Origin of Lizard Skins

About Lizard Skins

Lizard Skins is a manufacturer of cycling, team and power sports accessories with global distribution in 80+ countries.  Our success is driven from a simple focus: meet the high-performance demands of the world’s most competitive athletes while delivering solutions for athletes at all levels.

Mission

Lizard Skins has been a part of your ride since 1993. Our mission is to design and create products to enhance the performance, comfort and style of professional and amateur athletes around the world.

HISTORY

Founded in 1993, the company launched into the cycling industry with innovative accessories designed to protect the bike and the rider.  The category eventually expanded to include gloves and grips, and by 2008, culminated in Lizard Skins’ most innovative grip and flagship product:  Durasoft Polymer or DSP.

WHAT IS DSP EXACTLY?

The polymer-based formula is a unique combination of excellent gripping properties and a softness that can only be appreciated by touch.  The feel is unlike any other synthetic rubber.

In the last decade, DSP has made a lasting impact in the world of professional cycling and today Lizard Skins sponsors 3 Pro Tour cycling teams that race in all three Grand Tour cycling events including the Tour de France.

The application of DSP technology for other sports became evident in 2012 when Lizard Skins successfully launched into the baseball industry with a new and innovative bat grip. The company's expertise with the hand-to-grip interface from cycling gave developers the edge to effectively respond to the needs of players in team sports.  Soon the product made its way into the hands of many of MLB's top players and to-date over 150+ MLB players actively use the product. The company’s endorsement line-up includes many of MLB's top names.  2016 culminated in a licensing agreement with MLB making Lizard Skins the Official Bat Grip Supplier of Major League Baseball and one of only 12 Authentic Collection brands.

Since 2018, Lizard Skins has replicated the baseball model in hockey and lacrosse creating similar licensing agreements with the NHL and MLL after positive reception at the professional level.  Most recently Lizard Skins acquired 2 companies: Oury, a cult classic grip company with a passionate following and Buck Athletics, a unique line of glove protection founded by former professional baseball player John Buck.

With ever-maturing product lines, sports and athletes, Lizard Skins continues to be an industry leader in accessories that revolve around the hand-to-grip interface.

Company Origins

Origin of the Name — Lizard Skins: “The co-founder's brother was working on a project for a college class that involved creating a name and a logo for a company. He came up with the name Lizard Skins and the original yin and yang style logo. He didn’t have any actual company in mind when he created the name and logo he just thought it would be a cool name and catchy logo. Not sure how well he did on the assignment but I would give him an “A” if I were the teacher!”

Company Beginnings: “It was extremely small. When we started, we could fit the entire business on one table. Our first ad was a twelfth page for Mountain Bike Action magazine. We had to race to FedEx to get it sent out and barely met the deadline for it. We immediately started receiving calls from the ad before we were even really ready to take them. If we had missed that ad deadline, Lizard Skins might have never taken off.” - Owner, Brian Fruit