The Lab: Lezyne Digital Pressure Drive long-term review – The saviour when you’re in need?
Is the Lezyne Digital Pressure Drive the ideal companion for your daily adventures?
Lezyne’s mini-pump accompanied us for 12 months as we put it to the test. We found out whether it allows you to quickly resume your ride or whether you’ll have to call a friend to pick you up off the side of the trail after all.
Surely, we’ve all had the experience of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire. Ideally, you should always carry the right tools to fix these kinds of problems, which starts with a reliable pump. We put the Lezyne Digital Pressure Drive to the test for you for 12 months.
The pump housing and all aluminium parts are CNC machined and guaranteed to be very durable, withstanding pressures of up to 120 psi or 8.3 bar. The pump is said to be optimised for pressures between 50 and 90 psi. Thanks to a flexible hose that can be stowed inside the housing, the pump retains its compact dimensions while being easy to connect to a valve. The Air Bleed System releases the pressure inside the hose, making it easier to remove the Flip-thread Chuck. The flexible hose is compatible with Presta and Schrader valves, and the integrated valve core tool allows you to remove or tighten the valve core if necessary. Once the tire is inflated, you don’t have to rely on your thumb or an additional gauge to check the pressure since the mini-pump features an integrated digital pressure gauge. Weighing in at 133 g and measuring 17 cm long, you can carry it in your pocket or attach it to the frame using the bracket provided. The pump is exclusively available in black and will set you back by € 74.95.
The large digital gauge makes it easy to read the air pressure.
The pump is designed for inflating tires but it can also be used on the fork. However, it can’t handle the kind of pressure ranges used for shocks. In general, using the pump for inflating high pressures requires a lot of effort. It took us 100 pump strokes to add 9 psi to a 2.4” wide 29” MAXXIS Minion DHR II, fitted to a 30 mm wide rim. The digital pressure gauge makes it easy to read the pressure, but when we double checked the pressure with a conventional gauge, we always found a deviation of 2–3 psi too much and we often found that gauge displayed 0.4 bar when switching it on, though the chuck wasn’t screwed onto a valve. Thanks to the sufficiently long and flexible hose, the handling is made much easier. The pump is compatible with Presta and Schrader valves, but you’ve got to be careful when handling Presta valves. When you unscrew the chuck, it can happen that you also unscrew the valve core and pull it out with the chuck, completely deflating the tire. As such, we recommend tightening the valve core with the integrated valve core tool before attaching the chuck. In case you do unintentionally remove the valve core, at least you’ve got the right tool to put it back in. The pump generally shows good workmanship, but the rubber cap for the pump-side of the hose fell off, never to be found again.
The pump can be used to inflate the tires as well as the fork.
The flexible hose makes handling the pump much easier and can be stowed away inside it to save space.
The Lezyne Digital Pressure Drive is well-made and compatible with both tires and forks. The flexible hose makes the handling much easier and keeps the pump nice and compact. Thanks to the digital manometer, checking the pressure is easy, though you must keep in mind that it isn’t always accurate. You should also make sure that the valve core is securely tightened before attaching the chuck. Otherwise, you might end up unscrewing it unintentionally.
Tops
- good workmanship
- compact dimensions
- easier handling thanks to the flexible hose
Flops
- can unscrew loose valve cores
- digital pressure gauge is inaccurate