Lezyne Pressure Drive bike pump review: Compact and powerful, but a little fiddly

Whether you’re hitting the tarmac with your local club, heading deep into gravel territory, or simply commuting around town, punctures happen to the best of us. That’s why we’d always recommend investing in one of the best bike pumps if you haven’t already. Carry it alongside a decent set of tyre levers, and a patch kit, and you’ll be good to go again.

When it comes to mini pumps, the Lezyne Pressure Drive has long held a reputation for its high quality and durable construction and its ability to inflate a variety of tyre widths on the go. It’s compact enough to fit into a pocket, or can even be mounted to your frame, sharing the same mounts as a bottle cage to save on space. 

While it offers a lot, it’s not without its quirks, which I found out through pumping up a multitude of tyres at my local bike repair workshop, Wobbly Wheel Cyclery, as well as taking the Pressure Drive along on my own rides out in the Peak District.

To find out more about how it holds up in practice, read on.

Design and aesthetics

Not too small, not too bulky, the Lezyne Pressure Drive sits firmly in the Goldilocks zone of mini pumps. It’s just the right size to stash in a pocket or bag, or attach to your frame with the included bracket that shares the same mount as a bottle cage. 

This last point is a really nice touch, as it doesn’t require you to sacrifice a bottle cage. I tested the small version, which measures around 19cm (32cm fully extended) and weighs in at 93.6g on my scale, and comes in a very flashy anodised gold colourway. The CNC-machined aluminium construction is clean and understated, and it feels incredibly solid and well-made. 

Compared to more basic mini pumps, what sets the Pressure Drive apart is the integrated and detachable ABS Flex Hose. It’s stored inside the barrel when not in use, which makes it possible to have rubber seal caps at both ends to keep everything protected from the elements and any other potential damage while on the move. It’s a clever detail that adds to the Pressure Drive’s long-term durability.

Designed for use with both Presta and Schrader valves, it has a screw-on chuck (as opposed to the kind that locks on with a lever) which, while more secure overall, is known to increase the risk of accidentally unscrewing the valve core when detaching it. In order to counteract that, Lezyne has provided the latest iteration of the Pressure Drive with a built-in valve core tightening tool, attached to the Schrader end of the hose. This is a really nice touch that provides a practical solution to a very common problem associated with these types of pumps. That said, it does have its downside, which I’ll return to shortly.

Performance

For a compact pump, the Lezyne Pressure Drive punches above its weight. It’s capable of reaching high enough pressures for road tyres, with a maximum stated pressure of 120 psi, though expect a bit of a workout for anything above 80. It delivers air in a smooth, controlled manner, and as mentioned before, feels really solid and premium quality in hand.

Mounted to the frame, the bracket easily shares space with a bottle cage and is low profile enough to not interfere with pedalling.

Arguably its best feature is the flexible and detachable hose. Whereas fixed-head mini pumps apply direct force to the valve stem and run a risk of damaging it, having a flexible hose gives you a lot more wiggle room to attach it and shift position as needed. This alone makes it worth consideration if you’ve ever bent or broken a valve mid-pump.

However, there’s often a compromise to be made and while the Lezyne Pressure Drive comes with some very nice touches, they aren’t without their quirks.

First, the hose: while the benefit of making it detachable is that both ends of the pump can be fully sealed from the elements, the downside is that it takes longer to assemble before you can use it. What’s more, the chuck doesn’t rotate independently of the hose, so in practice you end up turning the whole pump to screw it on, which can be awkward at the best of times, and particularly annoying if your hands are cold or you’re under time pressure to get moving.

Another great feature that also adds equal annoyance is the valve core tool. As mentioned above, screw-on pumps like Lezyne’s previous mini pump offerings have amassed a reputation for unscrewing valve cores on removal, so the inclusion of this tool is meant to counteract that. It certainly does, but again, the logistics of actually using it can be infuriating if you’re pushed for time or caught in bad weather. 

In its entirety the process looks like this: you unscrew the barrel end to remove the hose, then screw it onto the opposite end. After attaching it to the valve and inflating the tyre, upon removing the chuck, the valve core sometimes becomes loose. Because the tool is located on the Schrader end, in order to fix it you have to unscrew the hose, flip it, tighten the valve core, flip it again, reattach, and go through the same motions as before to re-inflate the tyre. Under race conditions this is less than ideal, and if you’re caught in heavy rain, it’s going to exacerbate the frustration further.

One last thing to be aware of, should you choose to mount the Pressure Drive to your frame, is that it has the tendency to rattle itself loose over time, particularly the part that screws into the barrel. It’s not a dealbreaker, as it doesn’t fall apart or lose any parts, but you may occasionally need to reassemble it before use. As Will Jones has advised elsewhere, an easy fix is to wrap some electrical tape around the body to solve the rattle, and that can also double as a useful emergency supply in a pinch.

Verdict

The Lezyne Pressure Drive is a solid, high-quality mini pump that’s well worth its asking price if you prioritise longevity and functionality over faff. In most situations it’s proven to be extremely reliable, while the hose storage and included valve core tightening tool are really nice touches. What’s more, it’ll last years if it’s properly looked after, partly because it’s made from good quality materials, and partly because Lezyne sells spares to help keep it running.

It is, however, quite fiddly and not the fastest to assemble and deploy, especially if you do need to make use of the valve core tool. Still, the trade-off is better valve protection, a long lifespan and easy portability, so as long as you’re not relying on it in high-pressure situations (pun semi-intended), it’s well worth it.