Silca

A respected name within the cycle industry, originally specialising in pumps, Silca may have moved from Italy to the USA, but the brand works hard to ensure that heritage and innovation coexist in a product range that prioritises excellence.

Silca has 100 years of experience and innovating within the cycling industry under its belt, and to this day works hard to be the first to bring leading technologies to market. 

Since 1917, when Felice Sacchi founded Silca in Milan, it has had a reputation for making heirloom-quality track pumps. In 2013 Josh Poertner, formerly of Zipp, took on this weighty legacy and moved the company Stateside, and the brand has gone from strength to strength in recent years by thinking outside the box to create innovative products with a niche.

A focus on identifying the ‘Root Needs’ that other brands miss allows Silca to create bike accessories that don’t compromise on design, materials or craftsmanship and can’t be bettered by similar offerings on the market.

KEY PRODUCTS

Superpista Ultimate Floor Pump - Hiro Ed.

The Superpista Ultimate Floor Pump is used by shops and pro mechanics all over the world, which speaks to the quality of its analogue gauge, accurate to 1%, and its magnetic dock that allows the Hiro chuck to be stored nearly away when not in use. Finished with a hand turned purpleheart wooden handle and weighted by a zinc baseplate, this pump looks amazing and offers performance to match.

Ultimate Tubeless Sealant

Combining a high percentage of carbon fibres with a natural latex formula, Ultimate Tubeless Sealant rushes into the hole when a puncture occurs, then forms a strong plug that steadily collects more fibre. Thanks to its FiberFoam® technology, a hole of up to 7.5mm at gravel pressure or 5mm at road pressure becomes hundreds of tiny holes that are easily blocked. It can also be replenished to outlast other sealants.

Super Secret Chain Lube

This lube has impressed testers and customers by delivering the benefits of a hot-melt wax dip, without the mess. Forget stoves and crock pots, drip this mixture of Tungsten Disulphide and air-drying liquid wax over your chain and it will be dry in 15 minutes. Three times faster than PTF4, four times faster than Molybdeum Disulphide and delivering savings of up to seven watts, this environmentally friendly lube achieves a quiet, clean chain.

ABOUT Silca

In over 100 years of manufacturing bicycle pumps, Silca has distinguished itself with many firsts. It was the first to use gauges, the first to create a high-pressure frame pump, the first to use plastic for pumps and first to return to traditional materials. It was also first to pioneer the valve-controlled CO2 inflator. All of this happened under the watchful eye first of Felice Sacchi, then his son Giancarlo and grandson Claudio.

Silca is celebrated not only for its innovations, but for its Italian styling and commitment to using only the finest materials. As well, it continues to manufacture parts for old models, ensuring that its hand-crafted, serviceable pumps will pass from generation to generation.

Now based in Indianapolis, the values of the company haven’t changed. The innovations keep coming, thanks to the local pool of motor industry-trained engineers, and fine materials and craftsmanship are prioritised by Josh Poertner, a lifelong fan of the brand. With its unbeatable quality backed by its warranty, Silca demonstrates total confidence in the longevity of its products.

3D printed titanium

Silca has embraced the process of 3D printing with titanium to make its accessories special. Titanium is abrasion resistant, light and strong, making it an ideal material to begin with, but 3D printing lets Silca’s engineers reinforce certain areas, shape them to fit specific frames or fittings, and generally achieve a degree of perfection that cannot be hit with traditional methods.

First used by Silca to create the Mensola Titanium Computer Mount, the process gives the team full control over not just the exterior of the design, but the interior too. Maximum strength with minimum weight is the result, with added benefits for the environment. Waste is cut down, since no tooling is involved and only the precise amount of material needed is used. In addition, products can be made as and when, rather than created on spec.

All of this innovation doesn’t take away from the beauty and longevity of the products, though. Silca’s 3D printed titanium accessories are designed not only to function superbly but look amazing and last a lifetime. 3D printing is the future of the bike industry, and Silca is once again leading the charge to create high spec, functional and well thought out items.

Silca and Saddleback

Silca's goal is nothing short of creating perfection with every product it produces. Each and every component is designed for beauty, function, strength, durability, and longevity – then carefully produced to the very highest standards.

An attractive mix of Italian prestige and modern American engineering, Silca joined Saddleback in September 2014 and has continued to build upon its legacy as creator of the finest pumps and tools in the world.