From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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
-brand of bicycle used in bicycle sharing schemes in cities such as
Montreal
,
Toronto
and Minneapolis.
[1]
In most cities, like Montreal,
BIXI
offers both normal and
electric bicycles
.
History
[
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]
Two engineering students from
Chicoutimi
, Quebec, founded Devinci Bikes in 1987. Road biking entrepreneur, Felix Gauthier, purchased 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. This led to the creation of Optimum frames, Ollie Freeride bikes, the Cx, and instrumented bikes.
In 2001, the firm 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, the firm's Ollie model won 26 Magazine's "Freeride Bike of the Year" award.
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 2009, Canada Economic Development allocated funding to help Cycles Devinci acquire equipment and reorganize its plant to produce Bixi bicycles for Stationnement de Montreal and the Societe de velo en libre-service.
References
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External links
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Canadian bicycle manufacturers
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