Lezyne offers a digital pump gauge retrofit that I couldn’t resist. For $35 US one can pry out the old and thread in the new. The primary benefit for me was reading a digital scale rather than a needle on a gauge, way down there. Yes, I’m old. The new gauge reads out in single digits. The old needle gauge reads out depending on one’s eyesight and ability to see where the needle stops relative to the 2 psi marks. Houston, we have improvement.

The new Lezyne gauge also goes to 300 psi (20.6 bar)! FFS, who cares? This is a bike pump, who needs the 150 psi to 300 psi pressure? The Park and Silca both go up to 220 psi (15.2 bar) which is still 100 psi more than even track racers use. I dare a pump manufacturer to make a road pump that goes from 50 psi to 150 psi. Frank could use it as it still goes up to 150 psi and everyone else might have much more accuracy from the dial. I kid Frank.

The Lezyne digital gauge also claims a maximum 3% error which I assume means plus or minus 1.5 psi at 100 psi. Everything and I mean everything has an error associated with it and I appreciate knowing this error. Nothing is absolute, not even death. I’m not dead yet. The real question is what happens when one hooks all three of these pumps to one manifold. The Silca and the Lezyne were only off by 2 psi but I would not have been surprised to to see them off by 10. The Park and Leyzne were spot on which is reassuring because the Park gauge looks to be a very professional piece of work. Anything is accurate until one has two or more of them for comparison.

Yes, I know this last paragraph will be ignored and I should move it to the top. Should you care more about tire inflation? Yes, you should. Since not one person clicked on this link in my post about chains (yes I’m watching all of you, Google analytics knows everything), the take home message was this: Aero wheels do make a real difference in speed and tire pressure is the biggest (only?) influence on perceived “vertical compliance”/ride stiffness/road feel/comfort. With 25mm tires, one can experiment with lower pressure and not flirt too much with pinch flats. It’s just air; a very cheap way to dial in your ride.

 

Gianni

Gianni has left the building.

View Comments

  • @PeakInTwoYears

    Check out the info on November bikes site. They have a really interesting blog on wheels in which they discuss aerodynamics, tyre pressure, stiffness and so on. The Pacenti rim gets a few mentions along with their carbon rims.

  • @Ron

    @PT

    Nice floorboards by the way.

    Yes, we should have paid Gianni that compliment far earlier in this discussion.

    How quickly we forget our manners.

    Is it also possible that they are in fact, the boards of a velodrome? Or is Gianni just making a very subtle pun? Or am I over-thinking it horribly?

  • @Oli

    I’ve got a couple of decent pumps (Silca and SKS) but what used to drive me nuts was the chuck/valve interaction, so I sorted that out with this awesome Hirama pump head. If like me you ever get frustrated by poor clamping/valve security from your pump find one of these bad boys – you will not regret it.

    Mmmm, chuck porn. I second @Oli's Hirame reverence.

  • @Oli

    I’ve got a couple of decent pumps (Silca and SKS) but what used to drive me nuts was the chuck/valve interaction, so I sorted that out with this awesome Hirama pump head. If like me you ever get frustrated by poor clamping/valve security from your pump find one of these bad boys – you will not regret it.

    I love the Lezyne connecter but with all the valve extenders I use they do wear out (the threads wear out due to not going on squarely enough).

    I am going on a fucking mission to find one of those, that looks beyond fantastic.

  • @frank

    @Oli

    I’ve got a couple of decent pumps (Silca and SKS) but what used to drive me nuts was the chuck/valve interaction, so I sorted that out with this awesome Hirama pump head. If like me you ever get frustrated by poor clamping/valve security from your pump find one of these bad boys – you will not regret it.

    I love the Lezyne connecter but with all the valve extenders I use they do wear out (the threads wear out due to not going on squarely enough).

    I am going on a fucking mission to find one of those, that looks beyond fantastic.

    It's beautiful and it's a Kuwahara so it's the next best thing to having ET blow your tyres up but is it £74 worth of beautiful, alien inflation?

  • Contador spoke at the finish, calling it a very difficult day and saying he suffered a lot on the opening four hours of today's monster stage.

    He has gone down and then back up in the odds today.

  • My Hirame pump head cost US$55 from Track Supermarket and I reckon it was worth every penny.

  • @Peter

    I’ve got a Zefal Husky that is nearing 28 years old.  Took some thought to think back to when I bought it.  The presta adapter died long ago, and I’ve been using brass adapters ever since.  Other than that, it’s been a champ.  I’ve been lusting after a new digital Lezyne, but can’t justify it.  Need to think of a reason to have two pumps.  Maybe one permanently indoors for sessions on the rollers…

    In situations such as this I ask myself whether I need a good reason or just a reason. If it's the latter then one to inflate front wheels and one to inflate rear wheels would be my starting point.

  • @frank

    @Oli

    I’ve got a couple of decent pumps (Silca and SKS) but what used to drive me nuts was the chuck/valve interaction, so I sorted that out with this awesome Hirama pump head. If like me you ever get frustrated by poor clamping/valve security from your pump find one of these bad boys – you will not regret it.

    I love the Lezyne connecter but with all the valve extenders I use they do wear out (the threads wear out due to not going on squarely enough).

    I am going on a fucking mission to find one of those, that looks beyond fantastic.

    Or one of these:

  • @snowgeek

    “A man with one watch knows what time it is…

    … a man with two watches is never sure.”

    – Some Smart Guy

    Unless they both read the same time. Great quote all the same

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