Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive pump review
The Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive pump has a secondary chamber that behaves as a portable mini air compressor when charged.
Lowdown: Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive
For those who don’t have room for an air compressor or simply hate the noise, the Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive is a beautifully crafted alternative that will last a number of years. The only downside is the price of admission. Is the convenience worth the cost? Read on to find out.
| Construction: Aluminum and steel body | Max air pressure: 220 PSI, 15 Bar |
| Handle: Wood | Weight: 5 pounds |
| Hose length: 4 feet | MSRP: $165 |
| Pressure tuning: Air bleed button |
Rating:  4 out of 5 |
| Valve head: ABS2 quick connect head |
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Review: Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive
Tubeless tires are great. Compared to tubes, they allow you to run significantly lower air pressures which increases traction. They also roll faster and reduce the occurrence of punctures. The trade-off is that tubeless tires can often be difficult to set up. An air compressor makes the task less arduous by providing a continuous stream of pressurized air, but not all of us have space or money for one.
When the foot actuated lever is in the upward position, the secondary chamber can be charged.
In recent years a new class of pump has emerged that solves this dilemma. Introduced by Bontrager, these floor pumps have a secondary chamber that can be manually filled. Once inflated, a lever can be actuated to release the air and seat the tubeless system.
Flip the switch with your foot and air comes rushing out.
The newest entry into this segment is the Digital Pressure Over Drive from Lezyne. It features an all metal body and uses a foot actuated lever to open and close the secondary chamber. When the lever is in the downward position, the Over Drive can be used just like a normal pump.
Inflating the external chamber to 150 PSI requires roughly 50 strokes. That’s on par with competitors and is all that is needed to inflate most tubeless tires. The pump does have a claimed max PSI of 220PSI/15 bar, but pushing past 160 PSI requires massive biceps.
A digital gauge may seem like overkill but in the era of wide rims and balloon tires, being able to take an accurate PSI reading is critical for optimal performance.
Other features of the pump include a digital gauge that provides accurate readings in either PSI or bar. There’s also a four foot hose that is long enough to inflate tires when mounted in a stand and is capped by Lezyne’s flawless new ABS2 quick connect valve head. This design seamlessly converts between Presta and Schrader valves and has a convenient bleed button for minor pressure adjustments.
The ABS2 valve head uses a quick connect system to grab a Presta valve and thread on and has quickly become an office favorite.
I’ve used this pump to inflate a number of tubeless tire systems and have not encountered any issues. From a purely functional perspective, this pump is phenomenal, although I do have one minor grievance. The air hose is slightly too long so the chuck valve won’t securely lock into the base when stored. The simple fix is to remove the chuck, trim the hose, and reinstall. Lezyne claims our test pump came from a pre-production batch and that this issue has been resolved for production.
The only mechanical component on this pump that isn’t metal is the brace between the secondary and main chamber. It’s made from a high-grade nylon which should last for years. The bolts holding on our test unit worked themselves loose and caused some play when pumping. We tightened them back together with loctite and have had zero issues since.
For those who don’t have room for an air compressor or simply hate the noise, the Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive is a beautifully crafted alternative that will last a number of years. The only downside is the price of admission. You could easily purchase a high-quality floor pump and a lifetime supply of C02 cartridges for less than the Over Drive’s $165 retail price.
If you live in a small space and can’t justify a compressor or spend a lot of time on the road with your bike, the convenience offered by Lezyne’s latest pump is hard to deny.
So is the convenience worth the cost? That’s a decision only you can make. My $80 Lezyne pump does a fantastic job of inflating most tubeless tires, but the Over Drive does make the job easier. If that’s something you value highly, then it’s a no brainer. Particularly because the Over Drive is not significantly larger or heavier than a standard pump, which makes it convenient to carry when heading to the trailhead or camping.
To learn more, visit www.lezyne.com.
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