When we released the FLO Air Gauge, we discussed another new product called the FLO Locking Chuck. When designing the FLO Air Gauge, we looked for a Presta style chuck to meet our needs but we could not find one we liked.
The main issues we found were:
- Plastic pump heads/chucks: inexpensive but break easily and are prone to leaking. Also, from a values perspective, we try to avoid plastic.
- Steel chucks: normally do not lock and are a complete pain to use.
- Lever locking Presta chucks: act in a digital way, they are are either open or closed and do not have the ability to fine tune the connection. They can be expensive and are difficult to remove without air loss.
- Bleeding air pressure: they did not give you the option to hold the Presta valve open so bleeding air pressure is not an option.
So, in FLO style, we decided to design our own. The FLO Locking Chuck is durable and plastic free, easy to use, eliminates air loss, provides an analog control so you can fine tune connection and removal, and allows you to keep the Presta valve open so you can bleed air pressure. Let’s dive into the design and how it’s best used.
First, here is a shot of the FLO Locking Chuck.
Let’s look at an exploded view to discuss all the components and their purpose.
- A: Cap that holds B the gasket in place.
- B: Rubber gasket that compresses around the Presta valve to create a tight seal. The FLO Locking Chuck ships with two rubber gaskets, one black and one blue.
- Included in your FLO Locking Chuck bag is a black 5.00mm gasket. A standard Presta valve has a 5.00mm Presta core and a threaded section between 5.90-6.00mm. Most chucks are 5.00mm and do not allow you to insert the threaded section into the chuck. This option is for standard pumps and if you want a traditional feel of a chuck. This does not allow you to bleed pressure.
- The FLO Locking Chuck comes assembled with a blue gasket that has a diameter of 5.90mm. This allows you to insert the Presta valve into the pipe (D) which creates a deeper seat on the valve for a better connection and holds open the Presta valve. An open Presta valve is what creates the ability to bleed pressure. Use this option if you want a better connection with you current system or have the ability to bleed pressure, like with the FLO Air Gauge.
- C: Barrel that holds the rest of the pieces in place and allows for the compression action.
- D: Pipe connects to the pump, allows airflow into the valve, and is used to hold the Presta valve open when the Presta valve is inserted deep enough into the FLO Locking Chuck.
- E: Pusher. When the dial (F) is turned, it pushes the pusher into the gasket (B) and compresses it around the Presta valve.
- F: Dial that is used to compress the gasket (B) around the Presta valve. The dial allows for fine analog style control.
For a full explanation of how the FLO Locking Chuck works and to see it in action check, out the video below:
The Main Design Characteristics
Let’s take a deeper look into the main design characteristics of the FLO Locking Chuck and how we accomplished them.
Durable and Serviceable
The FLO Locking Chuck is made from steel and rubber.
It’s 100% plastic free, helping with durability, breakage, and the environment.
All parts can be easily replaced in the rare event a piece wears out or breaks.
Precision Sealing
The FLO Locking Chuck features a dial design so you can set the desired compression on your Presta Valve. This gives you an analog-style control with infinite open to closed options, unlike a traditional one-size-fits-all lever that is either open or closed and nothing in between.
Finally, the FLO Locking Chuck provides hands free operation once locked to the Presta Valve. No more snuggling with two hands to prevent air loss!
Affordable
Like all FLO products affordability is important. We are selling the FLO Locking Chuck for $49. This is well below other locking chucks on the market.
Maintaining Air Pressure During Removal
Traditional non-locking chucks leak badly unless you hold them perfectly. This means that during removal they are prone to bumping the Presta valve as you wiggle them to try and remove them. Lever style chucks are great when they are closed but when you open them the seal is broken. The broken seal and the wiggling to get the chuck off bumps the Presta valve and creates leaks. Trying to remove a traditional non-locking or lever style chuck straight is really difficult. We’ve tried many times.
The FLO Locking Chuck is different. Regardless of if you are using the standard 5.00mm gasket or the 5.95mm bleeding gasket, when you want to remove the FLO Locking Chuck you loosen the dial a quarter turn. This keeps the seal but allows you to remove the FLO Locking Chuck. To prevent the need to wiggle the FLO Locking Chuck free, we’ve designed a trigger grip. This allows you to use a finger on both sides of the barrel to pull the FLO Locking Chuck straight off the valve preventing leaks and eliminating the Presta valve bump.
Connecting to Existing Pumps
The FLO Locking Chuck can be added to any pump that has a Schrader threading.
The Ability To Bleed Air Pressure
Why chucks were designed to stop on the 5.00mm Presta valve always confused me. To me there were many benefits to allowing for a deeper insertion and bleeding air pressure was something I had not seen done. The FLO Locking Chuck allows you to insert a Presta valve into the barrel until the Presta valve is held open by the pipe. Here is why that’s important. A Presta valve is designed to open when the pressure on the pump side is greater allowing air to enter the tire or tube. Once the pressure equalizes the Presta valve closes. A closed valve does not allow you to bleed pressure with the gauge attached. If the Presta valve stays open then you can bleed the pressure with gauge attached and air will exit both the tire or tube and the pump. Our FLO Air Gauge was design to make this process simple and easy. Using the FLO Air Gauge with any pump gives you the ability to bleed to the exact pressure you need and to keep it as you remove the FLO Locking Chuck.
Review and Final Thoughts
To be honest, chucks have been a frustration of my for many years. While I didn’t think I’d ever design one once I started it became a bit of an obsession. While we think it’s the best locking chuck we’ve ever used, user feedback is what matters most. With the FLO Locking Chuck out for a week we received our first review which felt pretty good to receive.
After using an expensive brand fancy Chuck, I didn’t think there was much room for improvement, but after using the new Flo Locking Chuck, I realized how wrong I was. This is a substantially better and more functional Chuck. It slips onto the valve (threaded or unthreaded) very easily, but it’s the removal that is really special. I’ve often struggled with getting a Chuck off the valve without loosing any air pressure, but it always seems like a few pound of pressure escapes. With the Flo Chuck, just a twist on the release knob and pop! The Chuck comes off the valve with no air loss from the tire/tube! It’s fantastic!! This is an unusually well made, all metal device that is well worth the money. Best Chuck ever!
Mitch
If you’re fed up with leaky pumps or are as fanatical about accurate tire pressures as we are, be sure to check out the FLO Locking Chuck and it’s right hand man the FLO Air Gauge.
Co-founder at FLO Cycling. Jon manages the day to day operations and acts as the lead engineer for all FLO products.