Sticker Shock

Sticker shock is a common problem in the bike industry. Everything is more expensive than anybody wants to discuss, but the bicycle pump market has remained pretty stable. The Brompton has caused a dilemma. It is the only bike I have which requires schraeder valves. Every pump I have owned has had a really lame to totally ineffective schraeder capability. At best you have to take the chuck apart move this gadget or that, put it back to gether, hope for the best, reverse the process and hope you got it right. And, three of the four I've owned just plain didn't work. That didn't bother me too much because the nearby Lowe's has a free air pump for their customers. Being the only free auto air pump in 4 counties these days, it got trashed. It really wasn't built to handle bike pressures anyway and the gauge, well...you know.

So I checked out some reviews and it seems that the Silca Pista Plus is a lifetime thing. It looks like other pumps except for 3 feet rather than the normal two, and the fancy wooden handle.

The chuck was the selling point for me. It is all metal, the presta adapter screws into the schraeder for and airtight fit. When I used it on my presta valves it fit more tightly than any I have seen. There is no lever to lock it into place. It simply gets pushed on until the user hears a satisfying click. There is a nifty bleeder valve to release excess air in the hose before removing it. The gauge seems to be more accurate. When I started my tires were about 15 lbs lower than I expected and the bike rolled much easier when the tires were inflated all the way. Hmmm! Makes me wonder how "leaky" my other pump must have been.

The schraeder chuck is a machined metal fitting which should last for years and more.

It screwed on nicely and fit in the tight clearance of the Brompton's little wheels without a lot of wrangling around. That is a big plus. It looks like a forever pump like most reviewers claimed and I should, I hope I will, be pleased with the purchase over time. It's an impressive piece of craftmanship, but I'd like to kick myself square in the face for spending one hundred and sixty five f@#%ing dollars on a goddamn bike pump. That's all I gotta say.