# 2011 Mercier Corvus AL



## unboringuy (Jul 27, 2010)

I'm looking at purchasing a new road bike to replace or supplement my mid-80s steel Raleigh Super Course 10 speed. Price is not a major consideration, and I am planning on testing a Trek Pilot 2.1.

I saw the new Mercier Corvus AL on BD, and its specs look pretty darn good for a purchase price of $900 (Ultegra 6700, etc.). Am I missing something here?


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## biken (Jul 20, 2010)

It's a very nice bike.. I was looking at it earlier, but decided to go with the Fantom Pro Cross bike.. If you can do your own wrenching, or atleast have a good mechanic at a LBS then I say go for it.. All you are missing out on is the LBS mark-up. :thumbsup:


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## Cville700HT (Jul 22, 2010)

*Mercier Corvus Al, 2011, received on Aug 2, 2010*

This is my second bike from BD this summer, first (about a month ago) being a Motobecane 700HT. The 700HT did not blow me away, really seems like a $450 bike for $450. But I'm happy with it, the disc brakes (my first) are great, deraileurs set up nice, wheels true. Complaints: chain rings a little wavy, rear axle needs to be set down a bit (not bottomed out) in the dropouts to keep the brake disc from bottoming out in the caliber. I'll shim the caliber a bit, chain rings can probably straighten some. And value? You could pay $500-$700 for a similar bike, imo.

The Corvus DOES kinda blow me away as a nice roadie and great value. Glance at some retail prices: Shifters about $400, derailers near $150, wheels/hubs $150-$200, tires/tubes $50, crankset and BB maybe $150-$200, you've already hit the bike's price.

Assembly was easy, maybe 30-45 minutes. Derailers, perfectly adjusted. Wheels true. Oh, the paint job is fine, a deeper metallic red than I expected, pretty classy. I could do with less Mercier decal, but even that is growing on me. Pedals, I'm using some Shimano 520s, got them from Jenson for about $35 and also from Jenson some $80 Shimano shoes on clearance for $40. (size 46 / Mens 11.2 fit my wide size 11s perfectly, got lucky.) And I digress, but ask me about Jenson re SUPERB customer service.

Anyhow, the Corvus Al. I initially felt a little cramped in the cockpit. I'd read about others flipping the handlebar stem to raise the bar a bit, that helped greatly. I've been tweaking seat position (front-back, height) and I'm happy riding the bike now. I haven't ridden roadies much in 20 years so partly I'm just getting used to it. I'm 5' 11", bought the 56 cm (now out of stock?) I wish I could try a 58 cm, but worse case I might want to try a stem change down the road. I wish the seat clamp would allow angle change, but most expect to change the seat anyway so we'll address that eventually.

Any issues? I'm getting a little clicking on hard pedaling, might be the BB but doesn't quite sound like that. I guess it's a sealed cartridge unit, I'll keep an ear on it for now. Would a bike buyer be better off with a higher end frame and lesser components (Shimano 105s)? Maybe, sort of a matter of personal choice. I like high end gears and I think this works for me. I also like the GT my daughter bought back in May, a Series 4 roadie with Sora (for $500 and received $100 of Performance store credits). Sweet deal and her Sora shifts fine, but my Ultegra does better, AND I've got a triple / 10 speed. Her frame might be as good or better, hard to tell. We both like our rides.

The Cane Creek brakes seem OK, I've read others feel the pads are too hard so I may try the Dura-Ace which are said to fit.

Bottom line, I'm happy with the Corvus, but I've only ridden 30 or so miles. I'm a mechanic/engineer/bike mechanic Vintage 1972, assembly was a snap. I'll be glad to answer questions and update as I get more experience with this bike.


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## Cville700HT (Jul 22, 2010)

*2011 Mercier Corvus Al -- seat adjustment*

Just wanted to mention, playing with the Corvus today I found that seat angle / tilt IS adjustable, the "rocker" is just more hidden than I expected.

Set out on a 10-12 mile ride this AM, made it about two miles when the rear tire went flat. I halfway expected a spoke poke / rim strip issue but nope, it was a glass or stone shard, dead center on the tire. That gave me reason to pull the rear wheel for the first time, the axle / cones were set fine, very smooth and the "right tight". Also with the rear wheel off I got to spin the crank with the chain off, the BB feels smooth, nothing crunchy or loose. Re the flat, not too bad walking in MTB shoes that fit the Shimano 520 pedals. (If you're an old clip-strap rider like me don't be afraid of clipless, these 520s adjusted for easy release are a piece of cake.)

Value in the Corvus? : I visited the local Performance shop today, they sell the Ultegra 6700 shifters/f/r deraileurs for $750 + $40 tax here. I'm a value guy, I like this bike.

I didn't get a chance to ride after the flat fix and seat adjust but it'll help for sure. Re the Mercier site words about "Al frame should use a carbon seat post" seems just silly, seems unlikely that 4-6" of exposed seat post would cushion a "harsh" Al frame. I'm just glad I can drop the saddle nose with the stock post.


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## unboringuy (Jul 27, 2010)

Cville700HT said:


> Just wanted to mention, playing with the Corvus today I found that seat angle / tilt IS adjustable, the "rocker" is just more hidden than I expected.
> 
> Set out on a 10-12 mile ride this AM, made it about two miles when the rear tire went flat. I halfway expected a spoke poke / rim strip issue but nope, it was a glass or stone shard, dead center on the tire. That gave me reason to pull the rear wheel for the first time, the axle / cones were set fine, very smooth and the "right tight". Also with the rear wheel off I got to spin the crank with the chain off, the BB feels smooth, nothing crunchy or loose. Re the flat, not too bad walking in MTB shoes that fit the Shimano 520 pedals. (If you're an old clip-strap rider like me don't be afraid of clipless, these 520s adjusted for easy release are a piece of cake.)
> 
> ...



I'm now trying to decide between the Corvus and the Motobecane Sprint. They seem similar. Any thoughts?


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## Cville700HT (Jul 22, 2010)

*Mercier Corvus Al 2011*



unboringuy said:


> I'm now trying to decide between the Corvus and the Motobecane Sprint. They seem similar. Any thoughts?



That's where a chance to try them side by side would be nice. For $100 more you get carbon seat stays and a bike that weighs maybe 1# less than the Corvus. Try some Google searches, I think some might prefer the Vuelta XRP Pro wheels over the Shimano WHR500s. I found a good bit of negative opinion on the 500s, probably less on the Vueltas.

Are carbon stays a big improvement? Beats me, try some Googles?

Be curious to hear what you decide or other comments from anybody who has ridden both.


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