Guy Kesteven
Guy Kesteven is Bike Perfect's technical editor-at-large. Hatched in Yorkshire, he's been hardened by riding round it in all weathers since he was a kid. He started writing and testing for bike mags in 1996. Since then he’s written several million words about several thousand test bikes and a ridiculous amount of riding gear. To make sure he rarely sleeps and to fund his custom tandem habit, he’s also penned a handful of bike-related books and he reviews MTBs over on YouTube.
Current rides: Cervelo ZFS-5, Forbidden Druid V2, Specialized Chisel, custom Nicolai enduro tandem, Landescape/Swallow custom gravel tandem
Height: 180cm
Weight: 69kg
Latest articles by Guy Kesteven
Best MTB bottle cages 2024 – top-rated, secure and easy-to-use cages for off-road riding
By Rich Owen last updated
Buyer's Guide Our test team's pick of the best MTB bottle cages to keep your water bottle secure out on the trails
Riding a classic MTB from a few years ago taught me a lot about what really matters when buying a new bike
By Guy Kesteven published
Opinion Riding an old Santa Cruz Tallboy mountain bike really opened tech expert, Guy Kesteven's, eyes on recent bike progression and long-term value versus short term 'bargains'
Best budget e-MTBs 2024 – top-rated cheap electric mountain bikes that won't break the bank
By Guy Kesteven last updated
Buyer's Guide Go further and faster for less with our pick of the most affordable e-MTBs
Best mountain bike helmets 2024 – top-rated head protection for trail, XC and enduro
By Graham Cottingham last updated
Buyer's Guide Our expert pick of the best MTB helmets to protect your head and ensure you look good on the trail
Bespoken Word – Is the bike industry a lesson in 'knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing?'
By Guy Kesteven published
Opinion Guy Kesteven talks about how an old proverb is very relevant to the bike industry right now and how that is affecting his reviewing work
Are small evolutions enough to keep Trek’s all-new Top Fuel Gen 4 in the hunt for more ‘bike of the year’ wins?
By Guy Kesteven published
News Trek are very much taking the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach to refuelling their super popular Top Fuel trail / downcountry mountain bike. But is that the right move to make?
Best bike locks – protect your MTB from being stolen
By Guy Kesteven last updated
Buyer's Guide Bike theft is a horrible thing to go through, so thwart thieves with the most secure bike locks for MTBs
Now could be the worst time ever to launch a new MTB, so how are bike brands handling that and should you buy one?
By Guy Kesteven published
Opinion It’s a really hard time to launch a new MTB for a whole bunch of reasons, but why is that and who’s doing it best?
Best tubeless tire valves 2024 – top-rated MTB and gravel bike valves tested by our experts
By Guy Kesteven last updated
Buyer's Guide It used to just be about color matching but valve designs have got a lot smarter recently. Are clever cores worth the extra money or will more basic bargains do the job just as well?
Best budget mountain bikes 2024 – our test team's pick of sorted MTBs at affordable prices
By Guy Kesteven last updated
Buyer's Guide We showcase the best cheap mountain bikes made for proper trail riding
I rode Merida’s all-new Big Trail 600 hardtail MTB and the fresh geometry makes it a fantastically rad riding freak
By Guy Kesteven published
Review The kick stand compatible daily driver that can totally kick ass on the raddest enduro trails
I've been testing Specialized Stumpjumpers for over 30 years, but this new version is the most awesome Stumpy ever
By Guy Kesteven published
Review Genie shock tech adds extra suspension wishes to Specialized's already awesome MTB all-rounder
Best budget full-suspension mountain bikes 2024 – full-sus MTB performance has never been so affordable
By Guy Kesteven last updated
Buyer's Guide Our expert picks of cheap full-suspension MTBs that will boost your control and confidence on any trail
I switched testing high-performance MTBs to riding a battered B'Twin shopping bike and rediscovered the sheer joy of simply cycling
By Guy Kesteven published
Features Guy Kesteven had a holiday romance this week, falling in love with the simple joys of cycling in its most basic form. He reckons it’s an affair we could all do with having and involving others in too
Best enduro mountain bike 2024 – we test the top options for racing or burly trail and gravity blasting
By Guy Kesteven last updated
Buyer's Guide The best enduro mountain bikes are fast, light and comfortable enough to ride all-day, here are our top picks
Mountain bike suspension forks explained – we break down every technical term and piece of jargon to help you better understand your MTB fork
By Guy Kesteven last updated
Feature Our easy, A to Z expert guide on what all the bits of your suspension fork are called and what they do
Going long on the shortest night – an epic, all-night, solstice MTB ride
By Guy Kesteven published
Feature Guy Kesteven and his mates always head out for an overnight mountain bike epic somewhere around the summer solstice. But what’s so special about celebrating the longest day and shortest night on your favorite singletrack?
Is RockShox relaunched Flight Attendant the ultimate ‘automatic’ suspension for trail and enduro riders?
By Guy Kesteven published
News RockShox is relaunching the latest ‘powered up’ version of its AI-automated Flight Attendant suspension back into the rowdy end of riding by combining it with their latest fork and shock changes
Best mountain bike shorts 2024 – we test the top baggy shorts from budget to premium
By Richard Owen last updated
Buyer's Guide Our team of highly experienced testers give you their pick of top MTB shorts covering every kind of riding situation
Specialized Chisel FS full review – awesome ‘economy Epic’ XC mountain bike
By Guy Kesteven published
Review 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
Bespoken Word – Everybody loves a rebel alliance, but is UK mountain biking playing into the Empire’s hands again?
By Guy Kesteven published
Opinion Guy Kesteven asks if the launch of the UK MTB Trail Alliance is another ‘People’s Front of Judea” Monty Python moment for mountain bike advocacy or something more genuine and significant?
Peaty’s Products are looking to rule the grip game with their new Monarch range, I put them to the test to see how they fared
By Guy Kesteven published
Review DH MTB legend Steve Peat is no stranger to hanging onto bars and Guy Kesteven has been getting hands on with Peaty’s new Monarch grip designs to see if they really do rule
Why do I think the new RockShox Pike Ultimate RC2 is potentially the best midweight trail MTB fork ever?
By Guy Kesteven published
Review What have RockShox done to solve the issues with their last generation of forks and does it work?