Silca Superpista Digital Floor Pump

Silca has a reputation for making super-high-quality tools and accessories, with the associated high prices such quality commands. The Silca Superpista Digital Floor Pump is no exception. It's the most expensive track pump we've ever tested, but it is extremely nice to use, with a solid build quality, it's highly accurate and it offers a few neat tricks up its barrel.

• Pros: Build quality, amazing to use, accurate
• Cons: You could buy a bike for the same price

You can trace the DNA of this pump back 30 years. Remember the iconic orange pumps the company was famous for? Every part could be replaced when it wore out, ensuring it would last a lifetime, and it was a lovely tool to use.

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The Superpista is the third-generation pump and is handcrafted with an aluminium barrel, steel piston shaft, large aluminium base and an ash wood handle. Atop the barrel is a digital pressure gauge, and the long rubber hose is capped with the company's HIRO chuck, an all-metal design with a large lever and compatibility with all valves.

Both the weight of the pump and the three-legged base ensures huge stability. It doesn't move about when you're using it and it's not going to fall over easily without a hefty push; this lets you concentrate on inflating the tyre, not worrying about ensuring the pump doesn't topple over.

The wooden handle is ergonomic and the pump action is silky smooth through its stroke. Inside the pump is a full metal shock piston design with an Italian leather plunger washer and German Igus linear bearings, which creates that smooth action that requires only the lightest pressure. There's also no build-up of pressure as you near your target pressure, a problem that can afflict cheaper pumps. It makes inflating tyres a breeze.

The rubber hose is a generous length and loops around a hook on the base, with the metal chuck snapping onto a magnet dock just below the pressure gauge, making tidying up the hose after use much easier than other track pumps. My only criticism is that the hook could be on the front of the pump rather than the rear as this is where the hose naturally falls after use.

A key feature of this third-generation track pump is the digital pressure gauge powered by a single 2032 coin cell battery. The display is bright and crisp with large digits so it's really easy to see when you're standing over the pump – no squinting at a tiny gauge on the base here. You can flick between PSI and bar readouts depending on your preference while you're using it. It's rated for up to 220psi or 15.1 bar, so plenty for most applications including track bikes which run the highest pressure of any bicycles.

One neat feature of the pump is being able to set a target pressure alert, like for car tyres at the garage. By pressing the '+' or '-' buttons you can set your desired pressure and then just pump away until you get the alert. It's a useful feature and does make tyre inflation a little easier, but I can see it being more appealing to mechanics who have to inflate the tyres on a lot of bikes on a regular basis rather than a home mechanic with just one or two bikes to maintain.

As I've said, the HIRO chuck is a solid all-metal design with a large flip handle. Push the chuck onto the valve, press the smoothly operated lever shut, and the chuck is firmly locked into place. It worked perfectly every single time, never came loose and never allowed air to escape or leak. If only all chucks worked as nicely as this.

The pump is also very accurate. Silca claims it's accurate to 1%. I've used a variety of pumps over the years and you'd be surprised how much accuracy can vary. Every time I tested the Silca it was completely accurate to a single psi or less.

Value

This pump is so expensive there are literally no rivals in this price range to compare it with. You could probably pay someone to come around and inflate your tyres for less money.

Why pay £275 for a track pump? Nearly every pump out there will do the main job of inflating your tyres to the desired pressure, but what you're paying extra for with the Silca is a huge step up in the build quality, materials, attention to design and sheer loveliness of operation. It's a joy to use, and if you have a penchant for really nicely designed products that clearly aren't built to a cheap price and will last forever, you won't be disappointed. I've been through many pumps in my many years of cycling, and many have failed along the way, but there's nothing about this Silca that suggests you won't be able to pass it on to your grandchildren.

> Buyer's Guide: 11 of the best track pumps

The most expensive track pumps tested on road.cc that come anywhere close to the Silca are mostly the special tubeless inflators, like Lezyne's Digital Pressure Over Drive (£140), but that's a pump for inflating stubborn tubeless tyres. Another cheaper alternative, though still pricey, is the Truflo Digitrack at £99, which also provides good performance and features a digital pressure gauge.

Conclusion

Silca track pumps have always been highly respected and sought after; they're lovely to use, reliable and easy to service, and you can replace parts when they wear out. This latest version is a joy to use, from the magnetic dock for the chuck to the chuck itself, which is the best I've ever used, and the bright and clear pressure gauge. Yes it's expensive, but it's very much not a disposable item; it'll last a lifetime.

Verdict

Expensive, but a joy to use – the last track pump you'll ever buy