Recently I wrote about buying an additional work stand, and I received a comment saying,
"I'm not sure which one is new, but the one in the back is an Akamatsu stand, right!?"
Along with a request for my impressions.
The one I newly purchased is the Vicci Support in the back of the image.
I already had the Akamatsu (red pine) stand.
While I haven't formally apprenticed under him, Akamatsu is like a mentor to me.
I get a lot of help from him regularly.
My main race bike is also an Akamatsu.
As for the Akamatsu stand, it's designed with a specific purpose in mind:
"a lightweight, portable maintenance stand."
It uses aluminum wherever possible, and only uses stainless steel and such
where strength and structural requirements absolutely demand it.
The lightweight design has benefits beyond just portability—
it's also less likely to exceed airplane weight restrictions when traveling.
The actual measured weights are (though I'm not sure if they're directly comparable)
Vicci Support at 6.04 kg, and Akamatsu at 2.57 kg.
Even though it's meant to be a portable stand rather than a heavy-duty fixed type,
I haven't experienced any wobbling or instability in my use.
It's never tipped over or come close to tipping.
When you lift the stand, the legs fold together like this,
but when you lower the stand, the legs don't automatically spread out cleanly.
You need to use your hands to spread them out properly.
That's unavoidable when optimizing for lightweight construction.
That said, I haven't found it inconvenient at all.
↑Details like the parts where stainless steel is used
It breaks down in about 10 seconds and becomes very compact.
Before I bought the Vicci Support, I got by with just the Akamatsu stand,
and I wasn't experiencing any particular inconvenience.
I added another stand because it became a hassle constantly swapping bikes on and off the same stand.
"I'm not sure which one is new, but the one in the back is an Akamatsu stand, right!?"
Along with a request for my impressions.
The one I newly purchased is the Vicci Support in the back of the image.
I already had the Akamatsu (red pine) stand.
While I haven't formally apprenticed under him, Akamatsu is like a mentor to me.
I get a lot of help from him regularly.
My main race bike is also an Akamatsu.
As for the Akamatsu stand, it's designed with a specific purpose in mind:
"a lightweight, portable maintenance stand."
It uses aluminum wherever possible, and only uses stainless steel and such
where strength and structural requirements absolutely demand it.
The lightweight design has benefits beyond just portability—
it's also less likely to exceed airplane weight restrictions when traveling.
The actual measured weights are (though I'm not sure if they're directly comparable)
Vicci Support at 6.04 kg, and Akamatsu at 2.57 kg.
Even though it's meant to be a portable stand rather than a heavy-duty fixed type,
I haven't experienced any wobbling or instability in my use.
It's never tipped over or come close to tipping.
When you lift the stand, the legs fold together like this,
but when you lower the stand, the legs don't automatically spread out cleanly.
You need to use your hands to spread them out properly.
That's unavoidable when optimizing for lightweight construction.
That said, I haven't found it inconvenient at all.
↑Details like the parts where stainless steel is used
It breaks down in about 10 seconds and becomes very compact.
Before I bought the Vicci Support, I got by with just the Akamatsu stand,
and I wasn't experiencing any particular inconvenience.
I added another stand because it became a hassle constantly swapping bikes on and off the same stand.