Silca sent us two of their electric mini pumps, the Elettrico Micro and the Elettrico Ultimate. They’re completely trending right now—apparently, hand pumping is no longer considered the smart thing to do.
LCD screen for precise inflation
The Ultimate features a small LCD screen that lets you see exactly what you’re doing. It also has more buttons than the Micro. With these, you can set your desired tire pressure (in bar or psi), and then monitor the progress on the screen. Both pumps charge via USB-C and come with a short rubber hose and a screw-on valve head. The Micro has a battery large enough to replace three CO₂ cartridges. It weighs 111 grams and takes 25 minutes to charge.
The Ultimate weighs twice as much but can replace up to nine CO₂ cartridges. Charging takes about an hour. Both models fit easily in a saddlebag. They are quite loud during use and get noticeably hot, especially near the valve—quite different from the freezing effect of a CO₂ cartridge.
My initial reaction to this gadget wasn’t very positive: another battery impacting the environment, replacing human effort with lazy electronics. But like most modern innovations, you get used to it. CO₂ cartridges aren’t exactly eco-friendly either, and hand pumps are slow.
I inflated an empty 28 mm road tire to 5 bar in 1 minute 20 seconds with the Micro—that’s also its maximum pressure. The Ultimate does the same in 40 seconds and can go up to 6.8 bar. It inflated a 45 mm gravel tire to 2.1 bar in 34 seconds. These times include attaching the hose, although with Presta valves you can skip that. I find that flexibility useful. A CO₂ cartridge is faster, but how much of a hurry are you really in?
Both pumps are beautifully made, with CNC-machined aluminum. As expected from Silca, they are high-end products with a high-end price. A good floor pump is still unbeatable, but not something you easily carry with you. As an alternative to CO₂ cartridges, these electric mini pumps are actually quite handy. Whether you want to spend a small fortune on the Silca version or opt for a more affordable competitor—that’s up to you.
Silca Elettrico Micro: €139 / $ 129 / £129
Silca Elettrico Ultimate: €179 / $ 159 / £159
More information: silca.cc
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