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Lezyne Steel Travel Floor Drive

8
£44.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Compact pump for a quick pre-ride tyre check but stashability has drawbacks
Weight: 
1,090g
Contact: 
www.upgradebikes.co.uk

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Like many cyclists, my Sunday mornings usually involve packing the car in the pre-dawn chill en route to the far corners of the country for some race or other. I'd dearly like a van but I have to make do with a 10-year-old Corsa packed to the gunnels with bike, spare wheels, tools and enough food to survive a minor environmental disaster. Space, it goes without saying, is at a premium, and this is where the Lezyne Travel Floor Drive comes in.

It's like a normal floor pump, only smaller and it can be laid flat. As with all of Lezyne's tools, the build quality is top notch, making for a smooth action. The wooden handle sits nicely in the hands and adds a touch of class to the whole ensemble.

The pump head is Lezyne's ABS equipped 'Flip-Thread Chuck' which you screw onto the valve stem itself, guaranteeing a secure seal. The ABS bit refers to a small button which releases the pump hose pressure when you want to unscrew the head from the valve. This makes it less likely that you'll accidentally end up unscrewing your presta removable valve core or valve extender – a common complaint with the previous non-ABS quipped pump head. Whilst it's certainly more fiddly and time consuming to use than the more common push-on style pump head, it's also much more secure – there's no chance of the whole thing blowing off at high pressures. Reversing the pump head makes the pump Schrader-compatible too so you aren't just limited to road tubes.

The pressure gauge is a neat analogue affair which reacts nicely to each individual pump without any decay between strokes. Although I can't confirm its accuracy, it has remained consistent throughout the test period which is what matters anyway. The quoted max pressure of 160 psi is attainable although you're going to have to work for it once you get over 120 psi. Dedicated trackies might want to look at something more substantial such as the Floor Drive range. For more standard road pressures though, the Travel Drive works just fine with a fairly linear pressure increase of 3 psi per full stroke.

Although you definitely give away some stroke volume to bigger pumps, I can't really say that it made much difference in use. At a push, I managed to get some tubeless mountain bike tyres to seat using the Travel Floor Drive provided I prepped the tyre nicely beforehand.

So what (if any) are the concessions made to produce such a small form?

First of all: height. Be prepared to have to bend over slightly more than usual, so if you've got a dodgy back, it's probably best to leave this one alone.

Coupled with this is the short hose length of the Travel Drive. The hose itself screws into the handle via the pump head which makes for a clean looking unit but means that the hose is only as long as the pump. In use, your valves need to be at the bottom of the wheel as any rotation past 30 degrees of bottom centre is simply unreachable. And that's with the bike on the ground - forget about pumping up tyres with the bike on a workstand. Although it might seem like a minor inconvenience, this is perhaps the greatest reason to question its use as an everyday pump.

Speaking of the hose, I found the process of threading it into the handle somewhat fiddly as the hose was only just long enough to reach. A minor annoyance, but something you'd expect to be a bit slicker on a pump at this price.

You only get one footrest as the gauge takes up space on the other side of the pump, but stability was never really an issue.

Onto the question of value now. Whilst the quality of construction is undeniable, the fact of the matter remains that £45 is an awful lot to spend on a pump that will only be used for a couple of minutes on a Sunday morning. At a push, you could get away with using it as an everyday pump in which case the price tag becomes more justifiable.

Verdict

Compact pump for a quick pre-ride tyre check but stashability has drawbacks.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Lezyne Steel Travel Floor Drive

Size tested: Black

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?

Here's what Lezyne have to say about it:

"A compact floor pump with all the capabilities of a full-size floor pump at half the size. Made with a steel barrel and piston, varnished wood handle, aluminum base, and Composite Matrix connectors. ABS Flip-Thread Chuck and premium-grade rubber hose makes this pump compatible with Presta and Schrader valves. Included Speed Chuck makes pump compatible with disc wheels. The 1.5" gauge is compact and precise. The steel barrel is painted, keeping this pump stylish."

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

SIZE:508mm H x 190mm W x 60mm D

COLOR:Gloss Black

MAX:160psi | 11bar

WEIGHT:1.1kg / 2.4lbs

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

As always, a quality product from Lezyne. There's no play at all in the pump action and the whole thing just feels sturdy without weighing a tonne. The varnished wood handle is a nice touch. I did find the pump head to be a bit fiddly to screw into the handle though.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

For its size, the Travel Drive delivers quite a punch. The ability to lay it flat is a bit of a revelation when packing, stupid as is sounds. Unfortunately, its size lets it down for more everyday use.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

A quality product that should last a long time.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
9/10

Significantly lighter than a standard floor pump.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Given its limited range of use, the Travel Drive takes a bit of a hit here.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The smooth pump action and quality pressure gauge.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Short hose length.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? If I raced every weekend and had the money - yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 20  Height: 190cm  Weight: 70kg

I usually ride: Giant TCR Advanced 2  My best bike is: Canyon Ultimate CF7

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, sportives, mtb,

 

For 5 years, racing was my life and I went all the way from a newbie bonking after 40 miles, to a full-timer plying my trade on the Belgian kermesse scene. Unfortunately, the pro dream wasn't meant to be and these days, you're more likely to find me bimbling about country lanes and sleeping in a bush on the side of the road.

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2 comments

Avatar
jackh | 11 years ago
0 likes

I have the non-travel version of the Lezyne Steel Floor drive, can recommend it whole-heartedly. Best pump I've ever had by a long way, especially like the screw-on pump head.

I agree this is a little pricey, but if it's what you need I'm sure its a great buy.

Avatar
Eddy_Tupper | 11 years ago
0 likes

I got one to take abroad with me. This weighs 8oog rather than the 3Kg that my SKS pump weighs.
My plan was to put it in my bike bag for traveling an then leave it in the boot of the car for races.
Very well made bit of kit but a bit of a luxury.

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