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Got my first set of Rock Shock's and need to pump them up. Can anyone recommend a good value shock pump, or are they much of a muchness? I quite like buying tools, so if there is a good reason to spend a bit more I'm all ears, but they all look suspiciously similar when i do a bit of googling.
I have a few shock pumps, the ones that come with a new pair of forks, like Rockshox etc.
The standard ones are all much the same with a simple dial pressure gauge.
Just bought a bling shox pump though, as I like the pressure to be more accurate and precise.
Syncros sp 1 digital is probably the most well respected shox pump you can buy, so I now have one.
If you are stuck for a standard Rockshox shock pump, drop me a pm.
Yours for the postage and a donation to this site , or charity.
+1 for the Syncros digital. Not cheap but worth it
Why do people think digital = more accurate?
J
Why do people think digital = more accurate?
it reads to .01 psi so it must be more accurate.
That's precisely the reason..
Doesnt mean it reads pressure accurately. Could just mean its wrong to .01 psi.
Just makes it easier for people who cant read dials, instead of having to work out what half way between 60 and 70 is it just tells you 😉
Digital resolves better, so if you must have 56.6 psi, at least you'll be able to replicate it
Resolution means nothing when they're usually way off calibration.
Consistency is key though. So long as it pumps to the same. In the case of a shock, not even that. Just measure on sag and pump enough that sag is right.
Only one I need accuracy on is Reverb, which must be exactly 250psi.
In that note, some of the pumps are a struggle to get up that high. Stock Fox pump dial went to 300, but was hard to get to the 250psi. Then it started to die and leaked as pumping.
Ditched and got a Rockshox which looks very similar but works. I think they're mostly all made in the same place. Amazon chucked in a 600psi high pressure pump as an add on for a couple of quid.
A digital display is more repeatable.
Even if it is not absolutely accurate, the repeatability of the same pressure is easier to read.
The dial type pressure gauge can be quite variable due to the angle you look at it etc.
Expensive though, but once bought it will last a long time.
I needed an emergency one a few months back. Went to Halfords and got an unbranded Bikehut one for under £15. Not as fancy or expensive as some others but worked fine for me.
I bought a standard RS shock pump second hand off here, which seems fine.
I just set mine according to sag distance, rather than PSI, you have to carefully get on and off the bike a few times and measure a few times to get an average.
My fork ends up about 120psi, and i don't think it will make any difference whether it's 118psi or 122psi, so digital isn't really nessesary.
I use a digital guage for my tyres though, as a couple of psi drop means the difference between getting snake bites or not.
One of the things I would look for if I were buying a new shock pump is the ability for it not to allow air to escape from the shock as you unscrew it. I recall this was the claim once made by Topeak for one/some of its shock pumps (or at least to minimise the pressure loss on removal).
I currently have a Specialized one which is about 10 years old and this pressure loss is the main annoyance for me. I've just stuck with the pump but over-inflate then use a pressure gauge to release a air and set the final pressure when I want to be super accurate and need a repeatable figure.
It's good having a very accurate gauge on the pump but if it all goes to pot when you remove the pump from the valve it's a bit of a waste of money if you're paying a premium for it.
Thanks for all the replies ~ I went and brought a Topeak one in the end as I was desperate to get out in the sun yesterday and got a decent deal on it so I'll see how i get on with it.
Denis99 - many thanks for your offer, though.