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EXPLAINED: Guykestv - The Real Truth

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

Merida Big Trail 600 review: Fantastically rad riding, hardtail freak

A kickstand-compatible, daily driver that can totally kick ass on the raddest enduro trails

Cycling News

Specialized Hillbilly Grid Trail 2Bliss Ready T9 review: Bargain-priced winter tyre

A wallet-friendly option for boosting grip in the worst winter trail conditions

Cycling News

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
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Peaty’s Monarch grips review: Fantastic control and comfort

DH MTB legend Steve Peat is no stranger to hanging onto bars. We get hands-on with Peaty’s Monarch grip designs to see if they really do rule

Cycling News

Continental’s Olympic and World Championship XC winning Race King Protection is the fastest rolling MTB tire I’ve ever ridden, but it’s not for the nervous

I’ve been riding Continental’s Race King tire to find out what focusing on ultimate rolling speed rather than reassuring grip feels like on the trail

Bike Perfect

Is GT's Sensor ST Carbon Pro full-suspension MTB cheap at half the price?

GT's carbon fiber, short-travel trail bike is one of many being sold super cheap right now. Guy Kesteven and his northern test team have been riding it for months to see if it's actually worth buying

Bike Perfect

The all-new Calibre Bossnut is a fantastic comeback and only a shock tweak away from being a totally awesome budget full-sus MTB

The affordable mountain bike market has never had more excellent, new, or 'old stock sold cheap’ options than it does now. So is Calibre’s Bossnut a straight to the top comeback? Guy Kesteven has been putting the hours in to tell you exactly what you need to know about this…

Bike Perfect

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Has Vittoria improved its legendary Mezcal tires with the latest XC Race Formulation version? I’ve been riding them in all conditions to find out

Will Mezcal’s fanatically loyal fan base still love the latest version and who else should now consider using the bigger, tougher, more controlled version of this classic speed tire?

Bike Perfect

I’ve been testing Panaracer’s all-new GravelKing X1 and X1R tires since spring, find out why they’re now my favorite mid-price, mixed-surface all-rounders

It’s been ten years since Panaracer became the first brand to release a dedicated gravel tire that became an instant classic. A decade later has its latest design retaken the mixed surface crown and become the true GravelKing again?

Bike Perfect

Santa Cruz’s awesome new Hightower is basically an enduro bike that can still do epic day rides

More travel, smoother suspension and rowdier angles make Hightower hardcore enduro ready but it’ll still run with the pedal pack all day

Bike Perfect

The new Schwalbe Racing Ray might just be the best front-specific MTB tire around. I’ve been testing it alongside National Champions to find out just how good it is

Racing Ray is one of Schwalbe’s newest tires but it’s a perfect front match for the legendary Racing Ralph when it comes to exceptional speed with more grip than you’d expect

Bike Perfect

The WTB Macro XC tire – will this race-ready rubber go straight to the front of the pack? I tested them to find out

WTB haven’t had new rubber in the XC game for a long time, so how does the new Macro measure up to the other podium contenders in the speed, grip and survival stakes?

Bike Perfect

Could Pace’s radical RC429 really be the one bike that does it all? The brand claims it's a trail, XC, adventure and gravel bike all-in-one, I put it to the test and the results really surprised me

Pace reckons its latest steel RC429 hardtail works as a proper progressive trail slayer AND a fully loaded, kitchen sink spec drop bar adventurer. Surely there have to be some compromises?

Bike Perfect

I tested Santa Cruz’s new Bronson XO AXS RSV to find out if it's still a party animal or a serious gravity machine?

Santa Cruz’s mid-travel MX bike is now smoother, slacker, and more confident at speed and in the steeps, but has it lost its signature rider-reactive agility?

Bike Perfect

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Bike Perfect

Riding a classic MTB from a few years ago taught me a lot about what really matters when buying a new bike

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'

Bike Perfect

I rode Merida’s all-new Big Trail 600 hardtail MTB and the fresh geometry makes it a fantastically rad riding freak

The kick stand compatible daily driver that can totally kick ass on the raddest enduro trails

Bike Perfect

I've been testing Specialized Stumpjumpers for over 30 years, but this new version is the most awesome Stumpy ever

Genie shock tech adds extra suspension wishes to Specialized's already awesome MTB all-rounder

Bike Perfect

Going long on the shortest night – an epic, all-night, solstice MTB ride

Guy Kesteven and his mates always head out for an overnight mountain bike epic somewhere around summer solstice. But what’s so special about celebrating the longest day and shortest night on your favorite singletrack?

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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

Santa Cruz Heckler SL review – is this the Californian brand's most fun e-mountain bike ever?

Santa Cruz’s latest mid-weight, MX wheel e–MTB is an absolute riot on the trails but is the Fazua motor a potential weak link in terms of all-weather play time?

Bike Perfect

Yeti SB140 LR T3 X0 Turq review – pricey and lacking a host of modern features, but it still quietly rips like nothing else

Is Yeti’s all-round ‘mountain bike’ the ultimate blend of iconic brand and innovative technology? Guy Kesteven has been enjoying the last few months finding out.

Bike Perfect

Is the Kinesis G2 all the road and gravel bike anyone really needs?

The G2 packages twenty years of Kinesis design experience into an affordable alloy all-road / gravel all-rounder. I've been riding one all spring to find out how it performs

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

Mondraker Chrono Carbon DC RR review – Spanish downcountry bike turns out to be 'damn confusing'

Full-suspension ‘downcountry’ bikes with carbon XC frames and lightweight trail capable kit are a definite thing and probably my favorite mountain bike genre. There are very few hardtail equivalents though, so I’ve was super keen to try Mondraker’s Chrono Carbon DC when it was announced in the autumn. Unfortunately, a…

Bike Perfect

I test bicycles for a living, here are the 5 must-have features to look for when buying a budget gravel bike

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?

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