Under pressure! 15 shock pumps in review

SKS SAM

At first glance, the SKS SAM looks a bit cheap despite using high-quality materials. It’s quite bulky, very heavy and has a rather short hose for its size. In practice, it’s user-friendly and unlike Topeak and Syncros, you won’t get any pressure loss if you forget to unscrew the control ring. However, it’s quite difficult to turn when pressurised. Similarly, the resistance when pumping at pressures above 200 psi is also very high. On the flip side, the SKS SAM only requires very few strokes to get to the required pressure.

The rotary pressure release knob works perfectly. Also praiseworthy is the precision of the gauge. We would recommend the SKS SAM only for home use on forks/hardtails instead of carrying it in your backpack on the trail, or as your only shock pump.

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