Silca Pocket Impero II Pump

The Silca Pocket Impero II is an outrageously expensive though high-quality pump that offers a fairly decent pumping performance. While it takes a lot of strokes to get where you want, it's capable of achieving high pressures without needing the assistance of The Hulk, and there's very little build-up of heat either. It's small enough to fit in the back of a jersey, although it's a bit weighty.

If this is looking a bit pricey for you, check out our guide to the best cycling mini pumps and the best bike pumps for more options.

While it's certainly one of the most expensive mini pumps out there (even the Lezyne Digital Pressure Drive is 'only' £77), the Pocket Impero II features the usual quality build and sweet aesthetics of the Silca product range. It's also easy to service, to keep it going for a long time, and the leather gasket (100% cow, sorry vegan folks) is replaceable. It also features a two-year warranty that covers all rubber, leather and gauge parts, which is nice to have.

At 203mm (or an even 8 inches) it's pretty compact, if not the smallest mini pump out there. For reference, it's longer than a Lezyne Pocket Drive but shorter than a Lezyne Grip Drive HP, with greater girth than either of those pumps.

Though Silca claims a 150g weight, it actually came in at 169g on the road.cc scales, which makes it pretty heavy in its class – 55g heavier than the longer Lezyne Grip Drive HP.

When compared with the original Pocket Impero, which Silca released about seven years ago, I don't see any obvious difference in specification, other than a few cosmetic changes. In fact, Silca has even regurgitated the old description with the new pump, so I'm pretty sure it's just a facelift, if it was even needed.

Mind you, the new pump does look rather neat, with an all-black alloy construction (save for the piston inside). The end of the body is knurled for better grip, while the silicone sleeve has a diamond tread pattern which makes it very secure to hold. The silicone sleeve also serves as a way to hold the handle in place when it's on the bike, though I did find it requires a bit of effort to get it in place.

At the business end, the Pocket Impero II features a bright, anodised red pump head, which you simply slide onto the valve (Presta only) to lock it into place – no need for a manual lock, or anything like that. A silicone strip over the head of the pump gives you a bit of extra grip when you're pumping, to keep it firmly in place.

On a 28mm road tyre, 200 strokes equated to 54psi, while 260 strokes left me with my optimal road pressure of 70psi. At the other end of the spectrum, on my Bombtrack Beyond+, with 2.8-inch plus tyres, 200 strokes delivered 15psi, which is about spot on for off-road riding.

> How to choose the best bike tyre pressure – balancing speed, comfort and grip

In isolation that seems a little disappointing in comparison to some of the other mini pumps out there, which take fewer strokes to get to a similar pressure, although that said, the Pocket Impero II requires relatively little effort for the same number of strokes. Even at 70psi on my road bike's 28mm tyres, the going was still easy, unlike other mini pumps I've used. Indeed, the Pocket Impero II didn't seem to produce much, if any, heat at all which is probably a sign that this is a very efficient mini pump.

Value and conclusion

Does that excellent build quality and high efficiency translate into a mini pump worthy of its £125 price tag? Well, probably not, but the serviceability and the warranty do help to sweeten the deal somewhat.

Still, there are similar size pumps out there that require fewer strokes to get to the same pressure. The Lezyne Grip Drive HP is longer, but it's lighter, and Stu managed to get to 50psi in just 100 strokes. That said, I'm personally not a fan of the screw-on chuck, but it is only a fraction of the price of the Pocket Impero II at at around £30.

Similarly, Topeak's Roadie 2Stage is only around £30, is just 162mm long and weighs only 102g, and offers decent performance with 55psi after 150 strokes on a 28mm tyre.

So, perhaps not the best performance out there, given its high price tag, but there's no doubting that the Silca Pocket Impero II is a quality product that is easy to use and will last you a very long time.

Verdict

Effortless to use, but high on the strokes and very expensive