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The Latest Breaking News from Guy Kesteven

I've been testing MTBs for over 30 years. Here are the 5 must-have features I look for on a budget mountain bike

Expert tester Guy Kesteven reviews mountain bikes of all prices and knows exactly what makes a big difference to your ride now and upgrade potential in the future. Here are his essential aspects to look for when buying a budget mountain bike

Cycling News

Is Manitou’s Mattoc Pro a real lightweight trail fork alternative to RockShox and Fox?

Does Manitou’s mid-travel Mattoc Pro perform well enough to tell the suspension sheep to flock off? Guy Kesteven has been riding two sets for several months to find out

Bike Perfect

From trail centers to racing, UK mountain biking is in a real crisis right now. Should you care and what can you do about it?

Guy Kesteven looks at the now-and-next of mountain biking and thinks about what we can do to create the future we want. You might find his conclusion hard to swallow though….

Bike Perfect

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The hottest Olympic XCO MTBs and pro kit being used in Paris that we mere mortals can buy

Fancy becoming the next Tom Pidcock or Jolanda Neff? Then here's the State-of-the-art XC MTB kit they'll be using at the Paris Olympics

Bike Perfect

Specialized launch the new Stumpjumper 15 but kill off the more capable EVO version in the process

The latest Stumpjumper gets more suspension travel, new GENIE shock tech on the fanciest models, plus a host of extra tweaks

Bike Perfect

I tested the new Specialized Chisel FS and it's an awesome ‘economy Epic’ XC mountain bike for cash-strapped speed fiends

Guy Kesteven has been testing the brand new Chisel FS to find out if the alchemic SmartWeld alloy frame and basic SRAM spec can shine through to create a cost-effective cross-country champion

Bike Perfect

RockShox reveals a lineup of upgraded forks and shocks designed to improve rider control, enhance tire grip and give wider tuning options

RockShox upgrades the Pike, Lyrik and Zeb forks with a new Charger 3.1 damper, while the Super Deluxe shock gets an overhaul too

Bike Perfect

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RockShox latest Lyrik Ultimate tough trail MTB fork gets a damper upgrade and new refinements, I put it to the test to see how it fared

SRAM's suspension division upgrades its Ultimate level trail / enduro MTB fork with a Charger 3.1 damper, but does it improve on the previous incarnation?

Bike Perfect

I've been riding 'gravel' for more than four decades, but here are 10 things that really suck about gravel biking

For a bike genre founded on opening up boundaries and celebrating freedom, gravel riding seems to really stir up emotions. But what particular beefs does our tech ed Guy Kesteven have about the mostly wonderful world between road bikes and mountain bikes?

Bike Perfect

It's a gravel gold rush as 100km of new off-road trails open in Wales this weekend

You could win a Trek gravel bike or Rab clothing when you ride the new trails around Coed y Brenin at Saturday's opening

Bike Perfect

I've tested all kinds of mountain bikes over three decades, but these 5 modern MTB features drive me properly nuts

Guy Kesteven roasts horrible headsets, compromised cockpits, e-MTB mount madness, stupid storage and hidden spec horror so you don’t have to suffer at the hands of dumb design

Bike Perfect

I tested the Pinarello Dogma XC race bike ridden by Olympic and World MTB champion Tom Pidcock and it’s as frighteningly fast as he is

Pinarello have finally released its full-suspension race bike and it’s as aggressive and uncompromising as the athletes it’s solely designed for. Did our ultra-experienced test editor Guy Kesteven get high on the pure speed of the Dogma XC or was he just glad to survive in one piece?

Bike Perfect

I've been testing MTBs for over 30 years, here's the 5 must-have features I look for on a budget mountain bike

Our expert tester Guy Kesteven reviews mountain bikes of all prices and knows exactly what makes a big difference to your ride now and upgrade potential in the future. Here are his five essential items to look for when buying a budget mountain bike

Bike Perfect

6 crucial signs you definitely need a new mountain bike

Expert bike tester and tech editor, Guy Kesteven, reveals his 6 big ‘cease and desist’ bike check indicators that confirm it’s time to stop riding and start shopping

Bike Perfect

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Bike Perfect

Specialized's Epic 8 XC MTB embraces algorithm-controlled suspension and ditches the Brain

Specialized claims the new Epic 8 is the "fastest XC race bike in the world", while the Epic 8 Evo gets a rowdy downcountry overhaul

Bike Perfect

Specialized's 'psychedelic vomit' fashion disaster, or the ultimate in bike park cool?

The US mega-brand revealed its new spring 2024 MTB collection with lots of new gear, but these new Gravity Pants certainly stood out

Cycling News

Best bike upgrades: Extract more performance and speed from your bike

A select few upgrades can shed significant weight and increase your comfort and performance

Bike Perfect

Gravel riding is going to be bigger than ever this year, so here are the top five bikes I can’t wait to ride in 2024

Guy Kesteven has been getting dirty on drop bar bikes for nearly forty years. So what probable gravel bike launches is he most looking forward to in 2024 and what fantasy ‘all terrain’ machines would he like to appear on the mixed surface menu?

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Bike Perfect

Probably the most experienced bike tester in the world reveals the five hottest MTBs he can't wait to ride this year

Guy Kesteven is already ahead of the curve with several 2024 bike launches, but what other awesome bikes is he expecting to see this year?

Bike Perfect

I tested 58 MTB and gravel bikes last year, here are the ones I really didn't want to give back

Over the past 27 years Guy Kesteven has tested more bikes than anyone else on the planet. So what were his top MTB and gravel picks of 2023?

Bike Perfect

Bike Perfect 2023 MTB predictions revisited – were we on the money or not last year?

With 2023 wrapped up did Bike Perfect's MTB predictions for last year ring true or were we way off the mark? Let's tally up the scores

Bike Perfect

Six big changes coming to MTB in 2024 – our tech experts make their predictions

Guy Kesteven and Graham Cottingham pick out the most important MTB tech and trends coming in 2024

Bike Perfect

We've tested over 200 pieces of MTB and off-road cycling kit in 2023, here's our pick of the very best

Gears, gloves, e-MTB motors and much more, the Bike Perfect test team nominate their top choices for Gear of the Year

Bike Perfect

Bespoken Word – is the death knell tolling for MTB innovation in the bike industry?

Guy Kesteven reckons that some of the best and most important bikes out there are in danger of becoming extinct. So how do we keep freaky alive so innovation can thrive?

Bike Perfect

Bespoken Word – Guy finds further proof of how mountain biking can help communities

Guy Kesteven has been gallivanting on the other side of the world while visiting Specialized Chile. What he found in Matanzas showed him just how important mountain biking can be to communities and how some companies are helping to expand that

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