From the very first sight of the Hott Cycles Alice, it is clear that this mountain bike is something very special. Company founder Christoph Hotter is firmly rooted in the Austrian gravity scene and was motivated by his personal passion to build his first dirt bike. In the meantime, Hotter has also developed a fully that offers between 155 and 188 millimetres of suspension travel. The Hott Alice with gears and integrated Eightpins seatpost is customised in his Tyrolean workshop.
The Hott Alice in detail
- Application: Enduro / Freeride
- Wheel size: 29" / Mullet
- Rear suspension travel: 155-188 mm
- Frame material: carbon / aluminium
- Price: around 9950 euros
- Special features: Customised frame and custom build possible, Eightpins dropper post, Pinion gearbox, belt drive, Ride Height Adjust geometry adjustment, steering angle and reach adjustment via headset
Aluminium and carbon in bonded symbiosis
The aim of developing the Hott Alice was to create a bike that is both fast and confident on the downhill and efficient on the uphill. Direct, intuitive and fun riding behaviour was just as much a part of the specifications as a unique design. In order to be prepared for all downhill stresses, the Hott Alice is approved according to ASTM category five.
The frame of this special bike is made of carbon prepreg and 7075-T6 aluminium sleeves. The latter has almost twice the tensile strength of the often used 6061-T6 aluminium. To prevent contact corrosion, the sleeves are anodised at the contact points. The anodised layer interrupts the conductivity of the aluminium and is intended to optimise durability. Carbon and aluminium are bonded together.
Construction and geometry
The Hott Cycles Alice relies on a head tube with a continuous 56 millimetre diameter. This allows the bike to accommodate headset shells that can be used to adjust the reach and steering angle. The geometry can also be fine-tuned to personal riding style and different route requirements using the Ride Height Adjust System (R.H.A.). The bottom bracket height and response behaviour of the rear triangle can be individualised in four stages. Hott offers the Alice in three frame sizes from M to XL. The impressive chainstay length of 472 millimetres is the most striking feature in the geometry table across all sizes.
System integration for gearstick and seatpost
Hott equips the Alice with a Pinion gearbox. The C1.12i or C1.9i models are available. The electronic gearstick can be customised via an app and has numerous smart functions, such as the preselection of specific gears for different riding situations.
The integrated battery promises up to 20,000 gear changes in one charge. Consequently, the first fully from Hott comes with a low-maintenance drive belt. There is also an Eightpins NGS2 in the seat tube. The fully integrated dropper post offers a long stroke, an overload clutch to protect the system from defects and a load capacity of up to 600 kilos.
Equipment and availability
Hott offers customers of the first Alice series an exclusive service. Not only is the warranty extended to four years for them, they also receive a lifetime update guarantee. If Hott changes the rear triangle design in the coming years, for example, First Edition customers will receive this customisation free of charge for their existing bike and will always remain technically up to date.
Eight to ten weeks delivery time should be factored in from ordering. The basic equipment of the €9950 Hott Alice includes suspension from Intend, brakes from Hope, tyres from Schwalbe and attachments from Radoxx and Ergon. However, the equipment of the complete bike can also be customised on request.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
