REVIEW: New SILCA Locking Presta Valve Chuck

Triathlon Forum
1

I was very fortunate to get one of the few models of the new SILCA Locking Presta Valve Chuck available. Like many of you, I have tried many crack pipe options in the past, with very poor luck.

See my previous thread “Better crack pipe than silcas” http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=5108387;search_string=;#5108387

I was able to use previous devices, but they always took 2 people, and they often struggled to inflate beyond 100 PSI even with 2 people.
When Josh from SILCA posted on that thread with images of the new device I became pretty excited and sent him a couple messages about getting one. They haven’t quite hit the website yet, but I was lucky to get my hands on one of them. Here is a little review of it!

Check out the unboxing of this slick little tool:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/Neopian_Knights/photo153_zps032488e7.jpg

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/Neopian_Knights/photo354_zpsd3d82075.jpg

The quality of this tool is clearly far superior to all other presta valve chucks. Completely metal, very smooth joints, that only move in the directions designed. They do not have any sloppy play, which lead to very controlled mounting and dismounting from presta valves.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/Neopian_Knights/photo43_zpsdbebb26e.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/Neopian_Knights/photo53_zpsbe9f8a7f.jpg

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I have a habit of trying new items out before reading instructions. I placed it on my presta valve with the clamp completely closed (like I would with a standard bike pump, then attempted to open the clamp (again, like I would with a standard bike pump). There clearly was not room to open the clamp with my small disc cover opening (and likely all other disc openings) so thought this tool was a piece of garbage. I was about ready to pack it up and send it back when I decided I should look at the instructions. Sure enough, you install it opposite of standard bike pumps. You open it up ~1/3 of the way (plenty of extra room with my disc cover opening), then clamp shut. To back up a minute, you must already have your bike pump clamped onto the end of the chuck, otherwise all of your current air will leave the tube.

Once locked on, you can absolutely let go of the chuck and use both hands to inflate! This was the first hands free chuck experience. In the past I would either have one hand on the chuck with one hand on my pump, or two hands on the chuck while a friend pumped. This chuck created such a tight seal, I was able to confidently inflate to 140 PSI (no noise of any air leaking out). I felt I could have kept going, but didn’t find any reason to.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/Neopian_Knights/photo127_zpsc582139d.jpg

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The one area that was a bit difficult was dismount. As soon as you open the valve of the chuck, air will start to leak (same as with a standard bike pump) so you have to take it off quickly, which is difficult to do with a small disc wheel opening. After practice (I tried it about 10 times) I was able to nail it down to the point where I didn’t lose more than 1-2 PSI (believe it or not, I actually checked). One tip I have for you all is to keep the clamp on your bike pump open (so locked down) onto the chuck until it is completely removed from the presta valve. The first few times I attempted to close the bike pump valve, then finish up with the chuck, this led to lots of air leakage. Other than that, it was a very convenient and easy to use device. This will make race day inflation MUCH easier.

I hope they become widely available soon and I highly recommend this tool, 5 stars!

2

Very cool. How much do these go for?

3

The quality of this tool is clearly far superior to all other presta valve chucks. Completely metal, very smooth joints, that only move in the directions designed.

Sounds a lot like my KCNC right angle presta valve chuck that I’ve had for a few years:
http://fairwheelbikes.com/images/kcnc_pumpheads.jpg

Both the KCNC and this new Silca appear to be variants of the Hirame right angle chuck:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WcFtOQEpIis/TpoYwHrPnvI/AAAAAAAABZs/LS-mh5z8GPo/s1600/hirame_head_yoko.jpg

In fact the only major difference I see is that the new Silca is meant to be used with a standard pump head while the KCNC and Hirame replace the existing pump head.

Don’t get me wrong, the Silca looks like a nice piece. But there’s nothing fundamentally new about it.

4

Wheels clincher? What stem length for the intertube? What is the opening size of your cutout in the wheel? How much space between the top of the stem valve and the top of the cut out?
Still trying to see if it will fit on my zipp disc. I have like 43mm stems which I would love to find shorter ones. I also have cut my opening some. If it works, I will buy since having my wife
having to pump while I hold the crack pipe on is NO fun.

.

5

Absolutely. Josh certainly never pitched this as “something new.” The basic request - “I want a hirame-style head that I can use with a regular pump” - is something that people have been asking for for close to a decade. And something easily available (which the hirame head is not).

6

He said it would ship a month ago. I wonder what is going on.

.

7

Absolutely. Josh certainly never pitched this as “something new.”

Never said he did. Was just responding to UMDRunner’s statement saying “the quality of this tool is clearly far superior to all other presta valve chucks. Completely metal, very smooth joints, that only move in the directions designed.”

And something easily available (which the hirame head is not).

The Hirame head isn’t, but the KCNC one is readily available from Fairwheel Bikes. I think when I ordered mine, it was out of stock, but I got the notification within a week that it was available.

Which, at the moment, is more than can be said of the new Silca, which most people can’t even order yet…

8

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/Neopian_Knights/photo127_zpsc582139d.jpg

I’m not clear. You put this valve into your existing valve?

9

I’m not clear. You put this valve into your existing valve?

You put the chuck in your existing chuck.

10

The Hirame head isn’t, but the KCNC one is readily available from Fairwheel Bikes. I think when I ordered mine, it was out of stock, but I got the notification within a week that it was available.

Which, at the moment, is more than can be said of the new Silca, which most people can’t even order yet…

I had to wait much longer for my KCNC head, and after two weeks it won’t actually lock anymore; it just pops right back open if you don’t actively hold the lever down. Bah.

11

But will we ever see a Silca frame pump with a proper Silca head?

12

I’m not clear. You put this valve into your existing valve?

You put the chuck in your existing chuck.

This is not meant to be argumentative. I am probably going to buy one of these. But, I have Qs. Probably the same Qs many potential buyers have. If my chuck doesn’t hold well on the presto valve, but the Silca chuck does, will I have a problem with the my current chuck staying locked onto the Silca?

As it turns out, this morning was the first time my existing chuck wouldn’t hold onto the presta. I had to have a buddy hold it while I pumped.

13

Did you try tightening the o-ring? They wear over time and a quick twist of the bezel on the end of the chuck usually resolves the problem.

14

I have the Nashbar L’Orange floor pump and it did not hold onto my previous silca presta valve chuck beyond probably 80 PSI, I had to hold it on. It held perfectly onto the new chuck all the way up to 140 PSI.

15

I had to wait much longer for my KCNC head, and after two weeks it won’t actually lock anymore; it just pops right back open if you don’t actively hold the lever down. Bah.

Tighten down the threaded bezel. That’s the wear adjustment.

16

I believe the chuck end of the Silca head is Shrader valve dimensions (larger diameter) not Presta. This is how the simpler Silca crack pipe version is set up too.

17

Put this chuck on a lezyne pump (screw on) hose and you should be fine.

http://www.amazon.com/Lezyne-Floor-Pump-Hose-Gloss/dp/B005X778NM

Cheers,

18

Catching back up on this thread:
I put the Hiro Chuck on the website tonight, as of this evening we are shipping them
I think I describe much of the history in the copy for the product. Rappstar is correct, it actually started when I first saw a Hirame in Europe 10+ years ago and really came full circle when one of my close pro-tour mechanic friends asked me to make a ‘better mousetrap’ based on issue that they had with the Hirame. It’s definitely not easy, as an engineer it’s very easy to look at something and instantly think you can do it better, but a part like this has been slowly refined into being over 50 years…it’s been tweaked and tuned at the component level for material hardness, surface finish and cost. The whole reason we are late with the product is that we just missed the mark on surface finish of the lever…it has to be smooth and hard, which the Hirame achieves with Chrome plate…as part of our environmental stance we won’t do chrome…not to mention that anymore in the US, chrome is very, very hard to even get if you wanted it. So we had to harden the stainless, but that led to an appearance I didn’t like, so we went ahead and electro-polished the levers which look really fantastic!

During the month that we are late, we also modified the gasket for easier installation and removal…like most projects, the engineer would spend infinite time refining if it were available. It was worth it. we had great feedback from a triathlon editor on the install/removal force, and in about a week, we developed the means to measure it and then hand poured gaskets to find just the right balance, and now I’m happy with it.

http://silca.cc/products/hiro-locking-presta-chuck

19

Awesome. Just bought mine…

20

Thanks Joe!
We are assembling and testing all day today…quite the party! Your order will ship tomorrow.
Best