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Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive

6
£139.99

VERDICT:

6
10
Easy tubeless inflation and solid build quality but expensive and not as nice to use as a regular track pump
Weight: 
2,440g

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The Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive pump makes installing and inflating tubeless-specific tyres a cinch with a big, clear LCD pressure gauge, but it's way more expensive than buying a standalone tubeless air tank inflator and separate track pump. It's also annoying to use as just a track pump on a day to day basis.

Tubeless tyres are slowly gaining more popularity in the road cycling market, but installation can sometimes be tricky with regular pumps. Lezyne's new Digital Pressure Over Drive tackles the issue by using two chambers. The large one you fill up with air – up to 140psi usually works a treat but it's rated to 220psi – and release this via a foot lever into the tyre in one continuous rush of air sufficient to inflate even the most stubborn tubeless tyres.

> Find your nearest dealer here

The Over Drive is solidly built and feels reassuringly hefty. The base ensures it's planted during use, even on uneven ground, and the wooden handle makes it comfy to use and as ergonomic as it gets. On top of the barrel is a digital gauge with an on/off button that clearly shows pressure. It's powered by a coin cell battery that has not gone flat in several months of testing.

Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive - handle.jpg

As I said, there are two barrels, a regular track pump skinny barrel and the second much larger chamber used to store air. The foot lever at the base of the pump – push it up to contain air in the chamber, press it down to release the air – is a nice idea, but it's not quite as easy to execute as I feel it could be, and it's a little tricky to hook your shoe over the edge.

Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive - foot.jpg

On the end of the generously long hose is Lezyne's ABS2 chuck, which is compatible with Presta and Schrader valves; you simply push it onto the valve and ensure the outer aluminium sleeve is popped up to lock the head onto the valve. It stays firmly in place without any problems. There's a small bleed valve on the chuck so you can set your desired pressure.

Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive - valve head.jpg

Going some way to offset the high cost is the fact that it also doubles up as a regular track pump, so if you're also looking to invest in a track pump as well as a tubeless inflator, it might be a good option. To use as a regular track pump, make sure the foot lever is placed in its lower position, and pump away.

Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive - .jpg

You do, however, have to fill the large chamber first, so there's a delay before the pressure starts increasing in the tyre because the chamber has to reach the same pressure as the tyre. Then, when you pull the chuck off the valve you get a massive rush of air from the second chamber of air, which is a tad noisy and annoying. It's useable, but not as pleasant an experience or as quick as a regular standalone track pump.

> Buyer's Guide: The best track pumps

If you've already got a track pump, you'd do well to save yourself a big wad of cash and look at the Airshot or Beto tubeless inflators. Each costs around £50 and is easy to use, and leaves you with a track pump that is potentially nicer to use on a daily basis.

The Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive is beautifully made and inflates even the most stubborn tubeless tyre. I've tested it with multiple road, mountain bike and cyclo-cross tubeless tyres with excellent results. But it's very expensive and slightly flawed as a regular pump, though it certainly works. If money is no object and you have a lot of tubeless tyres to manage, the Digital Pressure Over Drive has a lot going for it.

Verdict

Easy tubeless inflation and solid build quality but expensive and not as nice to use as a regular track pump

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive

Size tested: N/A

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Lezyne says: "With a conjoined secondary chamber that can be manually pressurized, the Digital Pressure Over Drive floor pump is capable of conveniently seating tubeless tire systems. An integrated foot-lever opens and closes the chamber; when the chamber is full (Max. 220psi / 15 bar), flipping the lever down creates a powerful, continued blast of air that can seat road, mountain and plus-sized tubeless setups. This provides tubeless users an effective alternative to air compressors and CO2 units. Furthermore, a highly accurate digital gauge is incorporated into the pump for precision inflation when filling low- or high-pressure tires. Constructed from high-grade steel and aluminum, the Digital Pressure Over Drive is extremely durable and features an extra long, nylon-reinforced braided hose. The innovative ABS2 chuck is both Presta and shrader compatible and the system can also be used as a regular floor pump."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Lezyne lists these features:

Aluminium (barrel and base), Steel (Piston), Wood (handle)

Designed specifically for easy seating of tubeless tyres

Foot pedal activation of secondary pre-charged chamber

Can also be used as a regular floor pump

Compatible with Presta and Schrader valves

Built-in safety release to prevent over inflation

ABS-2 chuck equipped

Precision digital pressure gauge

Tough anodised high-polish finish

Maximum Pressure: 220psi/15bar

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Usual excellent Lezyne build quality.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Inflates even the most stubborn tubeless tyres.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

The metal construction has ensured it's been durable during the several months I've been testing it.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10

It's not light but it's designed as a workshop tool.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10

The wooden handle adds a nice ergonomic touch.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

It's very expensive compared to buying a regular track pump and standalone tubeless inflator.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Delivers easy tubeless installation so in that regard it meets its intended design brief.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Easy tubeless inflation.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Not so pleasant to use as a normal track pump.

Did you enjoy using the product? For installing tubeless tyres, yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Probably not.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe

Use this box to explain your score

The Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive works very well if you want an easy method of installing tubeless tyres, but for the occasional task that fitting tubeless tyres most often is, you might be better served and more cheaply by other options.

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180cm  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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3 comments

Avatar
Joaaso | 5 years ago
0 likes
Quote:

You do, however, have to fill the large chamber first, so there's a delay before the pressure starts increasing in the tyre because the chamber has to reach the same pressure as the tyre. Then, when you pull the chuck off the valve you get a massive rush of air from the second chamber of air, which is a tad noisy and annoying. It's useable, but not as pleasant an experience or as quick as a regular standalone track pump.

Just close the chamber by lifting the foot lever before you pull of the chuck. How hard can it be.. That way it also keeps the pressure until next time, so you don't have to fill the chamber first every time..

Avatar
Biggus-Dickkus | 6 years ago
0 likes

Where in this review does it quote the accuracy of the gauge/pump?

Reviewers can say all they like about track pumps but they all fail to measure the accuracy of the gauges attached to the pumps which surely is the most important thing! After all that is what riders use to set the correct tyre pressure which could be up to 10-15% out!

The major problem with all track pumps, even the most expensive is they all use cheap gauges made in China and these are massivily inaccurate.  Also just because the pump has a digital gauge doesn't make it accurate. Digital gauges are just as inaccurate as the mechanical ones, it all depends on the quality of the gauge and its manufacturing tolerance. When a review is made on any pump with a gauge the first thing that should be said is "how accurate is it?".
IMO manufacturers should be discarding gauges that are not 1% accurate. 

Avatar
EddyBerckx replied to Biggus-Dickkus | 6 years ago
0 likes
Biggus-Dickkus wrote:

Where in this review does it quote the accuracy of the gauge/pump?

Reviewers can say all they like about track pumps but they all fail to measure the accuracy of the gauges attached to the pumps which surely is the most important thing! After all that is what riders use to set the correct tyre pressure which could be up to 10-15% out!

The major problem with all track pumps, even the most expensive is they all use cheap gauges made in China and these are massivily inaccurate.  Also just because the pump has a digital gauge doesn't make it accurate. Digital gauges are just as inaccurate as the mechanical ones, it all depends on the quality of the gauge and its manufacturing tolerance. When a review is made on any pump with a gauge the first thing that should be said is "how accurate is it?".
IMO manufacturers should be discarding gauges that are not 1% accurate. 

 

^this

 

I've commented on this before, people go on about the importance of tyre pressure yet no one knows how accurate or consistent all these pumps are.

 

invest in a proffessional tyre pressure gauge road.cc!!  3

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