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:


- randorides