Latest articles by Guy Kesteven
I test bicycles for a living, here are the 5 must-have features to look for when buying a budget gravel bike
Feature Guy Kesteven is one of the most experienced bike testers in the world, so what does he think are essential features on a cheap gravel / all-road bike?
5 things a lifetime of bike testing has taught me about how to upgrade your MTB
Feature Starting cheap, seeing the whole system, trying before you buy, measuring carefully, or servicing rather than upgrading. What can our most experienced test editor tell you about improving your mountain bike?
Best mountain bikes under $1000 – top-rated bargain hardtail MTBs that give maximum bangs per buck
Buyer's Guide Our test team's round-up of the best $1000 mountain bikes for hitting the trails on a budget
6 signs you need to stop riding your mountain bike and give it some workshop attention right now!
Feature Broken brakes? Grinding gears? Loose bearings? Dead suspension? Droopy droppers? Wobbly wheels? Here's the niggles that could be a nightmare if you don’t get them sorted straight away
Best light mountain bikes 2025 – lightweight cross-country MTBs under 10kg
Buyer's Guide The best light mountain bikes combine sensational acceleration and XC speed for ultimate off-road climbing performance
Why are the fastest MTB race bikes in the world so different from what we mere mortals ride?
Opinion
I tested Tom Pidcock's Pinarello Dogma XC Olympic gold medal-winning race bike and it's as frighteningly fast as he is
Review Pinarello's full-suspension race bike is as speed-hungry and uncompromising as the high-performance athletes it’s designed for
I’ve tested thousands of mountain bikes and Calibre’s Line T3 275 is the best £1,000 MTB you can buy today
Review Is Calibre’s Line T3 27.5 mountain bike really the incredible ‘best £1,000 bike’ deal it seems? Guy Kesteven has been finding out if it rides as well as it reads on paper
MTB legend Gary Fisher gives us the lowdown on Morelle – his radical new e-bike venture
News We chat to the original mountain bike hype beast, who says his Morelle e-bikes will be lighter, faster to charge and easier to own
I've been testing MTBs for over 30 years, here's the 5 must-have features I look for on a budget mountain bike
Feature 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
I’ve been wearing Leatt’s HydraDri 4.0 MTB jacket through the worst winter and spring weather and this is what I learned
Review Can clever features create outstanding performance from an OK fabric in Leatt’s mid-level, weather beating jacket?
Best bike chain lubes – our top-rated options for a better running drivetrain
Buyer's Guide Keeping your chain properly lubricated is a vital step in maintaining a happy drivetrain. We pick the best lubes for use on any kind of bike
Best gravel bike tires – our test team's top-rated rubber for drop-bar dirt road rides
Buyer's Guide Combining road and mountain biking tire technology, these are the fastest and grippiest gravel bike tires available
Leatt HydraDri 5.0 Mountain Bike Pants review – tough South African weather protection for your southern regions
Review It’s been a grim winter for riding in the UK, but a great winter for testing tough, waterproof gear like Leatt’s latest full feature, tailored fit trousers
Crankbrothers Candy Lace XC/gravel shoes review – are these retro-looking Candy shoes the sweet spot of comfort and performance?
review I’ve been putting ride time into Crankbrothers Candy Lace shoes months before their release, so why have they become firm favorites and will they work for you too?
How to defend against ticks while mountain biking and what to do if you find a tick on your body
Opinion Riding down the woods with your mates is ace, but it's time to start watching out for vampire hitchhikers and the infections they can carry says Guy Kesteven in this week's Bespoken Word column
Sticks and stones may hurt my bones but mountain bike pronouns just confuse me
Opinion Mountain biking has been surrounded by naming controversy literally since it started, But as we head into another season of working out what different race and bike categories actually mean. In this week's Bespoken Word column, Guy Kesteven reckons it’s time to get the Harry Potter Sorting Hat out again
6 crucial signs you definitely need a new mountain bike
Feature 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
Bespoken Word – surely this sodden winter of MTB discontent can’t last much longer?
Opinion Guy Kesteven has had enough of the endless filthy trails and cleaning aftermath of the last few months in the UK. But surely it’ll get better soon?
Best electric mountain bikes – the top-rated e-MTBs we've tested
Buyer's Guide With a motor between the cranks, the best e-MTBs unlock huge potential for increasing your riding range and powering up the climbs. Here's our expert pick...
Could the fall and rise of vinyl and record shops show us the future for bikes and bike shops?
Opinion In this week's Bespoken Word column, Guy Kesteven looks sideways into the music industry to see if there are some interesting parallels for where bike shops might be heading
Troy Lee Designs Grail review – the brand's first ‘any bike’ helmet for riders who want MTB-style protection without a peak
Review Troy Lee are impact protection icons in mountain bike and motocross and now they've pulled the peak off their popular Flowline MTB helmet to make a multipurpose lifestyle lid
Yeti ASR T3 XO review – is this the ultimate deep pocket downcountry race bike for technical trail and heritage brand fans?
Review Yeti are charging back into the XC race/trail scene after almost a decade away. Guy Kesteven has been getting his teeth into their radical slack steering and deep sag design to see how it compares with the best of the rest
Bespoken Word – How you can genuinely change the future of mountain biking in the UK
opinion Have your voice heard and help shape the future of mountain biking by filling in the SRAM DMBinS UK Trails Project survey today
Specialized Epic 8 vs Epic 8 Evo – two brilliant new bikes, but which short travel ripper is the right one for you?
Feature Specialized’s new Epic 8 and Epic 8 Evo share the same frame but ride very differently. Guy Kesteven has tested both and is perfectly placed to explain which is the best lightweight trail weapon for you
