Servo888

Story: I got tired of the soft ride that my RockShox J1 provided, and the weight of the fork. The only way to make it firmer was with a spring upgrade kit, which was impossible to find, and pricey. So I set out to find a rigid fork. While looking for deals, on the side I posted in a forum asking if anybody had cheap forks around. I got a response... Dead Manitou R7 Platinum, as is, $50. Yes! I picked up, bought a rebuild kit ($12 for a handful of rubber O-Rings ), and prayed that the SPV valve was still functioning (it was!).



Issue: I think I need a shock pump...


I modified a valve extender, which I could screw into the fork, and inflate it with my hand / foot pump. Well those two devices are great for tires, but not so much for forks... My biggest issue is that once I get to the proper psi, I can't remove the valve fast enough without some of the air escaping. So there is no way to get a precise psi into the shock.

So my questions
1) Do I really need a shock pump?
2) Can I use a shock pump to inflate a tire (efficiently)?
3) Do I need to keep a shock pump with me all the time when riding far, like I do with a regular pump?

oneredstar

1. You really do need a shock pump.
2. No, it will take forever to fill a tire with one.
3. If your fork is working properly you do not need to take it with you.

Get one because you need one. You can always go to your local bike shop and guess on the psi, but it is nice to be able to try out different psi levels on your own.

DirtPedalerB

I recently shopped for a shock pump .. why do they all go to 300 psi ???... the lowest scale on a guage I could find was 250 and it adds some additional accuracy.. all the forks/ shocks I own 150 would be the max.. just thought that was weird that they go to 300 when most products would benefit from a lower scale on the dial.

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...hock+Pump.aspx is what I ended up with.. seems you have to screw this one on more than my other pump before it engages though, which can be a problem if your product has short valves.

Manitou makes one, that has a 175 guage, but it looked like it had a short hose.

mystolenbikes

I have a fox brand shock pump and the gauge starts from 0 and goes to 300. I tried to take a picture of it but it came out blury.

DaJMasta

300 PSI is definitely overkill, but some front shocks recommend closer to 200 psi for larger people. I think I'm running 170ish right now, but if I had left it on the 130 or so it came with, I would have bottomed out a handful of times already.


No you don't absolutely need a shock pump. Yes it is MUCH easier to get any kind of PSI accuracy. No you can't use it to inflate a tire..... or at least you shouldn't. No you don't need to carry it with you.

A shock pump is a one-off and maybe check on it again kind of use item. So long as your fork doesn't leak, odds are good that it will stay properly pressurized for years regardless of your riding. Odds are your LBS has one that you can use or they can use for a nominal fee, if anything, and you would only need to ask to use it again if you think the shock feels different.

Pocko

My take on it:
A lot of the earlier air shocks used to be low-volume/high-pressure designs. Although the earlier air forks used air pressure on both legs (combined lower pressure), the rear shock units (especially combined with high ratio swingarm leverage) needed air around the 200 to 250psi mark. Some still do. In recent years, the design trend went to high-volume/low-pressure which makes a lot of sense (less problems with leaks and seal durability). I suppose the pumps remained the same.

.

kenhill3

If you have an air shock or fork, it is to your benefit to have a shock pump. In order to tune suspension, playing with different settings is the ONLY way to do so. What, go to the LBS every time you need to change settings? I think not.

It is NOT true that once pressurized, a shock will hold that air pressure for years- that simply is not true, especially for forks that have multiple air chambers. There is often small amounts of leakage.

DO NOT use a tire pump for shocks. The volume is too great and the ability to control psi is too imprecise.

bassplayinbiker

fox rear floats have a max pressure of 300 psi. Forks cant hold that kind of pressure whereas rear floats occasionally need to go up into that range.