What’s one mistake home mechanics make all too often? Neglecting to invest in a good work stand. So when Efficient Velo Tools, which is based in Washougal, Washington, announced they’d partnered with Japanese manufacturer Minoura on an expert-level workshop stand that’s easily adaptable to field work, we were excited that this would be on the show floor, and even more so that they chose PBE24 as the product launch venue!
It’s called The Field Unit, and is the first production model portable workstand that Efficient Velo Tools has produced. If there’s one surprising thing about Efficient Velo Tools, it’s that the name isn’t better-known. Their tools look really good, and when you read more about the company it becomes clear why their tools should be really good.
It is immediately clear when you look at the Field Unit that a lot of thought, based on decades of experience, has gone into the design, and the build quality is first-rate too. Put together, these two are not surprising from a company that won’t make a tool unless they can honestly say it’s better than what’s already available.
Efficient Velo Tools’s Right Arm Clamp is the part that holds the bike. This clamp is already known and loved by workshop mechanics all over. It has an offset design enabling easy rotation. The purpose of the Field Unit is multiple: It is a way of bringing the functionality of the Right Arm Clamp to events, where there is often even less time to work on a bike than in a workshop, but also it is a way of making the EVT clamp products available to home mechanics. Like the shop models, the Field Unit is able to clamp a deeply inserted seatpost, with only 2” of exposed seat post needed, while the jaws are sensitive enough to clamp carbon of any shape without danger of crushing. We really liked the replaceable thick leather cladding in the jaws.
The Field unit is constructed with 65mm and 45mm diameter aluminum tubes on an adjustable tripod. Thru-holes in its rubber feet facilitate staking down, which is a necessity at wind-blasted events like Sea Otter. The over-sizing of the tubes adds stiffness and stability. The quick releases throughout the stand are closed-cam style and made of steel for long term reliability.
The name Efficient Velo Tools may be lesser known outside the circle of professional bike shop mechanics, and this is their first time at Philly Bike Expo. We’d like to learn more about this company though, because they make high-grade tools that can only have been imagined by experienced bike mechanics. Good tools save time and money.
Workshop efficiency came into sharp focus for EVT’s founder Brett Fleming during the time he worked as manager of 35 mechanics at Portland’s Bike Gallery in 1998. He found himself making shims, bushings and hard-to-find parts in support of the bicycle service department there.
A light bulb went on in his head when he realized he could be providing support to mechanics everywhere, and in 1999 he put his machining and welding skills to use fulltime and launched Efficient Velo Tools.
At the top of the article we mentioned a partnership with Minoura in Japan. Efficient Velo Tools did the design work on the Field Unit stand,, and Minoura the manufacturing. So why involve a Japanese company? Several years back, Fleming had come into close contact with Japanese manufacturers while working as a product inventor under contract to Shimano, and for him it made sense to employ the high-level production methods and business culture found in Japan.
If you want a Field Unit you may have to wait a short while until the first batch arrives. Check their website for details and updates. The stand retails for $599, or $499 as an introductory offer, and is available to dealers at merrysales.com.
