I have been using Silca pumps for over 30 years and I just don't get why so many experienced cyclists think they are junk. A newbie will probably have trouble with it, sure, but the Silca is a racing pump that performs very well when you know how to use it properly, just like a lot of other racing equipment from that era. Of course, never use that awful Silca plastic pump head.
Personally, I think thumb locks on frame pumps are for wusses. I even use a Silca with a Primus Schraeder head on my off-topic mountain bike. One of the best thing about a Silca is that I can pick up a long one and, after a few minutes on the lathe, have a custom fit pump for my bike.
If you are only going to have one pump, don't get a Silca, though that's exactly what I did in my college days and I had to pump up the tires on my track bike every day. But, if you are going to use a floor pump most of the time and only use the frame pump out on the road, a Silca is a fine choice.
But, seriously, Silcas are real junk, so never bid on one when it comes up for sale on eBay, especially if it has a primo Campy metal head.
Steve Barner, growling over his little stash of Silca frame pumps in Bolton, Vermont.
> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 14:44:36 EST
> From: BobHoveyGa@aol.com
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: [CR]Re: Tire Pump
>
> Marty writes:
>
> >I've bought a NOS campy head for a silca imperio frame pump...
> >Previously used zefals, figured its time to get a real pump.
>
> The Zefal IS the real pump. If you want something to look good on the
bike
> and in photos, use the Silca... if you want to pump up a tire, use the
Zefal.
>
> Bob Hovey
> Columbus, GA