Review: Lezyne’s Digital Check Drive is a new standalone tyre pressure gauge

Just how important is it to set your tyres to the right pressure? According to Wil, it is VERY important, and it can make a huge difference to how your bike rides on the trail. In a quest to find the best tool for the job, Wil and the gang have tested out six different tyre pressure gauges. Next up is the Digital Check Drive from Lezyne.

The newest gauge on test here, the Digital Check Drive is, perhaps surprisingly, Lezyne’s first standalone pressure gauge. Known for producing a huge range of pumps, tools, lights and GPS computers, Lezyne has been doing the digital pressure thing for a wee while now, with a digital readout integrated into some of its floor and mini-pump models, as well as the brilliant Digital Shock Drive that won a Singletrack Recommended Award.

Taking that same technology and packing it into the compact, pen-shaped Digital Check Drive, Lezyne now has a purpose-built tyre pressure gauge.

Since it uses the same mechanism as Lezyne’s own shock pump, the Digital Check Drive will measure up to 350psi – perhaps a little over the top for mountain bike tyres. Despite its enormous upper limit though, Lezyne states the gauge is accurate to +/- 1 psi across the entire 0-350 psi range. Certainly in our testing at pressures between 15-25 psi, the Digital Check Drive proved to be highly accurate, and just as good as the EVT and Fabric gauges.

A small rubber button turns the gauge on or off, and hitting the same button will alternate between psi and bar units. Worth noting here is that the Digital Check Drive is entirely silent – there are none of the irritating beeps that you get with some other digital pressure gauges.

The vertical LCD display only displays the psi reading to the nearest whole number though. So if the gauge is reading 16.4 psi inside, the display will simply read 16 psi. That may be bothersome to really fussy riders, but I only ever set pressure to the nearest whole number anyway, so it hasn’t bothered me.

Made from machined alloy and plastic, the Digital Check Drive is a good-looking piece of kit – as it should be for nearly 50 quid. The gold anodized seal head is reversible, allowing it to cover both Presta and Schrader valves. But unlike Lezyne’s mini-pumps, which use a threaded hose that can sometimes de-core valves when you’re removing the pump from the tyre, the seal head on the Digital Check Drive is thankfully a much simpler press-fit affair. After inflating your tyre, just turn the gauge on, press it onto the valve, and it’ll display the current air pressure inside. A small bleed button up at the seal head allows you to gradually remove air to achieve the desired setting.

Overall

A very neat and well-made pressure gauge that has proven accurate, and features an easy-to-read display. It’s one of the more expensive gauges on test, and some may be bothered that the display only reads to the nearest whole psi, but for ease of use and repeatability, this is an excellent choice.

Review Info