Silca Pump Rebuild
Silca bicycle pumps have a special place in the heart of many cyclists. Often seen around competitive road and track racers, the Silca Super Pista Floor Pump is one of the few pumps made that can inflate those high-end tubular tires to their advertised 200+ psi pressure allowance. Silca pumps are also popular with mechanics and do-it-yourself cyclists because they are totally rebuildable. The simple and very occasional maintenance required of a Silca pump means your pump will last years, even decades.
Many bicycle pumps are built with components either pressed or molded by machines. While this allows manufacturers to keep costs down, it often means that a simple mishap can render the pump useless. Worn seals, split hoses, or a damaged pump head can lead to a long journey tracking down expensive replacement parts, or an unplanned pump shopping trip. Silca avoids this problem by creating completely rebuildable pumps. Silca pumps can be completely disassembled and reassembled with a wrench and screwdriver.
Silca Maintenance
Pump Head - After a fair amount of use, you may have difficulty getting the pump head to properly seal around the Presta valve. This is the sign of a worn Silca 24.1 Large Rubber Washer. It is easily replaced by unscrewing the front face of the pump head (Silca's manual calls it the "Presta air chuck ring"). The rubber washer is the only loose part inside the pump head. Pop the new one in (don't over-tighten the "air chuck ring" as this may cause the rubber washer to over-expand) and you're good to go. Simple as that!
Leather Washer - Silca pumps occasionally experience an inability to create the pressure necessary to inflate the tire. This is usually due to a worn Silca 73.1 Pista Pump Leather Washer inside the barrel of the pump. To replace, simply loosen the collar (or "closure cap fixing screw") at the top of the barrel and pull the plunger out. The leather washer is held in place by a series of nuts and washers. Simply unscrew the bottom nut and switch out the leather washers. When new these leather washers are quite heavily greased. Make sure you lube up your new washer with a healthy amount of heavy grease to allow it to create a seal with the walls of the pump barrel.
Hose damage - A damaged Silca hose is a very simple repair. The Silca Pista Hose with Presta/Schrader Head simply screws into the bottom of the pump near the pressure gauge.
Pressure Gauge - After taking a fair beating, Silca pumps may experience difficulty accurately registering inflation pressure. The Silca Pista Replacement Gauge easily screws into the pump at the base of the pump barrel.
Presta/Schraeder Conversion
The Silca pumps sold at BikeTiresDirect are Presta/Schraeder compatible, yet the pump head is only Presta compatible. The pump head simply unscrews from the hose leaving a fairly small threaded "Schraeder air chuck". This simply screws onto a standard Schraeder valve and allows it to be inflated like any other bike valve.
Silca Customization
The ease of reassembling Silca pumps also opens them up to the possibility of customization to meet your specific needs. Silca Pista Replacement Brass Presta Head is a Presta specific head which replaces the plastic bodied Presta/Schraeder head standard on Silca pumps. Its durable, all brass construction is perfect for competitive riders who tend to ride only Presta equipped bikes and don't want to have to worry about their careless teammates abusing the only team pump.
Silca 25.0 Disc Wheel Adapter is a necessary accessory for the time-trialists and triathletes among us. It adapts the standard pista head for disc wheels, tri-spokes, Zipp 909s or whatever wheel configuration that does not allow access directly above the valve. Presta compatible only.
Silca 40.0 Locking Presta Head replaces the standard Presta/Schraeder configuration allowing the pump head to create a locking seal with the valve. Perfect for track riders who ride pressures near 200 psi.
Each of these products connects directly to the pump hose. To use, unclamp the Schraeder adapter from the hose, insert the desired accessory and reclamp with the provided collar.
Silca pumps are most compatible with smooth, Presta valve tubes! Threaded valves will cause undue wear on the rubber washer. Michelin tubes are equipped with smooth valves, as are most all tubular tires.
For any questions regarding Silca pumps please be in touch at or sales@biketiresdirect.com. Silca manuals are the definitive source for identifying problems or parts for your pump. As when disassembling anything, work slowly and make sure nothing is pulled apart before you are sure how to reassemble it.
