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TECH NEWS
SILCA ULTIMATEPremium pump collaboration from Rapha and Silca boasts a classy design with a £162 price tag
Rapha and Silca have joined forces to create some exquisitely engineered — and accordingly priced — frame and pocket pumps that are only compatible with Presta valves.
Both brands are well known for their high quality but highly-priced kit, and this latest collaboration marks no departure from that.
The new Impero Ultimate frame pump and the Pocket Impero mini pump will retail at £162 and £115 respectively. That is certainly expensive, but we have previously found that the lofty prices have been offset by outstanding performance. Silca’s £275 floor pump, the Superpista Digital, was the most expensive track pump we’ve tested, but really impressed with its build quality and was "a joy to use" according to David Arthur.
> Cycling emergency essentials: the 10 things you should take with you on every ride
Assembled by hand with an all-aluminium construction, Silca promises that the Impero Ultimate is a pump made to last, a claim that it backs up 25-year guarantee.
Silca says that the lever-free two-stage head gasket ensures a secure seal and they also claim that the Impero Ultimate has the “most efficient inflation of any portable pump,” taking a reported 112 strokes to inflate a tyre to 100psi.
FlexWing Silicone bumpers feature on the head, handle tip and main barrel which are said to “protect paintwork and prevent road vibration”.
Rapha’s involvement includes a classically-Rapha subtle colourway which sees highlights on the handle and on the pump head. An RCC (Rapha Cycling Club) logo is emblazoned on the silicon bumper of the main barrel, while the classic Rapha print sits near the head of the pump.
Available in five sizes, the Impero Ultimate will suit a broad range of top tube lengths. This premium offering is designed to securely fit under the top tube and all sizes are suitable for varying tube diameters from 25mm to 64mm.
> Seatpacks v pockets: what's the best way to carry stuff on a ride?
The Pocket Impero is the mini-pump option and features a similar full alloy construction with a CNC’d head. Silca says that “unlike most mini-pumps, this pump does not suffer from efficiency loss when hot” which they say the claimed 200 strokes to reach 89psi supports.
> Buyer's guide: Best mini pumps
A Slide-Lock Silicone sleeve has been added to “improve grip and doubles as a handle lock when in your pocket”.
Weighing in at 150g and 20.3cm long, it is neither the lightest nor smallest mini pump out there. But if the reported inflation capabilities stand up to further testing, its functionality will be up there with the best.
We'll see if we can get these in for review to test out the impressive claims.
Anna has been hooked on bikes ever since her youthful beginnings at Hillingdon Cycle Circuit. As an avid road and track racer, she reached the heady heights of a ProCyclingStats profile before leaving for university. Having now completed an MA in Multimedia Journalism, she’s hoping to add some (more successful) results. Although her greatest wish is for the broader acceptance of wearing funky cycling socks over the top of leg warmers.
Latest Comments
- grOg 3 sec ago
Where does it state in the article that Ashley purchased the stock? it does state that Ashley bought the brand and intellectual property, not the...
- rogerwb 2 hours 40 min ago
Jump off the bike and run across. I cycle in trainers though.
- momove 3 hours 43 min ago
Cheers for the lesson! Wasn't expecting one so was pleasantly surprised, especially getting to find the origin of "laconic"!
- ktache 4 hours 30 min ago
Isn't it a rights issue?
- AidanR 5 hours 20 min ago
Same here - it took me by surprise. 10:30am doesn't feel like a dangerous time to cycle; apparently I'm wrong on that.
- Daddy Feebs 5 hours 33 min ago
If anything, it looks a bit like an SL6
- wtjs 6 hours 9 min ago
Other commenters have different views True!
- Daclu Trelub 6 hours 24 min ago
Incredibly bone-headed.
- Sriracha 8 hours 26 min ago
Lidl have a window poster emblazoned, "Black Friday. Starts Sunday".
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16 comments
I liked the pink/black trim on the bike : paint or decal?
The irony is most RCC members probably wouldn't know how to fix a puncture...
What's just as funny, the standard Silca Impero Ultimate is anywhere from £170-180, add the Rapha tag has instantly reduced the price
£151 on wiggle right now. Anyone happy to spend £150 on a pump probably has a reasonable loyalty discount there.
I invested in a Silca frame pump about 18months ago and they are a fantastic bit of kit. But I don't remember paying that much for it, the rapha paint job looks to have added about £50 to the price.
Maybe you can find it cheaper (or could 18 months ago...) but that seems to be the going rate even without the Rapha paint.
How is it attached to the frame?
Spring loaded it just squeezes in.
Traditional frame pumps mounted as per the picture use a spring under compression in the handle end to push outwards against the seat tube/top tube angle and then a peg (on larger frames at least) on the rear of the head tube. With a smaller frame bevelled edges on the handle may have it wedge nicely in place without the peg.
you choose the length that matches your top tube and it is squeezed between head tube and down tube.
Frame-fit pumps are pretty much outdated now because of sloping top tubes and bottle cages on seat tubes, as well as shaped carbon tubes, all of which means they won't fit. To fit under the top tube, you'd also have to have a pump pip, or peg, to stop the pump from slipping down the head tube. No modern frame I've seen includes a pump peg.
Can't see them selling many, especially at this ludicrous price. The image, brand and status conscious types who would be tempted are probably not going to go around posing with a heavy frame-fit pump on a ten grand superbike.
As seen in the photo above nowhere to slip down to. Diwn tibe and tube tube are not so far apart.
I carried my frame pump like this on a carbon frame over 1200km of Paris Brest Paris. Aesthetically poor because of the curved top tube, but perfectly secure. Looks better on the titanium bike with straight tubes, than on fancy shaped carbon.
There are plenty of people riding on bespoke steel or titanium who appreciate quality tools. Agree you will see very few on race replica 7kg carbon superbikes. Its not aimed at mass market volumes.
Bizarrely I found myself riding with two others on pbp all with the same silca pump.
Duplicate comment
Could get improved value out of it by using as a shower curtain holder when off the bike.
and a useful pull-up bar for narrow doorways
A pogo stick for squirrels?