Polaris OBark

They were bought out by Josh Poertner. They have some good-quality stuff, none of which is inexpensive. I have bought their handle bar tape, which I think is a step up from Fizik and Lizard Skins, which are almost as expensive. I also bought their new frame pump, which is an eye-watering $175, but it is a great pump, and matches my bike's color scheme out of the box. I got my wife the titanium water bottle cages for her titanium bike. They are comparable in price to those made by King. Some of the stuff is simply gratuitous.

unterhausen

Someone I know just posted a pic of one of these cleats they had broken in half after not much riding. I'm sure there are some 3d printed things I would use on my bike, but right now I'm not thinking of any.

Eric F 

I was not implying that Silca stuff is poor quality. Silca's reputation for well-crafted, high-quality items continues, including the the Hiro presta chuck I recently bought. However, I do think they are really pushing the envelope on ridiculousness with things like ti drinking straws and cleats. The old saying about fools and money is still accurate.

Now, pardon me while I go shopping for a blue anodized chainring...

Polaris OBark

i.e.,

csport

I have heard that titanium needles help relieve cramps. Anodized to make it easier to find it in a haystack.

msu2001la

It's entirely possible that Silca is just trolling the bike industry here.

I'm 99% sure the straws are just supposed to be a funny novelty item that allowed them to repurpose some scrap. They are relatively cheap and make a good white elephant gift/stocking stuffer for your cycling friends.

But the cleats... they seem to actually be serious about those. Even more impressive is that they've convinced major retailers like REI, etc to stock them.

Polaris OBark

I think they aren't mutually exclusive:

Koyote

This. I like my Silca minipumps -- 2x Tattico and a Gravelero. But some of their stuff is in over-engineered, over-priced status symbol territory. Saddlebags do not need Boa dials, which can (and do) fail and will routinely get covered in mud; velcro or Voile straps are simpler, cheaper, and work better. And one bf poster created a thread about his wonderful, superlative Silca phone wallet which only required a trip to the hardware store and a bit of modification in order to work properly...While the rest of us were asking, "What's wrong with a Ziplock bag?"

Absolutely! 'A fool and his money are soon partying.'

Koyote

I don't think those Silca cleats are 3d printed -- but yeah, agreed. Not a good way to save a few grams.

asgelle

Once again, must reference Moynihan re opinions and facts.

Koyote

I checked the product page, and they are indeed 3D printed! So, I learned something tonight.

I'm just curious: why are you seemingly incapable of making a direct declarative statement, with a link or source (if appropriate)?

Polaris OBark

Silca says they are. I suppose they could be lying about it.

unterhausen

The surface quality is such that it can't be produced by any other manufacturing technology, so they have that going for them. But they are still searching for a reason to have that printer, in my estimation.

Polaris OBark

One must. Where is your reference? Who is Moynihan?

DangerousDanR

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Patrick_Moynihan

The things they don't teach kids today...

Polaris OBark

I'm old enough to remember him. I didn't realize he had an extensive career in Epistemology.

msu2001la

Agreed. The technology is intriguing - "printing" allows them to create a complex honeycomb structure inside what is normally a solid piece of metal.

I feel like this tech would be useful to build lighter/stronger crank arms, or cassettes or stems/handlebars, etc. But Silca doesn't make that stuff, so instead we get... cleats. And very expensive computer mounts.