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SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE: MARCH 19th
HOW DO WE REACH THE OVERALL RATINGS FOR PRODUCTS WE REVIEW?
Silca Terra Floor Pump
(1057g) £139.00
The Silca Terra Floor Pump is the Italian marque’s latest incarnation of the original Terra introduced way back in 1988. It was designed to cater for higher volume mountain bike rubber. This version combines low pressure measurements for precision fettling of big volume tyres, while still delivering sufficient wallop for road typical pressures. Yes, the ticket price may induce some gulping, and I certainly wouldn’t lend it to casual friends (or anyone, for that matter) and its Pista stablemate might be the better option if you’re a skinny tyred road whippet looking for 160psi plus. I’d prefer a longer hose and the need to reverse the chuck for Schrader was a minor niggle. However, the build quality and refinement are stunning.
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Pros: Beautifully made, very refined and pleasant to use, equally efficient with high volume and high-pressure tyres, lightweight.
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Cons: Price, hose shorter than some.
Specification
This, as you’d hope is reassuringly high and while there’s nothing groundbreaking at play, its dripping in refinement. Unlike my beloved 80’s Pista, the piston, barrel and base are aluminium alloy. The base and barrel are treated to a top-drawer powder coated finish-no hint of “orange peel” which should hold its’ looks for many years. All the sensitive components, including fasteners are nicely tucked away inside the
aluminium alloy barrel. Aside from a cleaner aesthetic, this keeps them protected from accidental carelessness and premature wear. Base to handle, it measures 67cm tall, which sounds compact but is comparable with my long serving Blackburn Piston4 , although shorter than this SKS Air-Explorer Digi Floor Pump 10.0.
The shapely, tactile handle is hand-lathed from treated ash, features a hose guide with clips to ensure its neatly tethered, out of harm’s way and won’t tap noisily against the barrel when being transported.
Back to the base a minute, this is a similarly broad arc with a three-inch (7.6cm) analogue gauge measuring PSI and BAR atop. I’m told this is an asymmetric, non-linear design.
Ordinarily we’d make the point that taller riders might struggle a bit with base mounted gauges, especially those wearing prescription lenses, but this hasn’t been an issue. Once upon a time, gauges had passing affinity with reality, but these days, due in part to digital units becoming more common, most seem accurate to within a psi or two. Silca claim within .5 psi up to 30psi and 1psi from 30-120psi.
The hose measures 90cm and the CNC machined aluminium head is based upon Silca’s Tattico mini pump and incorporates an inline bleed valve for those moments when you’re rushing or otherwise got a bit distracted. (I’ll never forget a friend ramming 100psi into my tourer’s 80psi Michelin World Tour with my first Silca back in 1989, blowing the tube to kingdom come). Switching between Presta and Schrader valves requires reversing the ends, which are clearly marked and is simple, with little risk of losing any small parts.
Spares are also readily available and that includes the leather gaskets, which Silca recommends are lubricated with Silca NFS Leather and Pump Lube. Aside from nourishing the leather, it’s a synthetic blend designed to cling to the barrel’s walls, reducing friction and improving efficiency.
Test Tyres & Contexts
Given the 120psi maximum, I’ve gone for a mix of mid and high-volume tyres covering the intended range of gravel, mountain bike, touring, commuting and small wheels. Obviously, I added a couple of higher pressure 700x25c road tyres maxing out at 120psi. I checked the gauge’s accuracy using the Topeak Smart Gauge D2X.
Performance 4.25/5
The movement of the piston is super refined and plush. The broad base is super stable, even on older floors, or paths. No wibble or flex and there’s ample room for bigger feet- for context I'm a size 43/44. The refined movement, minimal slop and friction from the piston meant super smooth and laughably efficient inflation and I’ve felt fresher than usual having raised five sets of tyres from pancake flat to their optimum and maximum pressures.
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While wooden handles are undoubtedly aesthetically sleek, some can prove uncomfortable with sustained use and sweaty hands. No such issues here and I’ve done an hour’s sustained inflating, tyre switching etc bare handed with no issues.
The valve chuck has proved fully compatible with all but the shortest of Presta valve stems. In fairness, these have proven tricky customers with all but one Lezyne floor pump. Valve extenders, the sort commonly needed with deep section aro rims sorted this.
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No issues with threadless TPU tubes, or frustrating pressure bleed when releasing the valve lock and uncoupling. Another definite, although not crucial advantage over more traditional floor pumps is the efficiency when tackling bigger section, lower pressure tyres - 26x2.3 being notable examples.
Scores on the doors...
Starting with the 26x2.3, I’ve raised these from zero to 60psi in 64 strokes (apiece) and for the pedantic amongst you 2 minutes 15. A 700x28c went from zero to 90psi in 30 strokes and 30 seconds, the 700x25c CST Cito from flaccid to their 120psi maximum in 28 strokes. These Maxxis Ravager TR were brought from pancake flat to my preferred 50psi in 25 strokes. A 700x32c from zero to 80psi in 26 strokes and finally, a 16x1.95 went from zero to 55psi in 22 strokes.
Performance that genuinely covers the broad spectrum that Silca claim without the compromises of models prioritising high pressure. Cross referenced with the digital Topeak Smart Gauge DX2, the Silca’s gauge seems accurate to 1 and 1.5psi at 0-30psi and 30-120psi respectively. In line with Silca’s claims and only likely to offend the most obsessive of riders/mechanics.
Durability/Care 4/5
I've defaulted to ours for ten weeks and not felt any need to touch it whatsoever. Alright, I'll admit to giving the barrel and feet a hard paste waxing while I was waxing Denise - would've been rude not to. That aside, I've just used it as I would any other floor pump. Standard of finish is extremely high, so negligible wear on the base's underside, barrel and handle remain packet fresh. Silca recommend applying a few drops of their Pump Blood (more formally known as Silca NFS Leather and Pump Lube),a synthetic oil designed to nourish the leather and rubber components, keeping them slick and smooth) every six months or so - more if it's in hard, say commercial service.
Value 3.5/5
There's no getting away from the fact that £130 is a lot to shell out for a workshop pump, even taking the refinement and superb build quality into account. OK, this kind of investment will prove very cost-effective long term. However, you can pay considerably less for a decent workshop pump. The SKS Air Xplorer Digi 10.0 (£70.00 rrp) and continues to impress me with its comfort, solid build quality and efficiency. Being taller than the Silca, it may also prove a better fit for taller mechanics. That said, it can't rival the Silca's efficiency when raising higher volume tyres beyond 40psi - 26x2.3 being cases in point and while very solid and stable, it's also nearly twice the Silca's weight, which isn't so convenient for race meets and similar duties.
Blackburn Core Pro Floor Pump (£109) is another model reckoned to deliver the same performance on high volume and high- pressure tyres. The barrel, handle and base are made from 6061 aluminium alloy, valve head with inline bleed valve looks remarkably like the Silca Terra but will deliver 180psi and boasts a 51-inch hose, which is more convenient if you're wanting to whack some pressure on a bike hanging high in the workshop, or on a rear mounted bike carrier. However, we've not tested one, so can't comment on performance.
Steve was impressed with the Zefal Profil Max FP60 Z Turn (£51). He found it coped well with high volume and high-pressure tyres, had 110cm hose, a large gauge and tactile wooden handle. However, the valve had didn't incorporate a bleed valve- not essential but useful if you've got a bit enthused.
Lezyne CNC Digital Drive comes in at £130. Aside from the 3.5-inch digital gauge, CNC machine aluminium alloy construction and a choice of silver, or black finishes, it features an extra-long reinforced braided hose, Lezyne's ABS1 Pro floor pump chuck and reckoned good for an eye watering, tube busting 220psi (15BAR). Again, we've not got our hands on one, so can't make useful performance comparisons with the Silca. Money's no object? Silca also offers the Superpista Ultimate Floor Pump-Hiro Edition - yours for £499.00.
Summary
Cost aside, the Silca Terra Floor Pump is an extremely refined and solidly made pump that could well, with basic care outlast me. It's not a model I'd loan and there are some very capable choices for a lot less. Though very efficient, taller mechanics may find the Terra a little short for their tastes-especially tackling a big fleet, or in a commercial workshop context. Again, and on that note, a longer hose would also be welcomed.
Verdict: 3.75/5 A beautiful workshop pump that should last a lifetime, but a longer hose would be welcomed.
Michael Stenning
PUBLISHED MARCH 2025
