There are many things you need to carry with you when going on a mountain bike ride such as water, food, tools and so on but one very important item that is a must for any type of ride is a portable pump. If you get a flat tire and are miles away then it will not be a fun walk back to the car. Even if you have your spare inner tube it won't do you any good without a way to pump it up.

Lezyne HP Drive Tire Pump Reviewed by Preston Mason Review Date: 03/16/2013 Product Ratings

There are many brands of portable pumps to choose from and of course you can go with the Co2 method of filling your tires but sometimes the canisters can fail or if you are out then you are out... of luck. This is why having a pump with you at all times is a must and choosing the right pump is important as well.

Lezyne makes a wide variety of bike pumps varying in size, materials and features. In this review we are going to discuss the Lezyne HP Drive pump which is one of their lower cost pumps. The HP Drive pump will cost you around $30 which is not too expensive considering they also have pumps that can run you $100!

The HP Drive is made out of aluminum and plastic and weighs in at 77 to 90 grams depending on the size which makes it a fairly light pump compared to others. Even though it's pretty well made it can feel a little cheap but that's partially because of how light it is. It's pretty compact as well so fitting it in your backpack should not be a problem.

The pump has a maximum pressure of 120psi | 8.3bar which is plenty for mountain bike tires since they usually max out around 50psi and most people fill theirs to around 35-40psi. One nice feature of the pump is its Air Bleed System which allows you to release the pressure in the host before taking it off the valve stem to avoid damage to Presta valve stems. The twin chuck design allows this pump to work with Presta and Schrader valve stems. It does this by using a removable hose that you can flip around depending on what type of valve stem you need and then it goes the extra step of screwing onto the valve stem itself for a secure fit. This can be a little tricky and it works better if you screw the hose on to the valve stem first and then on to the pump otherwise it's hard to line it up straight with the threads. The last thing you want to do is strip the threads on the pump or valve stem.

We tested out this pump and found that it does a pretty good job when pumping up a flat tube but the closer you get to filling it up all the way the harder it is to finish the job. It seems like it takes more pumping near the end of the fill process and can take a little work to get the higher pressure you may need in your tube.

Another issue we had was getting the right fit when screwing the hose to a Presta valve stem. It took a couple of times of taking it on and off and adjusting how much the head of the valve stem itself was unscrewed to get it to pump. But we think that after getting used to the pump this process will become easier. Here are what we feel are the pros and cons of the Lezyne HP Drive pump.

Pros

• Inexpensive
• Lightweight
• Fills the tube quickly
• Fits Presta and Schrader valves
• Air Bleed System (ABS)

Cons

• Feels a little cheap
• Could be easier to get the hose on the valve stem
• Filling slows down as the tube gets more full

Overall the pump works pretty well and pumps up the tube quicker than many other pumps, especially at the beginning of the pump cycle. I wouldn't use it for your only pump since it doesn't replace the pumping power of a floor pump and doesn't have a pressure gauge either which is a must. But for flat repair out on the trail it should be fine for most people. It also comes in a black or silver finish to suit your "style" needs. If you want to get a higher priced model and get extra features such as CNC machined aluminum parts there are other models to choose from.

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