Submitted by
FREDERICK
a Weekend Warrior
from MASTIC BEACH, N.Y. Date Reviewed: August 27, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
nashbar
Strengths:
Silca name, extreme pumping effeciency, very comfortable wood handle, also own the Pista.
Weaknesses:
None so far.
Similar Products Used:
Basic Pista + another pump that i traded in/unloaded because of it being nearly impossible to remove chuck without tearing tube so i bought the basic Pista.
Bike Setup:
Cannondale system 6 with Rolf Elan rs wheels and selle san Marco total carbon seat, 14.9 lbs.
Bottom Line:
I cannot believe the complaints some people have logged about such a great pump. A suggestion is to squirt a small amount of silicone into the chuck and some of the valve stem, then simply SCREW the chuck on and screw it off, very simple and i never tear a tube. The super pista has amazing pumping effeciency and the wooden handle is very comfortable and looks great, no my pump does not leak air anywhere and the chuck does not blow off, etc. It's a great pump, i feel it's not being used properly, no, i do not work for silca, yes the gauge would be better positioned higher but i will live with it.
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Submitted by
R
a Weekend Warrior
from Hixson, TN USA Date Reviewed: August 5, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Bottom Line:
If, like me, you already own one of these darn pumps and aren't happy, do yourself a favor and buy the Topeak Smarthead kit from Performance Bicycle for about $15. Use the little hoseclamp to fit the Topeak hose assembly on the Silca pump. It will at least make it something more than a tall doorstop.
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Submitted by
R
a Weekend Warrior
from Hixson, TN USA Date Reviewed: July 15, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Nashbar
Strengths:
None...oh, I suppose it'll make me more likely to check a website such as this before I buy something.
Weaknesses:
The chuck is designed by an idiot. However, it will work well for anybody born with three arms....two to pump and one to hold the chuck on the valve stem to prevent leaking. What a waste of money.
Similar Products Used:
Joe Blow, which is still working fine two years later.
Bike Setup:
Just a couple normal road bikes.
Bottom Line:
Do not waste your money on this product. Please, just by a Specialized or Joe Blow. I only wish I would have read a review or two instead of believing the Nashbar hype. No wonder it was on sale. I would give it a zero rating if that was listed.
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Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Date Reviewed: June 18, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
70.00
Strengths:
Fancy name, fancy looking
Weaknesses:
The chuck, the wooden handle, the guage
Similar Products Used:
Lots
Bike Setup:
mountain and road bikes
Bottom Line:
We thought we'd try this pump because it would accommodate both mountain bike tire pressures and high pressure required for road tires.
It seemed like a quality product when it first arrived. We soon found out it was junk. The chuck wouldn't seat on the valve, so it leaked and leaked. The higher the pressure, the faster the leak. It was so bad we couldn't even get 40psi in a mountain tire.
Because there is no washer or stop on the handle, it's incredibly noisy to use. And uncomfortable.
The guage is way, way low and the numbers are really, really small and there is no arrow on the guage rim to point out the proper inflation point, so unless you have microscopic vision, you'll need a second person to tell you when you've reached the proper pressure (because if you stop to look, you'll lose any pressure you might have had because of the stupid, leaky chuck).
In a nutshell, I cannot imagine a worse designed product. I can't imagine how the manufacturer actually offered it up for sale without laughing his or her butt off.
We are returning it. If they will not accept the return (and we don't know why they wouldn't), we will salvage the pretty wood handle for some other purpose, cannibalize any other parts we can and call it a lesson in not checking reviews before purchasing.
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Submitted by
Mike B.
a Weekend Warrior
from Iowa, USA Date Reviewed: June 10, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Overall construction is better than the average $20 pump. Parts can be replaced.
Weaknesses:
The presta adapter is comical. It's not threaded, it's merely a big rubber washer in a huge brass can. The shrader valve connector works fine until it's under pressure. At high pressures (120 psi) it's very hard to remove. Pumping efficiency overall is fair to poor.
Similar Products Used:
Wrench Force, Serfas.
Bike Setup:
Road bike
Bottom Line:
The new generation of Silca Super Pista isn't the one you may have heard about that's been "working great for 20 years." It's overpriced and the connections to the valve stem are poorly designed.
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Submitted by
Matthew
a
from Olympia, Washington, USA Date Reviewed: June 5, 2007
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
some website
Strengths:
Made in Italy, not some sweatshop in Taiwan or China. Solid construction: steel, wood, brass, rubber Replaceable parts, should that be necessary.
Weaknesses:
The chuck! Like everyone is saying, it is a real pain in tootsie to get off of the valve. Also, if you don't have it situated just right, it starts to leak. However, I'd always found that when it starts to leak (which happens at high pressures), it just takes a little tilt to get it in the right position. Basically, the chuck has a hell of a learning curve, but once you've figured it out, it's not bad.
Similar Products Used:
Topeak Joe Blow
Bottom Line:
I wish I could find another union made bicycle pump that didn't have the chuck issue. I really like Silca as a company; I just wish they had made the chuck better. It doesn't seem like it should be too tough to make a good one. Aside from the chuck issue, I think it's a really great pump.
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Submitted by
Jim
a Weekend Warrior
from SLC UT Date Reviewed: April 26, 2007
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Simplicity, Built to old world standards,Brass & Steel forget the plastic junk on the market. How about the fact they been in business for 80 years and owned and ran by the same family.
Weaknesses:
Have had some problems with the chuck but just replaced with the new 40.0 lock on chuck works on both my short stem MTB & my Road Bikes
Similar Products Used:
Other junk such as topeak & blackburn
Bike Setup:
Trek SSL Madone, Specialized Stumpy Pro
Bottom Line:
Just get one you'll have it for years
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Submitted by
Kyle
a Cross Country Rider
from Jackson, WY Date Reviewed: April 29, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
80
Strengths:
Nice looking
Weaknesses:
Chuck leaks and gets stuck on stem Pump leaks at guage Leaks at chuck Chuck gets stuck on stem Harsh action Mediocre volume
Similar Products Used:
Tons
Bike Setup:
One with flat tires
Bottom Line:
I bought this when my Zefel (that I never really liked) blew up, based on the rave reviews and the fact that I'm really attracted to simple, well-constructed stuff that can be rebuilt. Ooops.
First of all, the chuck is finicky as to what kind of stem you use. The long threaded stems I have cause it to start to leak @120psi, no big deal on the MTB, but not so great on my road bikes. I've heard it said that unthreaded stems work better, but I really shouldn't have to go out and buy all new tubes for my $80 pump to work.
The volume isn't very good on each stroke also, so it wouldn't be a great choice for pumping an MTB tire from zero.
Also, around 120psi, the pump starts leaking where the hose meets the guage--so even if you get the chuck to stop leaking, it only goes to 120psi.
The chuck, though it leaks, gets REALLY stuck on the stem. I thought I was going to have to get the power tools out to get it off--seriously. I tried it a number of times, thinking I was doing something wrong, but basically you have to rock it back and forth for about 5 minutes pulling as hard as you can to get it off. If you use bladed spokes, wear gloves.
Finally, the action at the bottom of the stroke is very harsh. There's no bumper, so it just slams down against metal and the wood handle has no give.
I'm going to try to return it today, but if the shop won't take it back, honestly, I'll probably just throw it in the garbage and call it an expensive lesson. I've got a 10 year old $20 Performance brand pump with a broken guage that still works like butter.
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Submitted by
seth
a Racer
from brooklyn, ny Date Reviewed: January 24, 2006
Favorite Trail:
na
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
60
Strengths:
the silca name - the single solitary strength and NOTHING ELSE. this is the first time i've ever submitted an online review of anything. but i feel compelled to share my experiences with this product in a hopeful warning to potential buyers. this applies to the new model.
well, to be honest, in the one year of constant use the pneumatic mechanics have not crapped out. that's after an entire year of use. WOOPDEEDOOOOO!!!
Weaknesses:
everything else. the most rediculous feature is the chuck. within 3 months the rubber gasket was entirely worn out and rendered useless. if my pedros didn't blow up i'm sure that the nozzle would have held up far far longer, as with all other pumps i've owned over the years. with the silca i have to hold the chuck onto the tube valve with one hand and pump with the other. the pump action and amount of inflation per stroke is incredibly average. which for the embarrassing amount i paid is nothing short of a total failure for this product.
Similar Products Used:
pedros (very mediocre, but cheap), topeak (mediocre and rather expensive. don't remember the model), blackburn (the ones i've used in the shops have been outstanding. but expensive), trek (almost as worthless as the silca), and some others i don't remember.
Bike Setup:
who the hell cares except for those idiotic, spendo-slaves who think bicycle-cost is a one-to-one ratio with the rider's abilities. go play golf you morons!
Bottom Line:
stay away from this product. spend your money elsewhere. i've used old silcas from way back when. those are the good ones. the action on the old ones is like nothing else i've ever felt. i thought that this one would be at least similar. if i could have given it a zero/zero, the pump surely would have deserved it
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Submitted by
dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Saratoga,N.Y.,U.S.A. Date Reviewed: December 9, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Quaility construction
Weaknesses:
Valve sometimes is hard to get off without losing your skin.
Similar Products Used:
Topeak, Aeron, blackburn
Bike Setup:
Who cares?
Bottom Line:
Its a great pump. The first week the gauge went crazy. I found out that Silca used liquid teflon on the threads and it went up inside the gauge. The gauge was replaced with no problems. Since then its been fine. I wish Silca parts were available in my area.
$
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