Went thru my pump “collection” today. I have never really looked at them before. They have just been there. They have come to me with bikes thru the years. Personally I have always liked Silca Impero and I want them in chrome. I have used and abused a lot of these during the years. I still have three or four chrome Silcas as users.



This Silca came with my 1978 Masi Prestige and has the same colour as the bike. It is also Masi branded. This one strikes me as a little odd as it is a Silca but made for a Campagnolo pump head 1030/1. Note (picture above) – there is no sleeve in the pump head end. I thought all Silca: s used the square attachment – with a sleeve.





A couple of Bianchi branded and celeste coloured Silca has come my way – for which I am very thankful. Both with dark sleeves and Silca plastic heads for fitting in the frame.





Here are a couple of really old Silca: s. They are of the kind that needs a brazed or band on pump peg.




Campagnolo 1030/2 on both.



Different versions - how they look at the handle end.

This is a silver coloured one that came with my 1977 Pogliaghi. It has a co-branding of some sort. I have seen this handlebar symbol on some German bikes but I do not know what it is. Anyone here who knows?



A Zefal (I believe) that came with my Champion Strada (a Torpado painted in Legnano green) and my last unused chrome Silca Impero with its original plastic pump head.



This one I find interesting – a Primus pump. Made in Japan and of very good quality. I know nothing of Primus. And I do no longer remember which bike it came with. It can be seen in its full length in the first pic above.






I believe I have got at least five NOS Campagnolo 1030/2 but only two used ones of the lighter plastic Campagnolo heads. In the picture there is also a metal Silca head. I believe it belongs to one of the older white Silcas.





Well this sums up my pumps – aside a very old orange Silca Pista floor pump.

What vintage pumps do you have?

Pumps are an interesting subject. They can add to the look of a bike, but destroy it as well. I'm still in the process of finding out how that works exactly.

Just now on another thread I posted a Ventolux I just bought. I like the dull shine of aluminum pump casings:

Indeed, a chromed Silca is a nice accessory to bikes of a certain vintage:

Nice pumps, guys. I've never owned a Silca frame pump but I have 4 or 5 Zefal HPs. I bought the first for my UO-8 decades ago when the original pump broke. (I, um, stepped on it. It wasn't that great a pump anyway.) They are all collecting dust now. I've tried lubing them, swapping head parts around, everything else I can think of, but they just don't move air like when the first was new. A new Topeak Masterblaster Road is so efficient and looks good on most bikes.

I got one of the chrome Silca pumps- I think it looks pretty neat- haven't had to use it yet.

1985 Trek 620 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr