I purchased my Bikehut suspension / shock absorber pump just after having bought my Kona Dawg - having an air shock absorber front (Marzocchi EXR Pro) and
rear (Fox Float R) makes this a pretty vital accessory - I have now had it about 18 months, the same as the Dawg.
The pump has a "titanium" finish, and the hose rotates by 360 degrees, which makes it easy to get in to those small gaps in full suspension frames. The main
body of the pump has a handy clip for the hose. The pump also has a bleed valve that makes it possible to full the shock with an exact amount of pressure.
Having never used a shock pump before I purchased this one, I'm unable to make a direct comparison to other shock pumps. What I can do, however, is list my
criteria and then comment on how well the product meets these criteria.
I have to admit, the most important criteria for me when choosing a shock pump was price. At the time I'd just spent rather a large amount of money on my
mountain bike, and didn't want to spend more than I had to on more accessories for it. Also important to me was convenience; it had to be available from a local shop, and
(not always a wise choice of criteria), on a Sunday afternoon. As this ruled out all of my local bike shops, it had to be Halfords - this the Hove branch, on Sackville
Road (this was the least important factor; any of the other criteria here would have outweighed it, but it was still a factor).
I've stated various times that when it comes to componentry for a bike, I won't base a decision between two models of a component on its' weight - longevity
is much more important to me, so if an item is heavier but will last longer, there's no competition. However, when it comes to a load that I have to carry on my back, weight
is more important. Therefore, the pump needed to be pretty light.
Finally, the "feel" of it had to be right - this is more to do with a feeling that the product would last, more than anything - does it look / feel like it
can be bashed around in a bag and still be called upon when needed?
So, price. Well, at £19.99, you can't really fault the price; sure there are cheaper options online, but that doesn't exactly meet the "convenience" factor.
At the time of writing, I found shock pumps on Wiggle for about £17, ex whatever postage they stick on. Not a lot of difference considering the convenience of being able to
purchase there and then.
Convenience, well, I needed the pump and Halfords had one, so full marks for that.
The Bikehut shock pump is actually very light - not sure on the actual weight, but it certainly doesn't add too much to the overall weight of the load that I
take on bike rides with me - so it's done well there too. Despite this, the pump does have a "solid" feel to it - it looks like it will last and feels like it too - which it
has done! After 18 months, most of it spent at the bottom of my riding bag, the pump is still going strong. Even the plastic cover on the pressure gauge has refused to
succumb to the rough treatment it's received.
Overall, I can't really recommend this product highly enough. It has lasted well, and I'm sure it will continue to do so, and the initial outlay was very
low. A great product!
Overall Score: 9/10
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