Okay, I am nuts
10-20-19, 04:38 PM
#1
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Okay, I am nuts
I laid out my pile of Silca pumps for a family photo and am somewhat embarrassed at how many I have.
I keep one in the car, 2 out in the shop, and the other 3-4 in my bike room.
I have picked these up over the years, bottom feeding off ebay, got a couple for under 20 bucks.
I fully rebuild them, even replacing the O ring at the bottom of the pump barrel, plus gasket, check valve, guage, hose, and they are all better than new. A couple have the "hirame" lever type chuck which is an awesome part. Maybe the best cycling accessory ever.
One of these pumps I've had since 1976 when they came out ! I think it was $35 then. and of course the one on the left, painted by Dario Pegoretti.
Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA
I keep one in the car, 2 out in the shop, and the other 3-4 in my bike room.
I have picked these up over the years, bottom feeding off ebay, got a couple for under 20 bucks.
I fully rebuild them, even replacing the O ring at the bottom of the pump barrel, plus gasket, check valve, guage, hose, and they are all better than new. A couple have the "hirame" lever type chuck which is an awesome part. Maybe the best cycling accessory ever.
One of these pumps I've had since 1976 when they came out ! I think it was $35 then. and of course the one on the left, painted by Dario Pegoretti.
Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA
Last edited by mpetry912; 10-20-19 at 04:42 PM.
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10-20-19, 04:49 PM
#3
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I spy a few Hirame pump heads. Nice. 
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10-20-19, 05:11 PM
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Haha Pin ! that is funny. Maybe I will get a stick figure decal for the back window of the car !
here's a comparison of the Hirame and the Silca lever chucks. Both are great.
Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA
here's a comparison of the Hirame and the Silca lever chucks. Both are great.
Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA
Last edited by mpetry912; 10-20-19 at 06:09 PM.
11-06-19, 04:57 PM
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OK, for some reason I really want a Silca pump. I jumped on Gumtree (like Craigslist, but Australian) and this one is for sale: https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/rock...ps-/1231078699
It looks a bit like the one in the middle of the picture in the first post. It's on the other side of the country, so I'm not even sure if the seller is willing to post yet, or how much that will cost.
Will this pump consolidate my position in the C&V community? Is there anything I need to find out before I hand over my hard earned cash? Is this just the start of a slippery slope which ends with owning several pumps in various states of disrepair which all do the same job anyway?
Cheers.
It looks a bit like the one in the middle of the picture in the first post. It's on the other side of the country, so I'm not even sure if the seller is willing to post yet, or how much that will cost.
Will this pump consolidate my position in the C&V community? Is there anything I need to find out before I hand over my hard earned cash? Is this just the start of a slippery slope which ends with owning several pumps in various states of disrepair which all do the same job anyway?
Cheers.
11-06-19, 05:23 PM
#6
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Not nuts, just obsessive when it comes to good stuff!
Been using the same Silca Pista pump I got new in 1986. My son just picked up a new Silca Pista pump this summer. A simple, good, basic pump that seemingly lasts forever.
Been using the same Silca Pista pump I got new in 1986. My son just picked up a new Silca Pista pump this summer. A simple, good, basic pump that seemingly lasts forever.
11-06-19, 06:05 PM
#7
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I ended up with several Medai floor pumps over the years, for the same reason that they last forever.
Mostly I use modern floor pumps though, a very tall one from Nashbar and a pretty tall one from Performance. They move a lot of air in a hurry and the guages are easier to read. Going on seven years with the Performance Hurricane and three years on the Nashbar orange.
I just retired a nearly ten-year-old SKS Sub40 (as in grams) pocket pump that finally succumbed to a failed plastic ring at the head. Replaced by a Shimano Pro pump of near-identical specification, both required about 250 strokes to pressurize a road tire.
Mostly I use modern floor pumps though, a very tall one from Nashbar and a pretty tall one from Performance. They move a lot of air in a hurry and the guages are easier to read. Going on seven years with the Performance Hurricane and three years on the Nashbar orange.
I just retired a nearly ten-year-old SKS Sub40 (as in grams) pocket pump that finally succumbed to a failed plastic ring at the head. Replaced by a Shimano Pro pump of near-identical specification, both required about 250 strokes to pressurize a road tire.
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11-06-19, 07:54 PM
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Normal!.....
Silca pumps tend to multiply like rabbits if you leave them together for too long....
Take their plastic frame pumps.....
Always the biggest pile dealers can't seem to ever get rid of when they clear things out for sale. Been like that back in the eighties at the LBS's I frequented in the Milwaukee area and till just this last week when I encountered the typical giant pile of plastic Silca frame pumps at American Cyclery's San Francisco store pre-seismic renovation container storage sale!
Silca pumps tend to multiply like rabbits if you leave them together for too long....
Take their plastic frame pumps.....
Always the biggest pile dealers can't seem to ever get rid of when they clear things out for sale. Been like that back in the eighties at the LBS's I frequented in the Milwaukee area and till just this last week when I encountered the typical giant pile of plastic Silca frame pumps at American Cyclery's San Francisco store pre-seismic renovation container storage sale!
11-06-19, 08:16 PM
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I've had mine since ~1978. It works great! The inner rubber donut wore out and I think I substituted a bit of rubber auto fuel hose which works a treat! The leather gasket just needs a bit of grease once every few years.
11-06-19, 08:18 PM
#10
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Very nifty, I just use my park tool and air compressor at home though , very fast and I don't have to pump... I do have a specialized branded floor pump I toss in the car though .
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06-19-22, 07:34 PM
#12
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This is normal behaviour for folks who are in the know. Sadly I have only one, but I have had it since new in the 80's.
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06-20-22, 05:22 AM
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How many pumps do you need?
One more.
One more.
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
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06-20-22, 06:32 AM
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A pump that can be rebuilt over and over again, making it basically the last pump you ever need to buy? I love my Pista Plus with Hiro chuck. With its stained ash handle, it doesn't look too bad in my living room!
06-20-22, 06:49 AM
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Note the blue translucent hot rod hose upgrades to a few.
06-20-22, 06:53 AM
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-----
Silca floor pumps go back much further than 1976
found one at a flea market with a brass barrel
---
speaking of Italian pumps...
...how many members own a Delta?
they go back a good ways as well
the Delta emblem is a dromedary standing before a pyramid
-----
Silca floor pumps go back much further than 1976
found one at a flea market with a brass barrel
---
speaking of Italian pumps...
...how many members own a Delta?
they go back a good ways as well
the Delta emblem is a dromedary standing before a pyramid
-----
06-20-22, 10:05 AM
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We've all got some nuts rattling around in our heads. Mine is a large bag of mixed nuts.
06-20-22, 10:28 AM
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I've got say, I'm very happy with Silca products. I know they aren't for everyone--the Hiro chuck alone costs more than many a complete pump. But like with most things in life, you get what you pay for. It is a piece of industrial art that functions amazingly well. Their customer service is top-notch. I didn't like the gauge that came with my Pista Plus (sort of hard to read, with a red and black face), so I emailed a question about whether the white-faced replacement gauge they make would fit, and Martha, the Customer Service Manager, responded immediately (Yes, it fits). The pump is truly heirloom quality.
My last favorite pump was an old Schwinn pump from the 1980s that had an equalizing tank on the gauge. But the pump falls short because of a too-short hose and the difficulty installing a Hiro chuck.
The Pista Plus is completely rebuildable and will last long into my kids' lifetimes. The pump decals are even clear-coated--like you would find on a high-quality steel bike frame. It is a beautiful piece of cycling history and a pleasure to use.
My last favorite pump was an old Schwinn pump from the 1980s that had an equalizing tank on the gauge. But the pump falls short because of a too-short hose and the difficulty installing a Hiro chuck.
The Pista Plus is completely rebuildable and will last long into my kids' lifetimes. The pump decals are even clear-coated--like you would find on a high-quality steel bike frame. It is a beautiful piece of cycling history and a pleasure to use.
06-20-22, 10:37 AM
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I laid out my pile of Silca pumps for a family photo and am somewhat embarrassed at how many I have.
I keep one in the car, 2 out in the shop, and the other 3-4 in my bike room.
I have picked these up over the years, bottom feeding off ebay, got a couple for under 20 bucks.
I fully rebuild them, even replacing the O ring at the bottom of the pump barrel, plus gasket, check valve, guage, hose, and they are all better than new. A couple have the "hirame" lever type chuck which is an awesome part. Maybe the best cycling accessory ever.
One of these pumps I've had since 1976 when they came out ! I think it was $35 then. and of course the one on the left, painted by Dario Pegoretti.
Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA
I keep one in the car, 2 out in the shop, and the other 3-4 in my bike room.
I have picked these up over the years, bottom feeding off ebay, got a couple for under 20 bucks.
I fully rebuild them, even replacing the O ring at the bottom of the pump barrel, plus gasket, check valve, guage, hose, and they are all better than new. A couple have the "hirame" lever type chuck which is an awesome part. Maybe the best cycling accessory ever.
One of these pumps I've had since 1976 when they came out ! I think it was $35 then. and of course the one on the left, painted by Dario Pegoretti.
Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA
06-20-22, 12:20 PM
#21
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Was just coveting one of these
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06-20-22, 12:31 PM
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I wonder how much of the new Silca stuff is made in America?
06-20-22, 12:35 PM
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I laid out my pile of Silca pumps for a family photo and am somewhat embarrassed at how many I have.
I keep one in the car, 2 out in the shop, and the other 3-4 in my bike room.
I have picked these up over the years, bottom feeding off ebay, got a couple for under 20 bucks.
I fully rebuild them, even replacing the O ring at the bottom of the pump barrel, plus gasket, check valve, guage, hose, and they are all better than new. A couple have the "hirame" lever type chuck which is an awesome part. Maybe the best cycling accessory ever.
One of these pumps I've had since 1976 when they came out ! I think it was $35 then. and of course the one on the left, painted by Dario Pegoretti.
Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA
I keep one in the car, 2 out in the shop, and the other 3-4 in my bike room.
I have picked these up over the years, bottom feeding off ebay, got a couple for under 20 bucks.
I fully rebuild them, even replacing the O ring at the bottom of the pump barrel, plus gasket, check valve, guage, hose, and they are all better than new. A couple have the "hirame" lever type chuck which is an awesome part. Maybe the best cycling accessory ever.
One of these pumps I've had since 1976 when they came out ! I think it was $35 then. and of course the one on the left, painted by Dario Pegoretti.
Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA
I put one of the new Silca Imperio pumps on my new Singer. It works as good as it looks and feels, and yes, I know Silca isn't in Italy anymore.
06-20-22, 12:48 PM
#24
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Good question. Their site implies a "Made in USA" ethos but falls short of declaring it is:
Silca story
Silca story
06-20-22, 12:56 PM
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Yeah, I get that some parts are made elsewhere--the leather gaskets, for instance, are said to be made in Milan from scrap leather used for Italian car interiors and fashion. I can live with that.
I would hope the larger assemblies of the pumps themselves were made in America. I read that the Hiro chucks were initially made in America out of stainless steel. I have a stainless version, but the box says it's made somewhere else (Taiwan, I believe--the box isn't in front of me).
I would hope the larger assemblies of the pumps themselves were made in America. I read that the Hiro chucks were initially made in America out of stainless steel. I have a stainless version, but the box says it's made somewhere else (Taiwan, I believe--the box isn't in front of me).