Rob Roskopp is one of those names that instantly pulls you into a very specific era of skateboarding — when speed, style, and board graphics were loud enough to be felt from across the park.
He came out of the Midwest and landed in Santa Cruz at the perfect moment, then helped define what an “80s pro” looked like: aggressive, recognisable, and tied to a board you could spot a mile away.
THE SANTA CRUZ ARRIVAL
In 1982, at 19 years old, Roskopp left home and headed to Santa Cruz, California with about $800 and the plan to go to school — a plan that didn’t last long once skateboarding took over. Within a year he was being backed as a pro, and Santa Cruz became the launchpad for everything that followed, both on and off the board.
SPONSORSHIP AND THE PRO MODEL ERA
Roskopp’s sponsorship story is straight out of the classic pipeline: get noticed, get supported, go pro, and end up with a signature board people obsess over decades later. He was closely tied to Santa Cruz Skateboards during his pro years and rode Independent Trucks as part of his core setup.
His pro model run in the mid-80s into 1990 helped cement him as a defining face of the era, especially as his name became inseparable from the iconic Roskopp graphics that turned board art into instant identity.
THE VIDEO ERA AND WHY HE MATTERED
Roskopp wasn’t “just a graphic.” He was part of the moment when skate videos turned regional scenes into global mythology. His skating fit the era perfectly: fast, powerful, and confident, the kind of riding that looked built for the deep end and the loud, raw energy of 80s transition. That mix of style and visibility is exactly why his name still lands with weight today.
FINDING BIKES, THEN CHOOSING THE NEXT LIFE
As skateboarding shifted and his pro chapter started to close, Roskopp’s focus moved toward mountain bikes. By the late 80s he was riding and racing, and in 1990 he stepped away from pro skating and went back to school to study business. That decision is a huge part of why his post-skate chapter isn’t a footnote — it’s a second legacy built with intent.
SANTA CRUZ BICYCLES AND THE BUILDER MINDSET
In the early 90s, Roskopp was still connected to the Santa Cruz world while sharpening his business skills, and the pivot became inevitable. In 1993 he co-founded Santa Cruz Bicycles, pushing early into full-suspension bikes at a time when the category still felt wild and experimental.
Over the years, the brand grew into a global force, and Roskopp became known not just as a former pro skater, but as a builder who helped shape modern mountain bike culture — including the team identity and race energy that made the company feel like it was always rider-led.
WHAT HE’S UP TO TODAY
In recent years Roskopp has spoken publicly about the changes that came with later corporate eras of the bike industry, and he’s also remained connected to the sport through advisory and industry roles rather than being front-and-centre as the “face” of a brand. The through-line is still the same: he’s a rider at heart who’s always been drawn to what’s next — whether that meant a new way to skate a pool or a new way to build a bike that goes faster downhill than it has any right to.
Roskopp’s story hits different because it isn’t nostalgia-only. It’s proof that the same instinct that makes someone dangerous on a skateboard can also make them relentless as a creator. One chapter made him a skateboarding icon; the next made him a force in another world entirely — without ever losing that original Santa Cruz gravity.
