Lizard Skins DSP Bar Tape and Cycling Gloves Review

By Brandon Bilyeu

DSP Bar Tape:

Aramus GC Gloves:

Monitor SL Gloves:

Cost:

DSP Bar Tape: $42 – $50

Aramus GC Gloves: $30

Monitor SL Gloves: $30

How obtained: review sample from company

Available: online, retail, Lizard Skins website

Colors:

DSP Bar Tape:

Solid – Black, White, Blue, Red, Neon Pink, Sky Blue, Cobalt Blue, Green, Celeste Green, Neon

Camo – Black, Blue/Green, Gray, Red/Black, Red/Blue, Blue, Red

Dual – Black/White, Black/Red, Red/White, Black/Neon, Black/Neon Pink, Cobalt Blue/Tangerine, Cobalt Blue/Neon

Aramus GC Gloves: Titanium, Black/Blue, Red/White, Black/Neon, Black

Monitor SL Gloves: Black/Gray, Black, Black/Blue, Black/Red, Black/Neon

Website: DSP Bar Tape, Aramus GC Gloves, Monitor SL Gloves

RBR Sponsor: no

Tested: 30+ hours

Sizing:

Gloves: XS – XXL

Lizard Skins – A US Company Around Since 1993

Started in a garage in 1993, Lizard Skins has grown into a company that today has its own US-based manufacturing plant (though some production is still outsourced) and makes products for many sports including cycling, baseball, lacrosse, and hockey.  For cycling, the product focus is on protection for both the rider and bike.  They are probably best known in the mountain biking world for their grips, gloves, and frame protection, but they also have road bike gear including bar tape, gloves, bags, and bike protection.  In fact, World Tour road racing teams AG2R, Lotto Soudal, and Movistar are sponsored by Lizard Skins and use their DSP bar tape.

With a focus on quality, every single item is hand inspected before it reaches a customer.  And to protect the environment where we like to ride our bikes, Lizard Skins has focused on being a green company.  They have an extensive in-house recycling program, source local materials when possible, use solar panels for 1/3 of their energy, and all product packaging is recyclable.

One of their main product areas is the handlebar contact point and they have an extensive selection of bar tape and grips for road and mountain bikes, as well as lots of glove options.  It’s safe to say that they have a tape/glove combo to match any rider’s preference.

DSP Bar Tape – Select Your Cushion and Color

Hot!

• Three thicknesses available to get the perfect level of comfort
• Huge selection of colors
• Excellent grip in both dry and wet
• Great cushion and vibration dampening
• Durability has been great

Not!

• Thicker tapes can be a little difficult to install

Lizard Skins DSP Bar Tape it is pretty good stuff.  It is available in three different thicknesses (1.8, 2.5, and 3.2mm) and a wide range of colors and patterns.  The different thicknesses allow you to customize feel and comfort.  The thinner tapes are great for maximum feel and connection to the bike which is great for fast racing or technical rides.  The thicker tapes maximize comfort and are great for gravel and cyclocross where things can get a little rough.  Another benefit of the different thickness options is being able to modify the handlebar diameter without buying a new handlebar. 

The DSP tape is made with a closed cell foam and coated with a rubber like grip material.  The foam does a great job at providing a soft touch without feeling too squishy when just riding along, but when you clamp down on the bar hard for a sprint you will notice that the thicker tapes compresses quite a bit.  It really shines on rough surfaces where it takes the edge off the bumps.  And the closed cell foam does not absorb liquid so sweat and rain won’t make for a soggy grip.  The rubbery and textured outer surface feels tacky in both the wet and dry, while being easy to keep clean too. 

The tape comes with everything you need for the install except electrical tape for initially securing the end of the tape.  In the package you get two rolls of the DSP tape, two pre-cut short pieces of DSP tape to fill the gap behind the shifters, matching color/pattern finishing tape, and two bar end plugs.  For installation simple visual directions for wrapping are included in the package along with a QR code linking to a detailed video.  It is repeated in several places to install the tape tightly but avoid stretching the material.  The back side of the tape has an adhesive strip to help keep things in place and thankfully the mild adhesive easily allows you to remove the tape if your wrapping job isn’t perfect on the first try. 

It took me a few minutes to get the feel for ‘tight’ but not ‘stretched’ and then the installation was easy.  I tested out both the 2.5 and 3.2mm thickness tapes and while both are soft and very compliant for easy wrapping, the thicker tape can be a little more challenging to wrap.  Due to the thickness and wrapping around a skinny bar, the thick DSP tape tended to bunch up a little on the curved sections of the bar.  This required a little bit of patience and massaging to get a nice clean flat install, but the result is worth a little extra work up front. 

Aramus GC – Low Profile Padding and Protection

Hot!

• Lightweight but sturdy construction
• Finger pulls
• Adjustable wrist closure
• Different colors available
• Available with or without padding

Not!

• No size chart on Lizard Skins website

It’s hard to get too excited about summer cycling gloves, but they can improve hand comfort and provide some protection during a crash.  The Aramus GC fingerless gloves are lightweight and minimally padded for a barely there feel.  The palms are made of synthetic AX Suede that is very thin, has virtually no stretch, and appears to be very hard wearing (thankfully I didn’t have the chance to test them in a crash).  The padding is an array of dense and very thin (~2mm) gel inserts located at the thumb, outer palm, and the base of the fingers.  The low-profile gel inserts help to prevent any pressure points and I found them to be just as comfortable and supportive as other gloves with much thicker pads.  The Aramus Elite is available for those who prefer no padding at all. 

The palms are perforated for ventilation, but the holes are of limited use when your hand is gripping the handlebar.  The back of the hand is a mix of lightweight closed mesh fabrics that breathe well but are not quite as cool as an open mesh backing.  The back of the thumb is made of the requisite soft microfiber for wiping sweat and snot.  A velcro strap allows control of the fit and two finger pulls make removal a breeze.  Overall quality of material and construction is very good. 

On the bike I really like how the thin suede and pads make for a solid connection with the handlebar, providing some cushioning without feeling mushy.  The thumb wipe works great, but the back of hand material is also soft enough to use as a wipe, just watch out for that velcro strap at the wrist.  Five different color options are great for those who want something a little more exciting that all black. 

About the only complaint I have is that while the wide range of sizes is great (XS – XXL), there is not actually a size chart on Lizard Skins website (or at least it’s so well hidden I can’t find it).  The sizing does seem to follow with other glove manufactures as the Aramus size medium fit the same as all my other medium gloves.  Below is a size chart I found at an online dealer.

Monitor SL – Summer Weight Full Finger Gloves

Hot!

• Lightweight
• Close fitting, non-restrictive
• Adjustable wrist closure
• Different colors available

Not!

• No size chart on Lizard Skins website
• Aggressive velcro can snag/fray fabric at fingertips

The Monitor SL gloves are very similar to the Aramus, with the main difference being full length fingers.  While the extra coverage means a little more warmth for cooler days, these are by no means cold weather gloves.  The full AX Suede palms extend all the way to the fingertips and the back of the gloves are a mixture of lightweight perforated fabric and mesh.  I would consider these summer gloves — great for cooler mornings, but also ideal for gravel or more adventurous non-pavement rides where a little extra skin protection is warranted. 

As is standard for full finger riding gloves, the tip of the thumb and index finger utilize a touch screen compatible material so you don’t lose any time uploading your ride and photos to the interwebs.  The index and middle finger are covered with silicone grippers so you don’t drop your phone (as a secondary function they also help with grip on the handlebar/shifters).  The Monitor SL does not have any padding, but the SL Gel version does. 

The glove construction with thin and lightweight materials results in a close fit that is not at all bulky feeling like most full finger gloves.  This means dexterity and feel is almost as good as bare hands.  Gripping the bar feels solid and there is no fishing for the right spot to press on shifters or cycling computers.  The thumb wipe is generously sized and the whole glove dries quite quickly. 

The velcro wrist closure is great for adjusting fit, but the aggressive velcro tends to snag the finger backing material when putting the gloves on/off.  This starts to fray the fabric and create a fuzzball at the fingertip.  It would be good to see a full suede cap on the index finger to avoid this, but for now I’ve started to use my teeth to open the Velcro to save the fingers. 

Bottom Line

A US company with some stateside manufacturing, environmentally conscious, and makes high quality product.  Lizard Skins bar tap and gloves both allow you to choose the level of padding to customize your cockpit comfort, as well as color coordinate.  Pricing is a little above average, but Lizard Skins is clearly up step up from the cheapest options out there.