Cycles Devinci

Cycles Devinci

Type	Private
Industry	sporting goods
Founded	Chicoutimi, QC (1987)
Headquarters	Saguenay, Quebec, Canada
Products	bicycles
Owner	Felix Gauthier
Number of employees	51-200
Website	http://www.devinci.com
Footnotes / references http://www.linkedin.com/company/cycles-devinci

Bixi Toronto May 2011

Cycles Devinci is a Canadian bicycle manufacturer established in Chicoutimi, Quebec in 1987. In addition to a full line of road, mountain and hybrid bicycles, it also manufactures the Bixi bicycle used in bicycle sharing schemes in cities such as Montreal and Toronto.^[1] Devinci supplies a similar bicycle to Santander Cycles in London, England.

History

Two engineering students from Chicoutimi, Quebec, founded Devinci Bikes in 1987. Road biking entrepreneur, Felix Gauthier, purchased half the company in 1990, moving the brand into its contemporary role as an international player in both road and mountain bike manufacturing. Under Gauthier the brand has grown its U.S. and international distribution channels. Gauthier has since taken over full ownership of the business.

In 1994, Gauthier founded Devinci’s Research and Development Division. The group was composed of “technical bike enthusiasts,” according to Gauthier. This led to the creation of Optimum frames, Ollie Freeride bikes, the Cx, and instrumented bikes. Devinci’s R&D Division uses design methods similar to those of the automotive and aeronautical industry. It now includes five engineers and technicians.

In 2001, Devinci moved from its 800-sq.-foot space to a larger, modernized plant. Over the next five years it built dual-suspension bikes with needle bearings, Cx road bikes with carbon monocoque frames, and introduced its Cyclocross product line. In 2004, Devinci’s Ollie model won 26 Magazine’s “Freeride Bike of the Year” award.

In 2007, Devinci introduced new models to its mountain bike collection, including the MoonRacer, Desperado, Remix, Hectik, Frantik, and District. The same year it launched the Leo, a high-modulus carbon road frame. One year later, the company unveiled the dual-suspension Wilson lineup. It followed this with the creation of a new downhill racing squad, using Devinci bikes on the World Cup circuit. In 2009 the Bixi public rental bike hit the streets of Montreal, performance hybrid bikes saw the addition of carbon frames, and Leo frames were redesigned.

In July 2010, Barclays Cycle Hire commenced operations with 5,000 bicycles and 315 docking stations distributed across the City of London area.^[2] There are now 10,000 Bixi rental bikes in use in London, now operated under the name Santander Cycles.

In May 2012, Devinci Global Racing team member, Steve Smith, pedaled to first place at the US Grand Prix in Port Angeles, WA, on Devinci’s Wilson dual-suspension downhill model.

Factory/Production

Devinci has been manufacturing aluminum bicycles in various incarnations of its Chicoutimi, Que., factories since 1987. The current factory encompasses 100,000 square feet and employs 75 to 125 workers, depending on production cycles. Every process from R&D and quality control through manufacturing, welding, heat-treatment, painting and assembly is done in-house by trained professionals. The Devinci factory and working conditions meet or exceed North American labor and environmental standards.

Bike manufacturing begins in Devinci’s R&D department. This is where Dave Weagle’s patented Split Pivot suspension engineering is merged with Devinci bike frame design. Before production, an instrumented test bike is created. This technology is proprietary to Devinci and is used to measure real-world forces on a bike combined with computer CAD simulations. Devinci says this allows it to build lightweight designs with enhanced durability backed by its lifetime warranty. The Devinci Test Bench cycles those forces, simulating ten months of real-world abuse over the course of several days. In-house engineers and production staff address any flaws found in prototypes. Devinci says, this allows it to stay on the “cutting edge” of a “rapidly changing environment.”

Devinci’s warehouse contains custom tube sets drawn from 6066 aluminum, which according to industry standards is 30 percent more durable and 40 percent stiffer than 6061 aluminum. Raw aluminum for custom machined parts is also located here. Chicoutimi, Que., is home to large-scale aluminum producers such as Rio Tinto Alcan Canada Ltd. Raw materials, including aluminum, are locally sourced. The majority of Devinci’s raw aluminum comes from Rio Tinto.

The Devinci machine shop is responsible for preproduction parts, such as aluminum dropouts and bottom-bracket shells. Devinci makes these on custom jigs and machines. The jigs are built in the machine shop and specialized for each individual bike. Jigs hold frame tubes for tacking and alignment prior to welding. Once the frame is tacked, it’s brought to the welding department for completion. After frames are welded they enter the heat-treating unit. Devinci’s heat-treating equipment was updated in summer 2010.

Devinci’s Quality Control phase is a multi-step process using laser alignment, before frames move to the manual alignment table. After machining has been finalized, frames enter the painting department. Assembly is the last stage of production. This is where Devinci frames are fitted with components from manufacturers such as SRAM, Shimano, Easton, Fox, RockShox.

Devinci Global Racing Team

Devinci Global Racing was launched in 2010, spearheaded by factory Team Manager, Gabe Fox. According to Fox, the move was designed to galvanize Devinci’s commitment to World Cup downhill mountain bike racing, as well as drive in-house technological advancement of its Wilson bikes in conjunction with their core Split Pivot suspension systems.

The DGR team was led by the late Steve "Chainsaw" Smith, a Vancouver Island native. In May 2012, Smith captured his first win of the season in round No. 1 of the US Grand Prix in Port Angeles, WA. In 2011, Smith piloted his Split Pivot Wilson to six top-ten World Cup finishes, and secured a top-five placing in Overall Standings. He also took first place at the Canadian Open in Whistler, B.C., and second at the US Open at Vernon, New Jersey. Smith won silver at the 2010 World Championships. Stevie Smith is the most successful Canadian downhill racer in history.

Devinci and Bixi

In 2009, Canada Economic Development allocated funding to help Cycles Devinci acquire equipment and reorganize its plant to produce Bixi bicycles for Stationnement de Montréal and the Société de vélo en libre-service.

Bixi combines the words "bicycle" and "taxi" and is the name of Montreal's public bike system. Similar to European public bike-share models, the move was a first for Canada. In 2009, Devinci manufactured 3,000 bicycles available for rental at 300 stations across three boroughs: Ville-Marie, Plateau Mont-Royal, and Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie. The Montreal program has grown to include 5,000 bikes and 400 stations for 2012. The Devinci-built Bixis can also be found in cities with similar bike-share programs such as Washington D.C., London, Melbourne, and Minneapolis.

Bixi frames are produced from aluminum produced in Quebec’s Saguenay region. According to company owner Felix Gauthier, Bixi bikes have helped fuel Devinci’s recent growth (Le Quotidien, November 9, 2009). After 2009 deployment, an additional 86 cities worldwide have expressed interest in the Bixi concept. In 2012, Devinci is continuing its campaign to break into new export markets with the Bixi.^[3]

References

External links

• "DEVINCI Global Racing Team". Retrieved 2012-04-16. 
• "DEVINCI". Retrieved 2012-04-16. 
• "From point A to point B". Retrieved 2012-04-18. 
• "DEVINCI". Retrieved 2011-07-03. 
• Maine, Tyler (2008-10-31). "Devinci Bikes - 100% Canadian - Factory Tour Part 1 - Pinkbike.com". Retrieved 2011-07-04.