Hott cycles
Have you ever heard of Hott Cycles? Me neither, but I’m sure that after this Bike Fest, Instagram will be full of pictures of their prototype frames.
Christoph Hotter founded Hott Cycles to make dirtjump frames (the first was for his son) and now he is working on this new enduro frame that will be made in Austria with the help of regional partners. They use 7075 T6 lugs and carbon tubes – something we are seeing more and more often. What sets them apart is the fact that they make the carbon tubes in-house, while most companies buy them from suppliers.
They use Pinion C1.12i Smart Shift gearboxes (with electronic trigger shifter) and a fully integrated Eightpins dropper. The lower shock mount adapter allows them to adjust the rear suspension progression and also allows them to use different shock lengths.
Surprisingly, the downtube is not perfectly straight, which probably would have been easier to manufacture. Christoph says that this form gives him more freedom to respond to different quantities and stack numbers. The frame will be available with semi-custom geometry (some numbers such as the angle of the seat cannot be changed).
Their test riders are currently busy testing the frames, but they will also be tested by the Zedler Institute in Germany before they are made available later this year.
Details:
– Stroke 170/165 mm
– full 29er and mullet options
– Head angle: 63.7 °
– Seat angle: 76.5 °
– reach: 456 mm (M) / 475 mm (L)
– stack: 609 mm (M) / 627 mm (L)
– chainstays: 470 mm
Nicolai and Pinione
The new Nicolai Saturn 16 MGU is the first Nicolai bike with the Motor Gearbox Unit from Pinion that was introduced last year. The MGU is a combination of an E-Bike motor and electronically actuated 12-speed gearbox and many bike brands pair it with a belt drive rather than a chain. According to Pinion, the MGU is powered by a compact, wear-free, brushless motor that provides a maximum output of 600 W and a maximum assistance of 400%. They say that “with a comparable drive torque of around 85 Nm, 160 Nm of torque is achieved at the rear wheel in first gear.”
As always, Nicolai doesn’t shy away from progressive geometry: an L-sized frame will come with a 515mm reach, 455mm seat tube, 1324mm wheelbase, 660mm stack and chainstay from 451 mm. Interestingly, the headtube is 170mm long – Nicolai says a lot of riders end up with pretty high cockpits anyway, so rather than having spacers under your stem and using a riser bar, they went for a long headtube. The head angle is 64.5° (160mm fork) and the effective seat angle is 77.5°.
Some parts of the frame are hydroformed aluminum (a first for Nicolai) which are machined in house to make them even lighter – just look at this cool downtube!
Rather than fit an MGU into an existing frame, Nicolai’s team emphasized that they designed the bike and especially the rear triangle around the MGU and a belt drive.
Nicolai lets you choose between two batteries: the fully integrated “Ultracore 720” and the semi-integrated “Ultracore 960”.
Version 8.0 of the Saturn 16 MGU will be the first version to be available, it will ship with a Fox 38 160mm Factory Grip 2, a Fox DHX Factory shock, DT Swiss HX1700 wheels and Magura MT7 Pro HC brakes. It will cost 10,999 Euros and other versions will follow during 2024.
Details:
– Frame made of aluminum 7020-T6
– 160 mm of travel front and rear
– Rear shock absorber 205 x 62.5 mm
– total weight (without pedals, raw, battery 720 Wh): 26.9 kg
Radox
Last year we did a factory tour to Radoxx in Germany to see how brake cylinders are machined for 612 Parts. Although they work for many famous European bicycle brands and their business is doing well, now they also offer their Radoxx brand products.
In particular, they worked with Dangerholm to release their first chain, the Bergakungen (Swedish for “Mountain King”). It’s compatible with drivetrains, but according to Radoxx, it should also work with regular 12- and 11-speed SRAM drivetrains. Radoxx says it’s not anodized, but it has a polymer oxide coating that supposedly reduces friction, especially in the lower and higher gears. The tooth profile is specifically designed for each chain size. They are also working on a 3-bolt version and we can also see a version that is compatible with Shimano 12 speed chains.
Radoxx now also sells their own stem caps and seat clamps, but what really got us was this gold stem prototype.
HXR components made by Radoxx
HXR had a simple but beautiful display of their Easyshift system on display. Their cranks can be used as regular cranks and also accept a freewheel system, which means the chain can rotate while you are freecoasting. This allows you to change gears without pedaling.
612 Actions
Felix from 612 Parts is always working on new products, so it was no surprise that he brought new pedals, rotors and brake calipers to Riva.
He probably has the easiest name concept in the bicycle industry, he just calls his products what they are (in German). The brakes are called “die Bremse”, the rotors are “die Scheibe” and the pedals are “die Pedale”.
After launching its four-piston brakes last year, the two-piston version is almost ready. There will be a PM and FM version.
Since Félix is frustrated by high spindle wear caused by bushings, his pedals come with a needle bearing instead of a bushing. The pedals can be used with SPD systems, but I can think of one or two other systems that might work with these pedals as well. They are made of 7075 aluminum and use M4x10 grub screws. This means you can buy any style of M4x10 grub screws you want and adjust the grip to your liking. The pedals measure 75 x 100mm and have a Q-factor of 58mm. The weight should be around 457 g/pair.
Felix’s new ‘Die Scheibe’ rotors are available now, made in Germany and come in 180, 200 and 220mm (2mm thick).
Rough cycles
The “Cowboy Cookie” to be released is a 120 to 130mm bike. Sour Cycles has invested a lot of time and money into their “homebrew” reshoring project and are really proud that the Cowboy Cookie and other frames will be completely made in Saxony, Germany.
The Cowboy Cookie is also a collaboration with its neighbors from Actofive (seatstays and rocker) and Nicolai (chainstays) who provide the parts for the aluminum rear part while the front triangle is in steel.
