Silca's SuperPista Ultimate - Deep.

[CharlesM]

Pretty incredible inside... More so when you start to take apart the other $200 pumps in the house after they failed to be repetitively accurate.


The review is here:
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/tech-n-spec/silca-superpista-ultimate-pump-review/#.VfRPaRFVhBc

[520 Dan]

It should be pretty incredible inside...It costs $450. I'm not sure why you even compare pumps costing less than half as much.

Its time for me to replace my nearly 20 year old Pedros pump, and I really wanted the Silca until I saw the price tag.

[HammerTime2]

I'm waiting for the $451 (o.k., maybe $475) SuperPista Ultimate Alignomatic.

My '90s era Silca Track Pump has a rotatable plastic cover with red line on it which can be rotated to the desired pressure, and you pump until the black line (what is a yellow line on the Ultimate) is aligned with the red line. A simple but effective feature.

On a related front:

Late last spring I contacted NFS and we began working on a custom formulation for SILCA. After months of work, we have a product that we can truly say perfectly blends the brand values and ethos of both SILCA and NFS.

What is the actual difference between the Silca and NFS versions, other than the Silca version costing another buck? Some folks (of unknown credibility) claim that the formulations are identical.

[BeeSeeBee]

I'd love one of Silca's pumps, but I'll have to settle for their 17-4 head paired with a Lezyne. I'm glad that someone's doing what Josh is, hopefully it'll spur the competition on and we'll have better products as a result.

What is the actual difference between the Silca and NFS versions, other than the Silca version costing another buck? Some folks (of unknown credibility) claim that the formulations are identical.

From Josh on Slowtwitch:

If you look at the Velo chain test (done with Friction Facts) you see that NFS finished 11th overall for friction with 3 of the top ten being hot melt paraffin waxes and 1 being olive oil, with the other drip lubes all having low to very low life expectancies. So the real story comes in the durability department, where the NFS formulation proves to be considerably more durable that most anything else..if you look at the Friction facts data for friction and then for durability you see that there is really no overlap between the best in each category, you either get low friction (typically very low viscosity), OR you get good durability (typically high viscosity)... With the NFS formulation you get a product that is in the top 10 on both charts.

Now, for SILCA, we are using a custom formulation, so I'd recommend you try both and see what you think, or selectively use both depending on application, we've chosen to emphasize drivetrain efficiency a bit more which means slightly less durability..though still nearly best in class. Overall, I am thrilled to say that we have a product that lasts longer than AND has less friction than ANY of the major lube brands you can name off the top of your head.

Lastly, partnering with NFS really brings the best of both worlds in terms of our business values and ideals. Josh at NFS has experience and contacts within the major high-end lubricant manufacturers so there is access to research, data and real technology, yet NFS is a small scale formulator which can focus on precision, quality, customization, and ingredient selection in ways that no large manufacturer is willing to do. I liken it to a craft brewery...anybody can buy grain, hops and yeast from the same major suppliers (of which there are very few) but the key is really in what you do with it after that as all of the components have to come together in the right way and in the right proportions at the right time to maximize results.

Lastly, as a close analogy to this chainlube (and a blatant plug..) we also launched a coffee which is. Very similar to our working with NFS, we worked with a local roaster where we selected beans all the way back to the farm co-op in Ethiopia, chose the way the beans were processed (naturally fermented in the sun..no chemicals, no machines) and then dialed in the hand roasting, which is done weekly so the beans will be only a few days roasted when you get them. The result is something otherworldly if you are a fan of fine coffee.
Enjoy
Josh

I've used both NFS and Silca's NFS, don't notice a difference. Good lube though, got >4000 miles out of my last chain.

[Johnny Rad]

If Silca's fancy pants pump is anything like their ridiculous Eolo III CO2 chuck, then you can count me out. All the way out.

I fell for the Eolo III review and it has consistently underperformed for me - its spring is either too stiff and/or the action binds too much to smoothly function. Silca mgmt was kind enough to send me a replacement at no-charge awhile back, but it was only marginally better. I officially demoted the Eolo III this morning and pulled it from my saddle bag opting to go instead with a monstrously large chuck with trigger. Argh, the indignities.

http://silca.cc/products/eolo-iii-co

[Marin]

How much better than my 17€ SKS combined MTB/road pump can this be?

[HammerTime2]

It's about 380€ better.

[Valbrona]

Something tells me that the Presta valve is going to be phased out soon and replaced by a new, better design - everything else has - making all the old pumps redundant.

[audiojan]

Is it expensive? Yes. Is it truly necessary? No. Do I still love my Silca SuperPista Ultimate. Resounding YES!

[Marin]

The real question is... what does it weigh?

[goodboyr]

If Silca's fancy pants pump is anything like their ridiculous Eolo III CO2 chuck, then you can count me out. All the way out.

I fell for the Eolo III review and it has consistently underperformed for me - its spring is either too stiff and/or the action binds too much to smoothly function. Silca mgmt was kind enough to send me a replacement at no-charge awhile back, but it was only marginally better. I officially demoted the Eolo III this morning and pulled it from my saddle bag opting to go instead with a monstrously large chuck with trigger. Argh, the indignities.

http://silca.cc/products/eolo-iii-co

I had exactly the same experience with the eolo. It's gathering dust now. Back to my lezyne trigger. Much better device. Same size.

[BRM]

This is not a review but an infomercial with lots of unimportent sidetalk to trigger exitement.
Very likely Charles is paid for this. Well it's in line with his "review" of the Silca CO2 Regulator also here.

New Silca is just a name taken over and has nothing to do with the former brand Silca.
New Silca uses the name/heritage and is mainly focussing on niche products. Pretending high class but I think with flaws here and there.
450 + for a pump? Designer pumps for 1200? Who is so crazy to buy such a thing? Then you need to have loads of money and don't know what to do with it.

For decennia there is a good working pump: The SKS Rennkompressor
You can buy 9 SKS Rennkompressors for the price of one Silca. Spareparts are available for low costs.
(Although I have to say that also the SKS Rennkompressor would profit from a redesign. There is room for improvement)

When Silca designer was real smart he had made a gauge on top instead at the foot.
For many people its a bit difficult to read on the foot. Think red is also not the best choice, but hey it looks fancy with the hose.
Even budget manufacturers have put a needle on the gauge that you can set to the desired pressure. So you can focus on that point. Silca left out, probably because it doesn't look fancy enough.

[Marin]

While I like brands with heritage, and am a fan of technical innovation as well as nice design, I really dislike the bling/fashion/snobism that is creeping into cycling (and some other sports).

Plus, this thing isn't even fully thought through, with function following form by some margin.

At least, I wouldn't want to stick that heavy pump head onto my aluminum valve extensions sticking out on my lightweight carbon rims, with a 180° bend of braided hose hanging off of it.

[NealH]

I never expected fashion to play much of a role in cycling but, I guess its true of just about any activity that becomes popular. Companies like Ralpha hit the big time by playing the fashion card, and I guess other companies (like Silca) are making the play within their own realm of what can be done inexpensively that maximizes appeal.

[wrcompositi]

What confuses me is that the pump boasts a gauge with 1% accuracy, but the gauge is marked in 2 psi steps…

To make things worse, it's placed on the bottom and doesn't even have a bezel pointer. I'd like to see an easy-to-read digital gauge on an ULTIMATE pump.