Originally Posted by
squirtdad
It is not the number of folding legs, it is the contact points. The park is a tripod, the 2 legs and the main tube are the contact points
It is super steady, and should not be not considered because of the the incorrect idea that 4 legs are inherently more stable. (especially if you every need to use on anything but a perfectly level floor)
not to say the other are not good stands, but this IMHO is not decision point. Cost and weight may be, but that is a different discussion
Both types of stands -- bipod folding and tripod folding
mechanisms -- each has only 3 contact points. The former works as you said. The latter has only 3 legs, each of which contacts the ground. (4 contact points would be inherently unstable unless the ground is perfectly flat.)
To clarify, I have nothing against Park Tools (own several) or its stand (no experience). I was only pointing out the two different folding
mechanisms and how the potential failure of the clamp which secures each in an unfolded configuration might lead to a collapse (i.e., folding) of the bipod but not the tripod, especially if a bike is already mounted off the ground. Of course this is only theoretical and may never happen in real life.
The QR seat post clamp of the Park Tool stands (only some have this?) and the different footprints imposed by the different folding mechanisms are of course also factors for consideration.