A deep dive into Lezyne's award-winning range of cycling accessories — better for you, your bike, and the planet

Ask any cyclist why they ride, and the true answer is often simply: because we enjoy it. It’s just a happy side effect that using our bikes for transport is good for the planet. A similar situation has occurred with the evolution of Lezyne's award-winning cycle accessories. 

Since the brand began back in 2007, Lezyne’s focus on producing high-quality products, typically made from metal, has reduced the use of plastic in manufacturing. Its long-standing commitment to heightened quality control means fewer broken things end up in landfill. And its conversion to eco-friendly packaging means less residual waste.

But those are all largely happy side effects because – ultimately – Lezyne’s main goal is simply to make products that cyclists love to use. 

We’ll look at how the brand does that, but first, a little back history.

Lezyne – one man’s vision

“The main story behind Lezyne is all about the founder and owner, Micki Kozuschek. Micki is from Germany and he was a professional triathlete when he started his first own-brand called Maxcycles. Then he started Truvativ,” Lezyne’s content and media specialist – and someone who started with Lezyne from the company’s inception – Dillon Clapp says.

“Truvativ developed components, mainly cranks at the time, and basically took over the OEM market by the mid-2000s. Micki set up his own manufacturing in Taiwan and instigated the whole system of product design and development and manufacturing, essentially on his own without any formal background in engineering.”

Lezyne boss, Micki Kozuschek (credit: Lezyne)

Micki sold Truvativ to SRAM in 2004 and he probably could have quite happily retired. But the desire to innovate still burned bright and he realised that he could use all of the knowledge he had attained as a component manufacturer to revolutionise the cycling accessories market.

“Micki wanted to make high-quality, in-house-manufactured accessories that were more like components, not off-the-shelf cheap plastic products. Micki started Lezyne in 2007 with a commitment to engineered design. By using all of his knowledge in manufacturing, machining, stamping, forging, materials, heat treatments, etc, he was able to create slick-looking multi-tools, pumps, hand pumps, lights and tools,” Dillon says.

Hands-on quality

Eighteen years on since Lezyne’s birth, Micki Kozuschek is still the hands-on boss and sole owner of the company, and the brand’s mantra of ‘engineered design’ is as strong as ever. 

“The success of Lezyne products all starts with having an understanding of all the materials and how they interact with the product, and how they can be machined – that’s phase one,” Dillon says.

Lezyne cycle accessories (credit: Lezyne)

“Then we look at how to most efficiently manufacture the product – whether that’s machined or forged or cast. Everything is designed in 3D, so there is finite element analysis [FEA] that happens on a computer before anything goes into production. We test everything virtually and find the weaknesses and address those before a prototype is even made. 

“Then, once it’s produced, we make lots of prototypes which go through real-world testing. That can be as simple as grabbing a bike and riding round the parking lot, but we also have vibration testing, impact testing, hardness testing, strength-type testing, corrosion testing – all of that is in-house. We’ll throw everything we can think of at a product before it goes into production.”

Packaged with care

As we mentioned earlier, the innovation doesn’t stop with the products themselves. A few years ago, Lezyne took steps to make its packaging super-sustainable. 

The brand now utilises 100% recycled, FSC-certified bamboo paper, which eliminates the need for sub-packaging and minimises waste. And Lezyne has also implemented compostable and biodegradable bags that can be composted by industrial facilities within 45-90 days, or will break down in landfill within 180 days.

Lezyne packaging (credit: Lezyne)

“We have always tried to use stuff that could be recycled and, with Micki being German, the factory has always been run very efficiently with very little waste. We just wanted to take our commitment to sustainability one step further,” Dillon says.

“The technology is out there now and we've also implemented digital manuals that can be accessed through a QR code on the packaging. This eliminates the need for printed manuals and gives customers more information on our product web pages.”

Dillon’s 5 favourite Lezyne products

So, what are the fruits of this commitment to engineered design and manufacturing excellence? We asked Dillon to pick out his personal five favourite Lezyne products.

Lezyne V Pro 7 multi-tool (£22)

Lezyne V Pro 7 multi-tool (credit: Lezyne)

“My favourite Lezyne product, and something that I always have in my pocket, is my Lezyne V Pro multi-tool. I’m always amazed that every cyclist doesn’t have a small multi-tool just sitting in their pocket. I use it every day at home – actually, it’s usually used by other people. It’s just a cool product with anti-corrosion finish, aluminium side plates, stainless steel hardware. It’ll last forever, it looks good and feels good, and it’s super compact because of the way the bits are machined – you don’t even notice it in your pocket.”

Lezyne Femto Drive rear light (£15)

Lezyne Femto Drive rear light (credit: Lezyne)

“I can’t go for a ride, even if it’s just down to the gas station to get a candy bar, without using my Lezyne tail light. As far as I am concerned, it is as important as any other part of my bike. Having that extra visibility is so necessary, especially for people who ride every day.” 

Lezyne Pressure Over Drive floor pump (£150)

Lezyne Pressure Over Drive track pump (credit: Lezyne)

“All of my bikes – my road bike, my cross bike, my mountain bike – are all set up with tubeless tyres, so the Pressure Over Drive floor pump with its cannister is ideal for me. Having a portable compressor-type cannister that you can reinflate is something I couldn’t live without.”

Lezyne Tubeless CO2 Blaster puncture repair (£50)

Lezyne Tubeless CO2 Blaster puncture repair (credit: Lezyne)

“The Tubeless CO2 Blaster is a really cool three-in-one product that can repair and reinflate a tubeless tyre without having to take it off. It has a CO2 cannister, it has a reamer and it has a tyre plug all in one system, so you can patch a hole and inflate the tyre with one product. It is also super compact and lightweight, being made from machined aluminium with gold accent. It’s very much a Lezyne product: stylistically simple and elegant, but really practical.” 

Lezyne Matrix Air Cage bottle cage (£30)

Lezyne Matrix Air Cage bottle cage (credit: Lezyne)

“Finally, the other product that I use all the time is my favourite bottle cage, the Matrix Air Cage, which will hide an Apple Airtag. It’s so low profile and so cleanly integrated into the cage, you can’t tell there’s an Airtag there. But it’s great for peace of mind when travelling and if your bike gets stolen. I’ve used it when flying with my bike – you can always see where it is in the airport, which helps you stay relaxed. It’s one of those things that you simply set and forget and you can always track your bike.”

To view Lezyne’s full range of products, visit the official UK distributor, Upgrade Bikes.