The new Devinci YYZ might look like something out of the 80’s at first, but it’s still a far cry from the original XYZ that inspired it. With 2017 making it 30 years for Devinci’s Canadian made aluminum bikes, they wanted to do a special project to celebrate. More than just a custom paint job or a video project, Devinci wanted to bring some new life to past history. Deemed internally as one of their most intriguing designs from back in the day, the original XYZ apparently never sold all that well, but it was part of the evolution of mountain bikes, and a part of Devinci’s past.
So, to make what’s old, new again, Devinci set out to build three modern incarnations dubbed the YYZ with a little help from SRAM, Maxxis, and Chromag, and of course their own hand fabricated frame…
“One of our long-lost designers came up with the original XYZ mountain bike design,” says Steve Mitchell, renowned bike collector and Devinci’s B.C. sales rep. “It was kinda like this ugly-duckling of ridiculousness. With no one to explain it to us, we decided to bring it back and interrogate it for secrets. That’s how the YYZ was born.”
“These were the first attempts at core mountain bikes,” Mitchell says. “They marked the start of the long twisty road we’ve been on in the industry—lots of swings and hits… plus a few misses. The XYZ may not have been a sales homerun. But it’s one of the most intriguing Devinci designs from the era.”
If the elevated stays and cross over top tubes have you yearning for the good ol’ days, sadly, you’re out of luck. This experiment is limited to just three frames that won’t be for sale and was intended to highlight the fact that Devinci still makes bikes in Canada. However, you can see it in person at the Sea Otter Classic this week.
