Silca got some attention this week on National Public Radio (NPR), for offering the market’s most expensive pump.
The story titled, "What Makes a Bike Pump Worth $450?", featured Silca’s Josh Poertner, who bought the Italian company last year, rescuing the century-old brand from virtual obscurity, and moved production to Indianapolis partly for its available resources.
Prior to. Silca’s SuperPista bike pump had been produced for decades and had a reputation as the best on the market—plus it’s repairable with replacement parts. But the design hadn’t been updated in 15 years, and the company’s third-generation owner had just died. Poertner gave the classic tool a high-end makeover and released the SuperPista Ultimate, which just won a Best in Show award at Interbike 2014.
The pump was always a thing of beauty, with wooden handles and a leather plunger cup from the company that supplies upholstery to Masareti and Ferrari. Portner’s sleek version, though, belongs in IMA’s Design Gallery. It has rosewood handles crafted with Japanese knife-making techniques, a lab-grade gauge, and the same leather plunger. Cyclists are swooning over the industrial quality of valves and presta heads and disc adapters, and they love that the base itself weighs more than most pumps—meaning it will stay grounded when elite cycling teams are furiously airing up their skinny tires. And here’s something to make your chest inflate: This model is comprised largely of American parts.
If you’re the kind of cycling enthusiast who will proudly shell out for a pump that costs more than some riders are willing to pay for an entire bike, you can’t get one directly from Silca.
link to NPR story
http://www.npr.org/2014/09/24/351246933/what-makes-a-bike-pump-worth-450?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=tomr20090326
SILCA SuperPista Ultimate Floor Pump
WINNER OF THE INTERBIKE 2014 ‘BEST IN SHOW’ AWARD!
Functional Work of Art
The SILCA SuperPista has long set the standard of what a bicycle floor pump could and should be. As an object used before almost every ride, a floor pump has the ability to optimize the comfort and handling of your bicycle, to allow you to adjust the way a bicycle feels before a particular ride. They can bring great pleasure of use, or pain, suffering and frustration. A great floor pump must feel good in your hands, operate smoothly and consistently, and be stable under foot, regardless of what shoes you are wearing.
For 2014, SILCA has moved SuperPista production to Indianapolis and taken the historic SILCA ideals and reimagined them with new technologies, manufacturing methods and processes. High tech manufacturing methods and materials have been combined with old world materials and ideals to create an heirloom quality product which you will be proud to hand down to the next generation.
At 7 pounds (3.2kg) the Ultimate is easily the heaviest and most stable floor pump ever made. Though only 5mm thick, and optimized for standing on in every type of cycling shoe imaginable, the SuperPista Ultimate base weighs more than most entire floor pumps and provides the largest, most stable platform available. Seeking precision and accuracy, SILCA has eschewed the traditional +/-5% industrial gauge for a +/-1% laboratory grade gauge, reading 0-160 psi.
Magnetic chuck docking allows the 17-4 Stainless Steel presta chuck to be docked and removed using only the hose with no bending or reaching. A very high strength neodymium magnet holds the chuck in the dock with enough force that the pump can be picked up by the handle for transport without undocking, yet a quick pull of the hose quickly frees the chuck.
Both Presta and Schrader chucks are connected to the SILCA exclusive 12,000 psi hose. Originally designed for use in race car and aircraft brake line, the Ultimate hose is just that, the Ultimate. Smooth bore PTFE liner, over-braided in stainless steel, then over-extruded in protective and beautiful red urethane. Unlimited rotational fittings are used on both ends of the hose, allowing it to flex and rotate from both ends even when pressurized.
The classic SILCA 741 Leather Washer moves the air inside the 2.5mm wall thickness main barrel. Borrowing from top level mountain bike suspension, the PTFE impregnated, hard anodized piston rod runs in a high precision IGUS busing in the top cap for minimal play with maximum smoothness.
Finally, hand turned rosewood handle has been optimized for ergonomics as well as beauty. Mated to 3 investment cast stainless steel lugs, the Ultimate’s handle was the result of studying both the ergonomics and manufacturing techniques of the finest Japanese culinary knife makers.
Every detail has been scrutinized and refined in the design and manufacture of the SuperPista Ultimate. We are so proud of it that we are providing a 25 year hard parts warranty.
http://silca.cc/products/silca-superpista-ultimate-floor-pump
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