Lezyne's CNC Travel Drive pump is a strange little creature: it's compact enough to stuff easily into a bike travel case, is more durably constructed than many full-sized floor pumps and, in some instances, works better. It's not ideal as an everyday inflator but if frequent travel is your norm, there's no better way to go.
Key to the CNC Travel Drive's easy portability is its relatively compact and flat form factor. There's just one foot support, the entire package is 51cm tall, 19cm wide, and 7cm thick (20x7.5x2.76in), and even the machined aluminum handle is decidedly stubby – no bigger than an original Silca track pump, in fact. We easily packed it into a half-sized Ritchey Breakaway soft-sided travel case, but a hard-sided S&S one – or any full-sized container – would be no problem, either.
At our destination, the CNC Travel Drive wasn't a bad little pump to use, either. While riders of even average height will find it rather short, it still takes a reasonable 34 strokes to inflate a standard 700x23c road tire to 100psi, or 58 to get 30psi into a 26x2.1in mountain bike tire.
Lezyne also fits the pump with its latest 'ABS' screw-on chuck. It's just as enviably secure as before, and still easily reversible for Presta and Schrader valves. But there's now a pressure release button to prevent inadvertent core removal. Simply push the button once you're done inflating and all the pressure in the pump and hose is gone, allowing for much freer head removal than with pre-ABS versions.
As brilliant as the CNC Travel Drive is for occasional holiday use (or for keeping in the back of your car), it's still a compromise. That single-footed, flat form factor isn't all that stable, the aluminum handle isn't terribly ergonomic and it's quite expensive.
Moreover, while the Travel Drive has proven impressively durable (what with its near 100-percent, rebuildable aluminum construction) it's also a little heavy at 862g. This adds precious weight to a case that is often already on the edge of airline regulations.
The single-footed aluminum base is sturdy but not all that stable