I will admit, I have had this pump for a number of years. Long enough that they don't sell them anymore. Probably 30 years old. Used it to pump up bike tires on three of my bikes and car tires whenever they needed it. It has more than served its purpose over the years. Lately though, I can't seem to get the chuck to engage the stem threads on my bike tires. I believe the threads on the brass chuck cap have finally worn. What gets me though is the fact that it still fits the metal stems on my Prius fairly tightly. Like the Prius stems are ever so slightly larger than what should be a worldwide standard dimension. I have used this pump on my Gen II and now Gen III tires, and I think I can confidently postulate that the TPMS stems have contributed to accelerated air chuck thread wear. I believe spare parts are still available for this fine Italian air pump, locally and online if need be. So I will be working on a rebuild. Anyone else notice anything like this? I know there are a few of you out there (or maybe more) that still do things like manually airing up tires with a bicycle pump.
I have a Schwinn pump that I used until the leather gave out. Keep saying I will repair it someday. In the meantime I use a compressor. Your Silca is designed for Presta valves if I'm not mistaken.
Yup, a Silca and a ParkTool. I would have thought you should be able to get spares for the Silca. BTW: My Silca will do Presta and Schrader.
I have replaced the head and hose on my trusty Silca floor pump with something like this: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=371270331833&alt=web It accommodates both Schrader and Presta valve stems. I've also replaced the main leather washer seal in the pump body as well.
I have a Presta chuck somewhere around here. Don't use it much. Just swap out the Schrader when I need it. The hose could be replaced. Every time I swap the chucks some rubber comes away on the fitting. I checked the leather seal and it is still good. The pressure gauge isn't very accurate but gives me a reasonable estimate. So there still are some tire pump enthusiasts out and about. Getting a little exercise wherever you can.
