Tripods were never an intended use case for GoPros. They are action cams not steady mount stationary cams.
The GoPro mount system has the lower foot mount that is intended to be mounted on a helmet or whatever. The forked part of the mount is just an intermediate to that and allows the camera to quickly and easily be set to an angle and tightened down. This is needed since the foot is flat and stationary, unable to tilt like a tripod head.