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Silca chuck vs Hiro - any recommendation?

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Silca chuck vs Hiro - any recommendation?

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Old 11-30-18 | 03:35 PM
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Silca chuck vs Hiro - any recommendation?

In the last several years I tried multiple different Lezyne chucks, e.g. quick release, angled, etc and they all equally suck. I often need to add air to 4 bikes (my family weekend bike ride) and that is a time you can appreciate a good, easy on/off chuck. I narrowed it down to either regular Silca or Silca Hiro. All my wheels are presta and I don't have disc wheels to worry about, I will use it on both road and mountain bikes. I really like the idea of "slip-on" chuck, like the original Silca, but worry that it might not hold up well on higher pressure road wheels. The "Hiro" on the other hand seems to be a bit more work, where you need to lock/unlock it each time, and when you do it on 8 wheels, it adds up. Any suggestions?
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Old 11-30-18 | 09:11 PM
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I have a silca pista pump i purchased new in the 70s with a standard press on presta chuck. It has been a workhorse and the chuck works great. Just make sure to keep an extra or 2 seals for the chuck and the pump piston seal. Cheap parts and the pump works fantastic. Standard press on chuck is cheap and in my opinion has always worked better than I ever imagined.
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Old 11-30-18 | 09:33 PM
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Silca now has the new red rubber gasket for the venerable tried and true presta chuck.
They work wonderfully. The pkg says they will last longer etc.
So far I like the new gasket.
Can't go wrong with the simple Silca presta chuck.
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Old 11-30-18 | 09:52 PM
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Originally Posted by stevoo
Silca now has the new red rubber gasket for the venerable tried and true presta chuck.
They work wonderfully. The pkg says they will last longer etc.
So far I like the new gasket.
Can't go wrong with the simple Silca presta chuck.
I guess I will get some of the new red seals. How about that pump blood for the leather pump piston seal? Does that work good for the leather?
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Old 11-30-18 | 10:29 PM
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I have a Silca Pista floor pump with the Hiro chuck.

I like it.
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Old 12-01-18 | 08:26 AM
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Originally Posted by vtje
The "Hiro" on the other hand seems to be a bit more work, where you need to lock/unlock it each time, and when you do it on 8 wheels, it adds up. Any suggestions?
Probably worth the hassle for the locking. Are you servicing a club or team that you're doing 4 bikes at a time?
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Old 12-01-18 | 03:07 PM
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Presta valve stem, note the smooth band between the coarse thread on top
and the larger finer ring nut thread , below..
that band is the best seal for the Silca gasket to grip.. gasket wear is negligible, then..

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Old 12-01-18 | 05:10 PM
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I've found the original brass chuck on the Silca track pump has served me well for almost 40 years. When it starts to move on the valve stem with pressure, that's an indication you need to replace the gasket. They usually last several years for me. The last time I had to replace it, I got the urethane gasket from EVT instead of the official Silca gasket. It has held up well but it has only been a couple years now, so I can't definitively claim that it is better than the original butyl rubber gaskets from Silca. I see that Silca is now offering their own synthetic elastomer gasket which appears to be quite similar to the EVT gasket, and about the same price.
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Old 12-01-18 | 07:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Sy Reene
Probably worth the hassle for the locking. Are you servicing a club or team that you're doing 4 bikes at a time?
Almost :-) my whole family rides - myself, wife and two teenage kids.
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