Zest was born in 2025 from two lifelong friends, Will and Max, who grew up riding bikes in the valley of dreams — Freshford. Over the years, cycling has taken us across continents, up mountains, and on countless adventures: from Gran Canaria’s highest climbs to 180km bikepacking missions and five-hour motorpacing sessions behind a battered hire Vespa.
Will Crudgington
Will Crudgington
Professional triathlete. Sub-8 Ironman. Engineer. The hands-on creator at Zest. Born into a family of engineers, Will has been designing and building bike parts and frames for years - now brought to life through Zest. Based in Clapham, he’s chasing a return to the top of triathlon after helping build FLOWBIO.
Max Hazell
Max Hazell
The deep bike knowledge. Once an elite athlete, now equally happy with a pint in hand — though still capable of running a 2:30 marathon after a questionable night out. More importantly, Max has been the trusted mechanic for multiple Olympic, World, and European champions in both short-course and Ironman triathlon. If it’s worth knowing about bikes, Max knows it — and your Zest will be hand-built by one of the best in the business.
Why we started Zest
When we first started riding, we built second-hand frames in a shed, piecing them together with parts from anywhere we could. Two decades later, cycling has become more complicated, and the costs have skyrocketed. We think it’s time for a change.
The Bikes
At Zest, we’re building bikes that are affordable without cutting corners on performance. Machines that can take you from a six-hour epic to a spin to the local pub — all in the same day. Bikes that are designed to be ridden, not just admired.
Both Will and Max have ridden every major bike brand for extended periods over the past 20 years. From our experience, Zest is compatible or superior in almost every aspect, but at a fraction of the cost.
Contact us
Have a question, or want a product recommendation? Get in touch.