It is a very beautiful pump. It is hard for a non cyclist to understand the reinforcing use of the adverb ‘very’ when describing anything other than women or sunsets as beautiful. Lezyne are a relatively new company, whose high-end products have been seeping into the shelves and the screens of the cycle trade. They have the classical image we want to own. Clean lines, solid, retro. Out of the bag, you are filled with a smile. The wooden handle sits nicely into the palm giving the feel of luxury and style. The ancestry shouts of the Silica pump I got for Christmas in 1987.
The main body of the ‘Steel Drive’ is a machined metal shaft is firmly secured into a cast, then CNCed aluminium base. The pump feet themselves are nicely tapered and sit opposing the pump force underfoot for a very steady action. The gauge is clear and wouldn’t look out of place in the dash of a 1960 Mercedes sl. If a pump can be beautiful then this is.
The valve connection is screw-on only and has a smart reverse brass attachment if you need to use a car shreader connection. This is ok if you just use Vittoria tubes. But at the time of testing my race bike had a Specialized front tube and a Continental rear. The Specialized thread on the valve is different to that of the pump, so you attached it forcing the thread and the connection wouldn’t sit past 60psi. The Continental has no threads, so you now must screw on another black attachment to the brass valve (which you will lose, but it doesn’t matter because it doesn’t work) meaning you time warp back to 1987 trying to pump with your left hand and hold the valve on with your right. This is impossible on deep section wheels for all humans and I had no Orangutangs local to assist.
Pumping tyres should not be a two person job. The nice brass attachment has a black bleed button in case you over inflate (Perhaps Stop pumping earlier!?) Which it is impossible to hold on to a valve without depressing- Making me depressed. Why would anyone design in a bleed valve in the exact position where your thumb needs to unscrew?
Even when I attached the pump to test stroke count to 8 bar in a 23mm tub, it blew back – rocketing the handle skyward into my chest. Not good with valve extensions.
It is hard to hate something so beautiful but I don’t like this floor pump. It does give a certain style to my bike shed. The Lezyne is a well made pump that will last, but the reality is electric windows on a submarine. It sits there all, full of promise, like a race horse missing a hoof. Just a small detail but essential if it is to work properly.
My old, cracked, plastic BBB pump lives on.
Rating
[skillwrapper type=”bar”] [skill title_background=”#f7a53b” bar_foreground=”#f7a53b” bar_background=”#eeeeee” percent=”50″ title=”Without quick fit valve”] [skill title_background=”#6adcfa” bar_foreground=”#6adcfa” bar_background=”#eeeeee” percent=”70″ title=”With a quick fit valve”] [/skillwrapper]For: Construction quality
Against: Low stroke volume and that daft valve connection.
