Lizard Skins have created a single piece grip using their DuraSoft Polymer (DSP) material. The Lizard Skins DSP is lightweight, low profile, and made solely from soft materials. I was eager to see whether the DSP material provided sufficient grip, shock absorption and durability.
Features
- Durasoft Polymer material (DSP)
- 2 thicknesses (30.3mm & 32.3mm)
- Available in a selection of colours: orange, blue, black, white, red, pink, green, yellow
- Feather-lite lock tape technology
- 130mm length
- A set of 32.3mm grips weighs 30 grams (including tape and bar end caps)
- Retail price: R299
Installation
The Lizard Skins DSP uses feather-lite lock tape (essentially double sided tape) to secure the grips in place. The tape must be moistened with glass cleaner to allow the grips to slip on and to activate the glue. Lizard Skins provide step-by-step instructions in the box but, being a millennial, I opted for the video demonstration:
On the trail
On my first ride, a day after installing the grips, I noticed some rotational slipping of the grips. The only reason I picked this up was because the logos on the grips were no longer in the neat position I had place them the day before. Had the grips been a solid colour without the logo, I doubt I would have noticed. On reflection, I might have gone a bit overboard with the glass cleaner when installing the grips and some additional drying time might have been needed.
Two weeks later the slipping ceased and I started to relax and enjoy the grips. They turned out to be comfortable on long journeys as well as technical terrain. Initially, I had some concerns as the Lizard Skins feel noticeably harder than comparable grips but after a few rides there was no noticeable discomfort. In fact, I grew to enjoy the harder feel over the sponginess of my previous grips. They managed to match the shock absorption of similar grips and provided an encouragingly sturdy feel. The 32.3mm thickness was a good fit for my large hands.
The texture of the DSP made it a treat to ride these grips without gloves. Even after a couple of hours with sweaty hands, there was no reduction in grip or irritation to the skin.
The DSP material also proved to be tough as nails. As a result of my general clumsiness and that my bike is more often than not stored upside down, my grips tend to have a reduced lifespan. The Lizard Skins grips, however, took this treatment on the chin and showed few signs of ill-treatment. Even the bar end caps stuck around.
In one incident, I enthusiastically tried to hug a pine tree in Tokai but the tree was having none of it. This collision claimed a small chunk of my left grip. While I’ve had another experience where similar damage to a soft grip has lead to tearing later on, the Lizard Skins held together admirably.
The one downside of the Lizard Skins DSP grips is the inability to quickly remove them. Recently I was in a rush to install a shifter, so I ended up slicing the grip with a knife and tearing it from the handle bar. While this was a destructive operation, I was comforted in the knowledge that it requires violent force to remove these grips. A more delicate approach would require an air compressor, lots of glass cleaner and a replacement strip of double sided tape. A difficult removal is not something unique to Lizard Skins’ soft grips but the double sided tape adds an additional challenge.
Conclusion
The Lizard Skins DSP grips are a quality product that proved to be comfortable and durable in varied conditions. They provide sufficient traction to hold tight even on the sketchiest sections of trail. My only concern, as someone who enjoys tinkering with my bike, is the difficulty removing the grips.
I have always rode with ESI gripes, so when my new bike arrived with these I actually bought replacements, luckily I never got around to changing them out, I am very happy with them and now I think my other bikes are going to get swoped out, they super comfortable they have plenty grip and they have taken a good few knocks and have no damage to show for it