfortably, but that could be easily remedied with your favorite saddle.

Check out the Route Video for more C5 & route details:


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Crusin' The OC - Bike Path Heat Adventure

Crusin' The OC-Bike Paths route.

66F when I rolled out at 0430 today. Caught the Sprinter train over to Couch St. in Oceanside. Then a few mile warm-up with ample time to check the Pier. Around noon today, the RAAM Teams will set off for their cross country race. Wouldn't that be nice to do some day? That's way out of my reach. Maybe a RandoRAW route would suffice instead?

Chatted with Point Loma Keith in the parking lot, before the group started off. Mel Cutler came down from LA yesterday for the ride. Sam Thomas from Fallbrook, Dan Phillips with ride in from his Oceanside home. Troy Buss from Carlsbad was to meet us up in Dana Point. After lots of chit-chat, we rolled out at 0600, anticipating a warm riding day in inland Orange County, CA.

Passing thru the Marine Base, traffic was nil. Much different than at the same time on a weekday. Stopped off at San Onofre Campground bathroom #1, the last one northward. For some reason, this one is always open year-round. Trestles Path brought the usual multitude of surfers carrying their boards. Watch out for those swinging tail rudders!

San Clemente town was a pleasant ride thru... guess it's still too early for the coffee shop dwellers on the main drag thru town. Temps were really nice as we passed thru Doheny Park parking lot/bike path. Sam pointed out where he went down after hitting a speed bump a while back. OUCH! Troy was waiting at the Golden Lantern intersection. We opted for a Dana Point bathroom break, where Keith took forever. Next up was the short, steep Cove Road.

The gruppo soon made it's way along the overview bike path. Looking down on a few new beach homes under construction. $5mil and up there! After a short loop-around, the route hits Salt Creek Bike Trail. After leaving Sea Terrace Park, this skirts a nice golf course as it climbs inland. If you're not familiar with all these bike paths, it's best to plug the route into your Garmin type computer, or you might miss a turn.

Keith lost one of his lenses somewhere. Maybe you'll find it?

We were soon off on Niguel road for a short downhill run before turning into Irvine Park. They have a lake there called Sulfur Springs. Must be some history there with that name. Soon we were on the Aliso Creek Trail headed northward. Moulton Pkwy. took us to the JIB Control stop. Mel loaded up with a jumbo egg sandwich, while the rest of us were loaded and ready to go. Keith had lost one of his lenses somewhere while putting on his mirror... great photo-op there!

After a slash on roads, we jumped on San Diego Bike Path westward. Not even close to the city of San Diego, so don't know why they named it after the San Diego River Channel? Harvard Ave. took us northward again on Como/Peters Cyn Bike Path. Made a loop over to Irvine Trail, which eventually led us to Jamboree Road. Then it's a climb up to the 1/2-way point at Chapman Chevron/Subway Control.

Several TT cyclists there hanging around in the shade. So did we. Dan wasn't feeling that great and opted to leave early for the long haul down Santiago Cyn. Troy, Sam & I soon followed suit. Keith & Mel left later. Temps were supposed to be real warm today, but with the breeze, didn't feel that hot. We had a lengthy regroup at Cook's Corner. I managed to ride over and get some footage of  "Harley Town".

Aliso Creek Trail is a nice downhill ride, passing over several bridges and lots of shade on our way southeast. We exited the Trail near Laguna Hill High School and after a climb or two, made our way onto Forbes Trail. They have added a new section of smooth Bike Path. This soon leads cyclists to believe that they can miss all the local traffic and the Mission Viejo Station. Not so, as I re-conned the Trail to dirt and a big fence! Regroup at the local shops. where Sam pick up some caffeine/nuts & Dan water to wash away his stomach problems. Keith & Mel rode past on a mission. We soon followed and joined up again on the San Juan River Trail. Next stop was Dana Point.

Dan wasn't feeling it at Cook's Corner, but came on strong later!

Now well over 100 miles, we said our good-byes to Troy at Lantern Park. and soon flew on the Bikeway toward San Clemente. Sam had thoughts about jumping on wheel of a electric bike, but backed off. Group made good time thru the heavy traffic of San Clemente town. The race was on after Trestles, as Dan was getting his legs back again. I chatted with a guy riding a MTB near San Onofre Plant. He used to be really large, but for years I would occasionally meet him riding his bike from San Clemente down to Las Pulgas 3x per week. He since has lost lots of fat and has a new MTB!

Final regroup at Campground bathroom #1. We watered up and told a few stories. Then it was off to the races toward the finish. I rode with Mel as we made our way thru the Camp and back to Oceanside again. He stopped off at the LaQuinta Inn to pick up his bag before hopping the next Metro Train back to LA land. After a little little chat with the Randos in the parking lot, I was off back to San Marcos.

The day wasn't as hot as the forecast predicted. With a light breeze and afternoon clouds, the ride was quite pleasant as temps only reached the mid-90's.

Route Video

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FIX MY BIKE Populaire-RAAM Start

Route map for our Oceanside start, FIX MY BIKE Route today.

Today was rando Sam's birthday AND the start of RAAM/RAW riders from Oceanside on their hard quest to Durango, Colo OR Annapolis, MD. I thought it might be a good idea to combine an early rando route with the RAAM send off. Last year we did a similar ride and managed to just barely make the RAAM start at noon. A little wiser this time, the route was changed and we did a reverse course this year. Arrived back in Oceanside before 11:00, which gave us plenty of time to browse around in the pits.

Rando Sam Thomas had a birthday today... Flag Day too! Joining Sam were Keith Olsen from Point Loma and John Fry from San Marcos. Of course, I was there too, with GoPro & old Canon PowerShot hand-held camera to catch the action.

 The temps were perfect for riding today. Sunshine would have been nice, but overcast followed us the entire route.
Sam set an early birthday tempo, blasting down the coast @ 20mph, leaving a wake of passed riders and ladies on cruiser bikes. Welcome stop at Solana Donuts. They only have Red Velvet on Saturdays now. Bummer. Sam grabbed some donut holes and I a cake donut to eat along the way.

Massive traffic after Rancho Santa Fe. Cars heading to the coast and work in San Diego. Glad we were going the other way today. I rode with Keith up Del Dios and past the dam. Water was all green with springtime algae growth. Not looking good at all. Back way into San Marcos for a stop at our favorite 7-Eleven. Too bad no bathrooms there for randos. Keith managed to dump water on the sidewalk to feed the ants, while he poured a double RedBull into his bottles. Hope that helps!

Managed a few action shots of RAAM riders at the Pier.

We did take the climbing way to Bonsall via N. Twin Oaks Valley Road. That was peaceful enough. Not so with Gopher Cyn. Road and increased traffic. Sam blistered the pace and we were quickly past all that and on the quiet Little Gopher Cyn. Road. Later on we did manage more easy hi-speeds along Hwy. 76 to the San Luis Rey Bike Trailhead. A stop a Mance Buchanan Park for water refill and time for a photo-op of our bikes.

Keith set up the first pull on the Bike Path westward with John doing the latter damage into the finish. I did manage a few nice shots along this section which I included in the route video. After the finish, we went over to the RAAM Start at the Oceanside Pier. The pits are the best place to be pre-race. Riders & crew are buzzing all over the place. At noon, it was over to the starting line to watch a few solos and teams leave the pleasant temps for punishment in the desert. I left a little early to ride down to Encinitas to get a new Shimano 6701 bike chain. (Of course, back-ordered again!)

Sam looked like he had a good ride. Later he was going out to a movie with the Ms. Nice way to spend a birthday! Keith & John hung around for a while, before heading home and prepping for our scheduled hot Permanent ride up thru Orange County on Saturday. (RAAM Team Start Day too!)

Ride Video With A Few RAAM Hi-Lites


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