A practicing advocate came up with the idea to manufacture (invent), a syringe-like lubrication system that attaches to the bicycle downtube attached to the bottle cage, aligned over the chain so that one could lube their chain on the move. The reason for this, was that the wax lubricants in those days didn’t last for a long ride. Oil was a “no no,” as it turned black, collected dirt and formed a grinding paste which wore the chain out quickly and was not environmentally friendly.
So, he got three friends together, an engineer, a pharmacist and a fellow advocate, all mountain bike enthusiasts, to form a company. The engineering partner did the technical drawings and then a mold was commissioned and during 2003 the first lubrication system for lubing on the move was produced. On an unsure date in 2003, one of the partners’ wives’, and also a lawyer who became a partner later on, came up with the name “Squirt” for the “lube on the move,” lubrication system referring to the squirting action of lube from the lubrication system onto the chain.
The next logical step was to manufacture our own lube to fill the lubrication system. The challenge was to make a biodegradable wax lube that wouldn’t turn black and leave sprocket marks on one’s calf. The pharmacist oversaw this process and after extensive testing in Southern African conditions, we realized that the wax lube was so effective and long lasting that it effectively killed the Squirt lubrication system. The lube was then named Squirt and made its way into the shops of South Africa.
Squirt was launched in the United states in 2004 and legends, Ned Overend, Mike Kloser and Travis Brown were amongst the first to endorse it and Giant was Squirt’s first major US distributor. Following onto the success of Squirt Chain Lube, we then developed and launched Squirt BioBike Wash, Squirt Sweatsucker, Squirt Slurp, Squirt SEAL and Squirt Barrier Balm.
What started as a hobby had now become a full-time occupation for the partners doing what they enjoy: working in the cycling environment whilst doing their bit to protect the environment.
