from Rookie’s Keyboard
Yesterday, I saw something I never thought I’d see…..certainly not in a bike repair center. Some dude was about to inflate an air suspension fork with a floor pump.
When I saw that, my fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms. I could feel the heat rising in my chest, a fire ignited by this employee’s ignorance.
“You think this is a joke,” my inner voice screamed.
So, I decided to to take matter into my hands and said “No!”
Here’s the deal fellas – a floor pump cannot pump shocks because it operates with a high volume/low-pressure cylinder and cannot even reach the high PSI needed by shocks.
The result is inaccuracy and ineffective control of the air in the shock. Just get a dedicated shock pump. You paid 100s for the shock. Don’t smoke for 2 days and buy a damn pump.
More Info
- High Volume + Lack of Precision
Floor pumps are designed for tires and thus operate with a much greater volume per stroke than shock pumps.
The air chamber of a shock is very small and a floor pump will overfill it. You will lose the ability to accurately set the pressure of the shock.
In different, shock pumps operate with a much smaller volume per stroke and allow the rider to make finer adjustments to the pressure.
- Air Loss Upon Chuck Removal
Shock pumps come with a screw-on attachment which creates an airtight seal before the valve of the shock is even opened.
During removal, the seal closes before the hose of the pump is removed. This is done to bring the loss of air to a minimum.
Most floor pumps operate with a clip-on valve. Some air is lost during the removal of the hose. This isn’t a big deal when dealing with tires because they have a lot of volume. But when it comes to shocks, the loss of air could lead to a noticeable change.
- No Bleed Valve
Shock pumps have a bleed valve that allows the user to reduce the air pressure of the shock with the press of a single button without removing the pump.
Floor pumps do not come with this option. The only way to reduce the pressure is to remove the pump and press the valve of the shock. This method is not only inaccurate but also inconvenient.
- Low Pressure
Some floor pumps operate at fairly low pressure and may not even reach the high PSI needed by a shock.
- Short Hose
Floor pumps are designed to be placed on the ground and then used to inflate the tires. The length of the hose is based on this usage. As a result, the hose isn’t long enough to reach the front suspension shock unless you elevate the pump or hold it.
- Too Big
Shock pumps are compact and can be taken on a ride without too much inconvenience. This is useful for people who are in the process of finding their preferred suspension settings.
Conversely, floor pumps are large and designed for use in the shop or at home. That said, you can still bring one with you if you use a car to reach the trails.
Damage?
A floor pump is unlikely to damage a shock by itself. However, it prevents the user from getting the shock accurately adjusted.
One of air shocks’ main advantages is that they are highly customizable/adaptable.
By relying on a shock pump for adjusting the settings, you won’t be able to benefit from this property.
Hybrid Pumps
There are also hybrid hand pumps that can operate in two modes:
- High Pressure + Low Volume (for shock pumping)
- Low Pressure + High Volume (for tire pumping)
There’s a mechanism that allows the user to switch from a narrow cylinder (high pressure/low volume setting) to a wide cylinder (low pressure/high volume).
As a result, the pump can be used to inflate not only shocks but tires too.
Hybrid models are usually fine for pumping shocks but a bit slow when it comes to tires. Therefore, if you have a hybrid or a road bike in addition to an MTB, you may need a separate pump because road tires operate at a much higher pressure that would be difficult to reach with a suboptimal pump.
Until next time
– Rookie
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