In the picture here you’ll see two Feedback Sports Ultimate Pro Elite workstands – one that turned up about a month ago and the other that I got on test nearly 20 years ago when I first started working for mbr magazine. I’m showing you this because I want to talk about how I use this stand every day, it’s never let me down and if I didn’t just receive the new improved version, I’d still be more than happy using this old battered friend for as long as I’m able to ride. A few years ago I needed to strip and service the head clamp, but I’ve never had an issue with it. It was expensive, but in this regard you really do get what you pay for and it’s by far one of the best mountain bike workstands available.

That said, at £295, the latest Feedback Sports Ultimate Pro Elite Workstand is surprisingly good value. It uses the same fold-out tripod construction which can be locked in place using a giant QR lever. It’s slightly longer, so isn’t as compact when you fold it down, but you can now hold the bike at a more comfortable working height.

The big difference over my old stand though, is the spring release head – press the button on the top and it fires open, so you can get the bike out quickly. The head also has a spoked adjuster, which is much easier and quicker to operate than the dial on the original. The jaws are also slightly longer and get better padding too, so won’t scuff delicate paintwork. Some have criticised this stand for not having the capacity to grip bikes with big or awkward shaped tubes, but it has a range of 19-66mm and has held everything I’ve placed in it. The paint has scuffed off certain parts of this stand pretty quickly, but it’s just cosmetic and doesn’t affect performance. My only other criticism is the Pro Elite isn’t as stable with an e-bike in it (although it is rated to 80lbs), but that’s an issue for all workstands.

It’s a superb product that will easily see years of use – in fact if you’re a mature mountain biker you could buy this stand now and never buy another for the rest of your life. It really is that good.