Getting your suspension set up properly is vital to getting the most from your bike's performance potential. One vital step in that is getting a correct sag figure. For most modern mountain bike shocks, that means adjusting the air pressure inside the spring – and to do that you'll need a shock pump. Compared with a normal tyre pump, most shock pumps are designed to reach up to 300psi without straining a muscle or busting a seal.
Shock pumps are something traditionally given for free with the purchase of a full-suspension mountain bike or aftermarket suspension product. However, we’ve recently seen a trend for bikes to no longer include them and so thought it was time to find out which is best.
Components of a shock pump
Gauge
This is one of the more important elements of a shock pump, as you’ll need to know what pressure you’re putting in, in order to set yourself a baseline for adjustment. Of course, it's vital that you use the sag measurement – how far the suspension compresses with just your bodyweight on the bike – to set up your shocks initially, but knowing how much air you need to get there makes the whole process much more repeatable.
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It’s here that small gauges fall short, because they can be hard to read and the general size of the needle and print can cause an error in desired pressure. “There will always be some variability in how the gauge is read from person to person," Kappius Components' president Brady Kappius tells us. "And for this, a digital gauge increases the precision.”
It’s commonly said that the gauges on shock pumps only offer accuracy to within 3-5%, and so for repeatable results it's best to use the same shock pump each time.
Body
Handle
Hose
Valve head
Bleed valve
How we tested
Syncros SP1.0 Digital shock pump
RockShox High Pressure Digital shock pump
Birzman Zacoo Macht shock pump
Topeak PocketShock DXG
Lezyne Shock Drive
RockShox High Pressure 600psi
Topeak Shock ‘n Roll
RockShox High Pressure 300psi shock pump
Birzman Zacoo Salut shock pump
DT Swiss shock pump
Fox shock pump (old)
Key details
Conclusion
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