I freely admit up front this is a rant - so if that bothers you, stop here.
This particular rant - not just about Silca - is that over the weekend the rubber band (silicon strap) used to secure my Silca Tattico pump into the pump holder on my gravel bike broke. Luckily I was home when this happened, and that I had a long enough velcro strap that I could use. Today I email Silca to see if there was a way to replace the strap - the pump holder otherwise works perfectly - and Silca’s answer was: no way to replace the strap, just buy a new one (and implicitly throw the old one away).
Is anyone else really annoyed at the proliferation of using non-replaceable rubber bands to old devices onto bikes? This just seems so environmentally wasteful, as if the rubber breaks, you have to throw the entire otherwise perfectly functioning bracket, sensor, light, etc. away.
All the ones I’ve seen (Garmin mounts, multiple types of lamps) have rubber bands that are separate from the devices and replaceable. In all those cases, a Velcro strap wouldn’t cut it either.
I also dislike the rubber bands as they aren’t as secure. I have a K-edge mount for my Garmin and it’s just so much more satisfying. I’ve got a draw chocka full of those bands now.
Yuck. I also run a Silca Tattico pump on my ‘don’t care about weight’ bike. I’d be massively pissed if I lost it due to those rubbery straps breaking. It is however, pretty firmly ‘clicked’ into the U-clamps as well, right?
100% agreed though… the Garmin rubber band things (for computers, speed sensors, etc) are lunacy. If somebody wants to put rubber on my bike, please invent a road-worthy belt-driven drivetrain that works, lasts, stays clean, and saves watts. Then, I’m all ears.
Its carbon of course, and not rubber, uses no lube or grease and stays completely clean, lasts waaaaaaaaaay longer than any chain but wont save any watts…
I have one on a BMC flatbar bike and absolutely love it
What is the alternative - fixed fittings specific to the part being attached to?
As others have said I have garmin and wahoo products and the bands are easily replaced or swapped. Useful when dealing with odd sized mount positions (eg aero seatposts).
Also on my bikes I often use two for things such as my garmin varia. I also add a layer of insulating tape which stops them rotating and lessens teh chances of teh band being rubbed, breaking and the whole thing disappearing as opposed to spotting it flapping held on finally by the tape. And it is more aero on my TT bike.
I suspect the proliferation of rubber bands is directly linked to the proliferation of bikes that don’t have round bars, round seat tubes or pump pegs!
Preface: my solution is not economical or practical for everyone, but here goes…
Solution? 3d printed parts. I have a great 3d printed mount for a Varia-to-Pinarello seatpost, for example. Ditched the rubber bands, and the Varia is now ‘properly’ secured to the seatpost. Prior to that mount, the stupid rubber bands shifted, stretched, flexed, and just (to me) looked like a bodge.
Let’s also acknowledge that Velcro can also be sub-par over the long-term. I can’t even count how many seat bags I’ve had to replace, not because the zipper failed or bag ripped but because the velcro strap that held the bag to the saddle rails stopped working from being opened and closed repeatedly. Give me a ratchet, or a snap, or something more resilient, please.
It is. But because I’m a “belts and suspender” kind of person, plus I have this on my gravel bike, I used a velcro strap I had laying around in place of the rubber band.
Note: If you have a velcro strap that is long enough, you can fit it under the bottle cage so it works really well as a replacement for the rubber band as a secondary retaining option. Plus it won’t get easily lost out on the road / trail if you have to use the pump.
for what it’s worth i have a different solution to the problem of the OP’s strap breaking on the tattico mount. I have a tattico and love the thing, about 2/3 as good as my floor pump which is saying something for a pump that small. Last year I got a bike that has some aero touches like the down tube and though i bought an extra tattico holder for the new bike i thought it counterproductive to mess up the lines by putting the mount on there. So i put the pump in my center back pocket and had no problems, even when i took a spill on a forest road descent on a gravel ride it didn’t pop out though it always worried me. So this year after seeing in some silca advert, I bought their mattone underseat bag with the boa strap and did like they did where i use that boa strap to secure the tattico behind and underneath the saddle. Works great and though i check and make sure it’s still there constantly because i’m paranoid i haven’t had any reason to be so.
which brings to mind speaking of silca one last time, for those sick of rubber bands and velcro you could buy their mattone or mondrian gear keg with the boa strap and use that separately to secure what have you.
Not all “rubber bands” are created equal. Lezyne strip drive lights come with a very thick and sturdy rubber strap. I am on my second set of these light sets and the straps are secure and durable. I think in principle that rubber can be a really effective and way to secure devices and auxiliary items to a bike. It allows for a lot of flexibility in placement and frame/handlebar shape and size. The issue is CHEAP rubber.
The OP tells me more about Silca as a company than the attachment method. I increasingly choose companies that go out of their way to provide first rate customer service. Silca does not fit into that category.
Silca are being lazy here. The rubber strap is very easily replaceable, but they just can’t be bothered to sell it as a consumable. But I’ve discovered that the bracket they use is actually a generic item. I have another mini-pump from a different brand that came with the exact same bracket. It was a bit of a double-take moment when I realised!
