Most mountain bikers I know are a little rough around the edges. We pee in bushes off of the trail and lick energy gel off of our dirty fingers. When we’re done with the ride, the first drink on hand is whatever is in the cooler and it’s usually not champagne or wine.
If the Silca SuperPista digital floor pump were a person, it wouldn’t be caught dead with most of us. Lucky for us, it isn’t, and for a premium price, we can buy the SuperPista, put it in a cold garage or the trunk of our car, and make it work for us for the rest of our lives.
About the pump
The SuperPista digital pump adds a digital gauge mounted at the top of the barrel, to the classic SuperPista pump. The pump has an oversized base for stability, an ash, lathe-turned handle, an alloy barrel, and a Hiro locking-lever Presta chuck that can be used on Schrader valves too.
On the inside is a full metal shock piston with a leather plunger washer and linear glide bearings — a step above a lot of pumps that feature only plastic internals.
- 1% digital accuracy gauge
- Ash wood handle and secure carrier strap
- Aluminum base and barrel
- Hiro locking-lever Presta chuck
- Rated to 220psi
- $275 USD, available at Jenson USA and other online retailers
While the price tag is a lot to chew, it begs to ask the question of value. Personally, my last mountain bike rang in at around $5,000, which is more than most anyone on earth needs to spend on a bike. At the same time, I bought a $40 floor pump. It started to build up friction and get really hot about a year ago, so I took it apart, re-greased it and put it back together. It worked like new again… and then the gauge broke.
So, I bought another floor pump from Park Tool. It was nicer than the previous, mostly-plastic pump I had. And, it said ‘Park Tool’ on the barrel, which made me feel like I had some shop cred — until I used it and realized it worked worse than the cheap, budget pump I had before. So, now I’m two years in, and have two bad floor pumps that totaled close to a hundred dollars. At this rate I’ll be buying another one every two years having never learned my lesson.
The Silca is the pump that buyers will probably have for life. Everything up and down the pump is high-quality from the ash, lathe-turned handle, to the magnetic holster for the chuck and the cycling shoe optimized base. Silca even sells replacement parts for the SuperPista pumps.
It works so dang smooth and it has elevated one of the most mundane experiences in all of bicycle riding — inflating a tire.
The gauge sits high up and is easy to read. It allows the user to choose a pre-set pressure for the tire and the display will flash when the pressure exceeds the preset.
To use on a Schrader valve, just unscrew the head on the Presta chuck and it is ready to go.
The pump moves smoothly, and feeds air at a quick and continuous rate, without feeling sticky at high pressures or requiring the user to take a pre-workout supplement beforehand.
As part of a Giving Tuesday promotion today, Silca will donate a percentage of sales to a cycling program, or Pista pump, depending on the total amount spent, to a grassroots cycling program of the buyer’s choice.
Conclusion
The Silca SuperPista digital pump is the floor pump most of us don’t realize we want. Although pricey, it has beautiful touches from top to bottom and works like a charm. With the proper care, and maintenance with Silca-supplied replacement parts, the SuperPista digital will add a touch of class to anyone’s garage and can probably be handed down to our little, cycling grandkids someday.
