Lezyne Alloy Floor Drive Pump

Comments about LEZYNE Alloy Floor Drive Pump:

1st time trying out tubular tire set-up. Ran into issue with tire pressure, since they have a max pressure fo 200psi. Current pump maxed out at 160psi. This surpasses that easily to I believe 220. I was also impressed that there was no hinge to secure to the tire. You just screw the tip to the valve and screw it off. Fits great

Comments about LEZYNE Alloy Floor Drive Pump:

Just took delivery of the Lezyne alloy pump after reviewing countless dual valve pumps from Topeak, Joe Blow, Silpa, and Specialized to name a few. Needed to inflate tires for a Specialized Roubaix road bike (Presta) as well as the wife's Giant Sedona recreational bike (Schrader). Decided on the Lezyne unit after reading too many busted Presta valve comments in addition to longevity issues using other universal head designs. The Lezyne pump difference is that the head must be unscrewed and reversed depending on whether your running Presta (road) valves or Schrader (auto tire) valves. Although it's something you need to remember, the resulting inconvenience of remembering to flip the attachment is not a major dealbreaker for me when weighed against the inconvenience of busted Presta valves. First impressions, wow this is one gorgeously machined pump(both wood in the handles and the alloy housing of the pump itself). [...] Whoever did the wood lathe finishing of the handles took great pride in its finish. The alloy housing is similarly gorgeous, almost too pretty to just throw it in the back of the trunk where it can get all scratched up. Unit also comes with an attachment to inflate basketballs and other sports equipment. At any rate, after you get over the shininess of the unit and unclasp the pump's inflation hose, the hose is plenty long enough to reach the wheels of a bike hooked up to a seat clasping maintenance stand. Pressure gauge appears to be accurate and goes as high as 220 psi. I bought the alloy version vs. the steel Lezyne version because of the higher max psi (steel version is 160psi) with the thinking that in general, higher rated tools will be easier to manually inflate medium pressure ranges (I'm a Mechanical Engineer by education and this generally appears to be true in many cases). Pressure gauge markings are small and difficult to read in low light conditions (i.e. dawn or dusk in the garage). This is clearly a design constraint because the alloy version pumps to 220 psi and requires smaller markings to reflect it on a dial size shared with the Lezyne steel units. I may add some fluorescent tape to mark the 120 and 60 psi parts of the gauge to assist with this. Now on to the pumping results!I'll break my review into 2 parts: 1 for the Presta (road bike), 1 for the Schrader valve (recreational bike):1. Presta valve review:Presta attachment screwed on perfectly, pump action wasn't too bad to get me up to 120psi - although the tire pressure doesn't actually register until you prime the pump with an initial pump. I was partially expecting the pump to register a pressure reading as soon as I connected the inflation hose to the valve itself. No bleed off valve in the event that you over inflate past target, so that part is a bit of a pain to unscrew and depress the valve and then rescrew the pump back on the valve to dial in the tire pressures just right. 2. Schrader valve review:Valve took a little bit extra fit time to screw on - initially it screwed on in such a way that there was a leak in between where the chuck attaches directly to the inflation hose. After unscrewing, and then reattaching, the fit seemed to be fine. Pumped up to 60 psi with no issue - oddly it seemed like it took more pumping strokes to pump up a recreational bike tire then it did the road bike even though the bike pressure is way lower. At any rate, same drawbacks as the road valve review above in the event of over inflation. A bit less pain to unscrew, depress valve, and dial in tire pressure perfectly compared to the Presta valve due to me being more comfortable with adjusting auto tire pressures. Now oddly, when I tried to unscrew the hose from the Scrader valve, the unscrew action gave me a bit of difficulty to separate (something with the way the chuck loosening from the valve caused it to loosen from the connection that attaches to the inflation hose). Not sure why this didn't occur with the Presta/road valve so this may just be a newbie error on my part. I'll post a follow up review after having some more time with the unit. FINAL CONCLUSION: Gorgeous dedicated pump for road bikes with Presta valves and recreational bikes with Schrader valves with no fear of damaging either valves during connection. Pumps easily, simple design means fewer parts that may fail over time.

Comments about LEZYNE Alloy Floor Drive Pump:

I just got this pump, so here are first impressions: The screw-on head is far superior to anything else I've seen because it's quick to attach and puts no stress on the valve stem. Extremely easy to use with presta valves (only one I tried). The o-ring seals the head to the valve with very little force(don't tighten too far - it won't hurt it, but starts leaking because the o-ring is pushed past the landing on the valve). It's easy to pump to 130 psi, and appears to be durable.

Comments about LEZYNE Alloy Floor Drive Pump:

I have been through many pumps. They all contain too much plastic in all the wrong places. This pump is the best I have tried.
You can spend less on another pump, but I bet you'll be buying several more before you meet the life of this Lezyne unit.

Comments about LEZYNE Alloy Floor Drive Pump:

This floor pump is an example of non-working art and lousy service. The pump pressure gauge assembly male brass threads did not engage the female threads in the pump base. The pump did not produce any pressure. I contacted the warranty service department with phone call and e-mail describing the issue and attached all pump information with the pictures of defective parts. The serviceman appeared to understand the issue, however he sent the hand pump intead of floor pump. I called the factory and serviceman appologized for mix-up and promised to send the floor pump. I mailed the hand pump back to the factory. Upon the receipt of the hand pump at the factory the serviceman asked why I didn't return the pump to the store, even though he instructed me to return the pump to the factory. He didn't know what to do. I explained that he sent the wrong pump that should be replaced with floor pump. He became very annoyed and told me twice that Lezyne has bigger fish to fry than my floor pump. So far I didn't receive any replacement pump and have returned the mistaken hand pump at my own shipping expense. I do not recommend to deal with Lezyne products that need better part control and personnel that need major improvement in custumer relations.

Comments about LEZYNE Alloy Floor Drive Pump:

This is a beautifully built pump. It is the modern incarnation of what a Silca should be. However, there is a very fine line between it working perfectly and not at all. The head (I have only tried presta) simply does not actuate the valve on the majority of tubes I have tried. It's not simply a matter of screwing the head down far enough vs too far. What happens is that you need to screw it down far enough to 1. actuate the valve, 2. seal the o-ring, and 3. Not over-run that seal you just achieved. Not every presta valve stem is built the same and different brands (and different manufacturing runs within a brand) all come out different. Some work with this pump, and others do not. For me, this pump was a relatively expensive waste of money, especially aggravating because I have never had a single problem with my Lezyne hand pump. Go figure.

Comments about LEZYNE Alloy Floor Drive Pump:

Ignore the reviews of people who don't know how to use a pump (or replace a defective pump) and complain publicly rather than learn. This pump is well-designed for its application, precisely manufactured and incidentally exquisite. It moves air inside tubes at high pressure better than anything else I've used. It's on the verge of replacing my Silca pump and that's saying something.
Some hints:
1) Schrader valves are for low-pressure applications like cars, refrigerators and fat-tire bikes. Their core is spring-assisted to keep in gas. Presta valves are for bicycle tires. There is no spring. The core is held closed by a captive nut during use and by back-pressure during inflation. At no time does, or should, a pump head "actuate the valve". Gas pressure alone "actuates" the valve. All the head need do is seal to the stem which this pump accomplishes with precise female threads and an O-ring. Engaging two turns, just enough to seal, does the job easily, effectively and without endangering the valve.
2) Presta valves have two dissimilar external threads. First is for a cap, second extends to the base for a locknut against the rim. Between the two is often an unthreaded recessed land. The chuck O-ring will follow the first threads but of course not seal to them. Engaging the chuck's female threads behind the O-ring pushes it over the lower, larger-diameter threads effecting its seal. All you need do is turn until the O-ring crosses the land and engages the locknut thread. If by some chance you can't do that, flip the head over and screw on a Schrader adapter. I've even used this head with an unthreaded Presta valve; it seals to that as well as any friction-fit pump.

My only worry with this pump is durability. Aluminum isn't steel and floor pumps can get knocked about. A dent in the tube could obviate the pump's high pressure capability. I'll bolt the base to a big broad board, encase the tube in foam pipe insulation and store it gingerly, but as with most tools the real answer is steel. The clever hose storage solution depends on hose of the exact length and elasticity supplied. Not one of my other pumps still has its original hose. The Schrader chuck incorporates plastic (though I doubt I'll ever use this pump on a Schrader valve). The Presta chuck as well as a couple of other critical seals depends on an O-ring, which lasts forever in compression but far less long repeatedly threaded onto metal. (There's no perfect answer to dynamic sealing; resilient materials have a lifespan. I think I'm on my Silca's 6th chuck gasket, second leather plunger gasket, and the check valve gasket is pretty frayed.) On the other hand, there's no worry about that Lezyne handle!
The gauge is accurate by independent measure, and good thing, too. It would be child's play to blow up a tire with this pump and by blow up I mean overinflate and burst. You can't count on resistance or fatigue warning you; a few easy strokes will take you into the danger zone. You need to know what's best for your riding situation (often < maximum) and you need to watch the gauge. The real advantage of this pump is in reducing the temptation to ignore tire pressure to avoid the hassle and effort of pumping. Exact tire pressure makes a big difference.

Comments about LEZYNE Alloy Floor Drive Pump:

I use this everyday and it is a solid performer. The only complaint is the swivel at the chuck which allows the chuck to be installed without the hose binding. The swivel is metal on both sides and it binds on itself making it difficult to install/remove on the valve stem. This should be re-engineered. This is a durable pump that works effortlessly when installed.

Comments about LEZYNE Alloy Floor Drive Pump:

I wanted to buy a decent bike pump that was not plastic. We have gone through 3 bike pumps and they were all made of plastic. Finally a well made product! My husband who is very picky was impressed with my purchase. :) Thanks REI!

Comments about LEZYNE Alloy Floor Drive Pump:

Feels well tooled with a smooth action. Easily pumps up to 120 psi or greater if you want. Nice alloy tube with a hard wood handle. Looks good as well working well. My first, and maybe last, floor pump.