Lezyne Gravel Digital Drive Pro floor pump review

Although there’s quite a few 'gravel specific' products out there which might be deserving of a raised eyebrow, Lezyne’s Gravel Digital Drive Pro is certainly not one of them.

The increased stroke volume (over a floor pump optimised for traditional roadie pressures) offers a genuine improvement for riders with wider tyres and helps to make it one of the best bike pumps out there. The relatively steep price, rather than being an arbitrary gravel tax, is more a reflection of the high build quality – the roadie version costs a similar amount. 

Construction

The Gravel Digital Drive Pro really shines here. The barrel, piston and base are all machined from aluminium and contribute to the reassuringly weighty feel of the pump. The wooden handle and braided hose might not be so different in terms of pure functionally as to more plasticky counterparts, but these features do very much add to the premium feel.

The main difference between the Gravel Digital Drive Pro and the other pumps in Lezyne’s range is the larger-diameter barrel on this model. More air is pushed per stroke, meaning it’s faster to top up a high volume tyre and should be a little easier to seat tubeless tyres compared to a standard track pump.

Its eponymous digital gauge is another of the main features. It offers readings of ±0.5 PSI (±0.05 BAR) and has an optimal range of between 20 and 80 PSI (1.4–5.5 BAR), although it can go up as high as 100 PSI (6.9 BAR).

The chuck can be reversed for use with a Schrader valve, while on the back there is an integrated valve core tightener. A pressure bleeding button features on the side, although this won't actually release any air from the tyre when used in conjunction with a Presta valve. That said, the release of pressure from the hose line does make it less likely you’ll remove the valve core when you unscrew the chuck.

When connected to a Schrader valve, the bleeding button does vent air from the tyre in the way you would expect.

The pump is fully rebuildable, should you wear out or damage any parts, and these are all available from Lezyne.

The ride

Using this pump was always a pleasure, the ergonomics were very nice with its wooden handle and it didn’t feel flexy at all – unlike other pumps which use a lot of plastic or lower quality aluminium in their construction.

The threaded chuck is a design that tends to be more reliable over the long term than those with a flip lever, although it does make attaching the pump a little more of a faff. If you’re only ever inflating the tyre of one bike at a time, the difference in time between the two systems isn’t really significant, but it does add up if you’re topping up your riding mates’ too.

The extra airflow does genuinely make it much quicker to inflate larger-volume gravel tyres, which is always appreciated. Seating tubeless tyres is also made a little easier; I managed to set up a couple of sets of Schwalbe gravel tyres without having to reach for a compressor. But that said, the Gravel Digital Drive Pro did struggle with some 32mm Vittoria Zaffiro tyres and these did end up needing to be seated with a different pump.

With an optimal pressure range of 20–80psi, the Gravel Digital Drive Pro offers pretty much the perfect range for me. At around 68kg and depending on the conditions, I can end up needing to drop as low at 18psi when using 2.1 inch tyres, but for the most part – and on most gravel tyres – I was comfortably within the given range.

Going easily up to 80 PSI, I found the pump expanded its remit and worked perfectly for my road tyres as well. I never go above 75 PSI, even on 25mm tyres, and the large volume of air moved with each pump topped the tyres up incredibly quickly. It is possible to get pressures of up to 100 PSI, but you do have to put quite a bit of weight behind the handle to manage it and isn’t something you’d appreciate doing frequently.

For those on 28mm tyres, it’s very likely that this pressure range would be all you need. SRAM’s tyre pressure calculator suggests that if you’re 110kg and using 28mm tyres with a 21mm internal rim width, you’d only need to go up to 81psi on the rear, and a little less on the front.

The point being that Lezyne is selling itself a little short branding this just as a ‘gravel’ pump. For many people this would work perfectly well as a highly efficient pump for road use too, expanding its versatility.

Value

At £110, the Gravel Digital Drive Pro is quite expensive for a floor pump. The Topeak JoeBlow Max II track pump retails for £33.99 and while it only offers an analogue pressure dial and uses composite materials in its construction – it’s not as if the Lezyne is a whole three times better to match its three times greater RRP.

But that said, the digital pressure readings are easier to read, it is faster to inflate the tyres and the finish does make the pump always a pleasure to use. Although the Gravel Digital Drive Pro it’s quite a way off the best value pumps in terms of pure functionality, it's quite clear where your money is going.

Verdict

The Gravel Digital Drive Pro is a wonderfully made pump with a finish that makes it always a joy to use. Although some might question whether we need a 'gravel specific' pump, the larger volume of air moved with each stroke and with an optimal range of 20–80 psi, the remit of this pump does expand into that of modern road tyres – and the benefits apply just as well there too.