The Radavist

As if a $450 floor pump wasn’t balleur enough, Silca has begun to stock their artist-edition Super Pista Ultimate Pumps first previewed here in the 2015 NAHBS coverage. The first artist being the legendary Dario Pegoretti. Known for his beautifully-constructed frames, made in Italy and painted like none other, Dario’s a true auteur in the modern framebuilding world.

Each pump painted by Dario is created completely by hand and no two will be exactly alike. A total of 10 pumps are available. See the entire collection at Silca.

I tend to get giddy about projects, especially those which were born in the USA, or at least in this case resurrected. Silca’s a company with its roots deeply embedded in cycling history. For over 100 years, this company has been a part of inflation technology (yes, I just said that). After the name was purchased and relocated to the USA, things have been changing rapidly. For the better.

That $400 floor pump caused a bit of a ruckus, as did the $40 air chucks yet for some reason the thought of a $165 frame pump doesn’t seem like a huge leap. Especially when you consider the detailing and that a made overseas Topeak or the like is still $50. The Impero Ultimate has been reborn. It’s a beast of metal, with no plastic parts and it’s machined in the USA. Best of all, it comes in BLACK!

Without me slobbering too much here with copy, why don’t you just check out the specs and more photos below, or order one at Silca. I just did.

For Friday the 13th, Indianapolis-based Silca has a limited run of EOLO III co2 chucks, machined from titanium. Only 50 of these will be available for one time only at Silca.cc starting now.

While a $400 floor pump is more than likely out of your budget, Silca’s $47.50 EOLO III co2 chuck probably lands within your holiday shopping budget. The EOLO III regulator chuck is made in the USA and has three rubber insulator rings ensure damp fingers don’t get stuck while zapping your tubeless tires back to pressure. These rings can be swapped out, using Silca’s $6 pack of multi colored options.

As far as the chuck itself is concerned, it’s damn easy to use and nicely machined.

My only complaint, there are no black insulating rings and while I still think Co2 canisters are extremely wasteful for everyday use, they’re still a necessity for tubeless tires. Overall, the EOLO III is a fun, simple, product that’s easy to use and customizable. Most importantly to me, it’s made in the USA.

See more at Silca!

So… what makes a bike pump worth $450? NPR dives into the story on how Silca moved their production to Indianapolis. Listen to the story at NPR and yes, I totally bought one. Ok, I lied, I put it on my credit card.

Is it really worth it? I mean, it’s a pump, but it’s a damn nice pump and it looks great holding down the tiles in my office. Functionality considered, it’s got an impressive amount of machining, akin to a luxury sportswatch and if it means Silca might one day make a $100 USA-made floor pump, I’m all for supporting this industry.

Side note: I’m really enjoying my new photo studio…