Lezyne Tech Drive HP pump

Lezyne is a US company producing a wide range of tools, lights and other bike accessories, including this very nice Tech Drive HP pump. The HP stands for 'High Pressure' and the Tech Drive does exactly that: it gets your tyres up to high pressure, in an impressively short time for a mini-pump.

This pump is aimed at the road market (as opposed to the HV or high volume version for off-roaders) and, in looks, it's pretty much a conventional pump, with a shaft about 23mm in diameter and a handle about 30mm. Rather than a press-on fit, it has a separate hose to screw onto your valve and then onto the pump. When not in use, this hose is stored inside the shaft of the pump, where it's also screwed in for a 100% secure fit - a very neat touch. There are rubber caps at each end of the pump to protect the internal threads from road dirt and water.

The hose is double ended, and fits schrader or presta valves. It has a little button to press to let the pressure out of the pump when you've got your tyres up to the required psi. The Lezyne website calls this 'ABS' (Air Bleed System) and reckon using it means less chance of damage to your internal valve core when removing the hoses. To be honest, valve damage from retained pressure is not a problem I've encountered, but this feature can't harm and it adds nothing in terms of weight.

The pump's barrel, shaft and handle are made from aluminium, as are the ends of the hose, while the other bits are rubber or plastic (or 'composite matrix' as Leyzene likes to call it). Overall, the whole package feels sturdy and well-made.

To test the Tech Drive's efficiency, I counted 100 thrusts to get a 700x23 tyre up to 70psi. To get it to 100psi took a total of 150 thrusts, and I have to admit it was hard going at the end - although that's an issue with any mini-pump of this sort.

The Tech Drive HP comes in two varieties: small (with a given length of 170mm) and medium (216mm). We're testing the medium here, and it's actually 240mm long when you take into account the rubber caps at each end.

As with most mini pumps, the Tech Drive comes with a clip - also made from good old 'composite matrix' - that bolts on to your bike under a bottle cage. This grips the pump pretty firmly, and is designed to hold the handle of the pump in place, as well as the barrel. There's also an optional little strap, so you know this pump won't fall off when you cross a cattle-grid or just ride on bad roads.

The advertised weight of 103g is spot on, although you need to take account of the clip and strap which brings it up to 115g on the road.cc scales. Not the lightest pump out there, but still pretty good.

The recommended retail price is a penny shy of £25. Not cheap, when there are mini-pumps out there for about a fiver. But not expensive either when you see carbon models for 70 quid or more. So overall, it's a very fair price for the quality.

Verdict

A beautifully-engineered and highly-efficient mini-pump, with some clever features and a fair price tag.