Terms and Conditions
1. Introduction & Acceptance of Terms
Welcome to Hot Cogs, a cycling community platform operated by Jollylamma FZE LLC, a UAE Free Zone company ("Hot Cogs", "we", "our", or "us"). These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Hot Cogs mobile applications for iOS and Android and the website at www.hotcogs.com (collectively, the "Platform").
By creating an account, downloading the app, or otherwise accessing or using the Platform, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.
These Terms should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect and use personal data. Where there is a conflict, these Terms take precedence.
2. Description of Services
Hot Cogs provides cyclists with a suite of connected features accessible through the Platform:
Bike Management
- ▸My Garage: Add, manage, and track your bikes, monitor mileage, and link bikes imported from Strava.
- ▸Search: Discover bikes available for purchase or rental by category, year, brand, and type (including electric bikes and framesets).
Library
Educational and reference content including articles, manuals, setup & tuning guides, bike maintenance tutorials, tire pressure references, bike sizing guides, beginner resources, and training & nutrition advice.
Community
- ▸Buddies: Connect and follow other cyclists on the platform.
- ▸Marketplace: Buy and sell used bikes and cycling equipment peer-to-peer.
- ▸Lost & Stolen Bikes: Report bikes as lost or stolen and search reports in your area.
- ▸Rentals: List or find bikes available to rent near you.
- ▸Services: Discover local bike repair and maintenance service providers.
- ▸Stores: Find bike shops and gear retailers near you.
- ▸Bike Parks: Locate trails, parks, and cycling tracks near you.
- ▸Activities & Events: Discover and participate in rides, meetups, and cycling events.
We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any feature of the Platform at any time with reasonable notice where practicable.
3. Account Registration & Eligibility
To access most features of the Platform, you must create an account. You agree to:
- ▸Provide accurate, current, and complete registration information.
- ▸Keep your account credentials secure and confidential.
- ▸Notify us promptly at info@hotcogs.com if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.
- ▸Take responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account.
Age. Hot Cogs is rated PEGI 3 and is open to users of all ages. However, users under the age of 16 in the European Union must obtain verifiable parental or guardian consent before creating an account. By registering, you confirm that you meet this requirement or that parental consent has been obtained.
One account per person. You may maintain only one personal account for ordinary use. Creating multiple accounts to abuse free trials or platform features is prohibited and may result in termination of all associated accounts.
You may delete your account at any time using the Delete Account feature in the app's Profile settings.
4. Subscription Plans & Billing
Free Tier
Access to the Platform's core features is available at no charge. Free-tier and trial-period accounts will display advertisements served by third-party ad networks.
Premium Subscription
A Premium subscription unlocks additional features and removes all advertising. Premium is billed on a recurring basis (monthly or annually, as selected) through the applicable app store:
- ▸iOS: Billed through Apple In-App Purchase, managed through your Apple ID. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period.
- ▸Android: Billed through Google Play Billing, managed through your Google account. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled before the renewal date.
Subscription management is handled via RevenueCat. To cancel your subscription, visit your Apple ID or Google account subscription settings.
Trials
Hot Cogs may offer free trial periods for Premium. During a trial, you will have full Premium access. Advertising may be displayed during certain trial configurations. Once a trial ends, your account reverts to the Free tier unless you have selected a paid plan.
Refund Policy
All payments are processed and governed by Apple App Store or Google Play Store policies respectively. Hot Cogs has no ability to override or independently process refunds. For refund requests, please contact Apple or Google directly through their support channels.
5. Marketplace, Rentals & Services
Platform Role. Hot Cogs is a technology platform and intermediary only. We do not own, inspect, certify, insure, or take physical possession of any bike, item, or service listed on the Platform. Hot Cogs is not a party to any transaction between buyers and sellers, renters and providers, or cyclists and service providers.
Listings & Accuracy
If you list a bike, rental, or service on the Platform, you are solely responsible for:
- ▸The accuracy, completeness, and legality of your listing.
- ▸Ensuring you have the right to sell, rent, or offer the item or service.
- ▸Accurately representing the condition, specification, and ownership of any bike or item.
- ▸Complying with all applicable local laws and regulations governing sales, rentals, and service provision.
Lost & Stolen Bikes
The Lost & Stolen Bikes feature allows users to report bikes as lost or stolen and to search for reports in their area. You must ensure that any report you submit is accurate and made in good faith. Submitting false or misleading reports may result in account suspension or termination, and may expose you to legal liability.
Contact Details & Privacy
To protect user privacy, phone numbers and personal contact details are shared between parties only after a transaction or deal has been formally initiated through the Platform — not before. You must not attempt to extract or share other users' personal information outside of this process.
Safety & Condition
Hot Cogs does not inspect, certify, or make any representation regarding the condition, roadworthiness, safety, or legal compliance of any bike, equipment, or service listed on the Platform. All cycling and bike-related activities are undertaken entirely at your own risk. Hot Cogs does not provide cycling safety, mechanical, or legal advice, and nothing on the Platform should be construed as such.
6. Fees & Commissions
Hot Cogs charges a commission or platform fee on certain completed transactions, including sales via the Marketplace, bike Rentals, and bookings through the Services feature. Current fee rates are published in the app and on the website at www.hotcogs.com and may be updated from time to time with notice.
By completing a transaction on the Platform, you agree to pay the applicable fee. You must not attempt to circumvent platform fees — for example, by arranging payments outside the Platform to avoid commissions. Such conduct constitutes a material breach of these Terms and may result in account suspension.
Hot Cogs reserves the right to adjust its fee structure. Material changes to fees will be communicated via the Platform or email with reasonable advance notice.
7. User Content & License
You retain full ownership of any content you post on the Platform, including photos, listing descriptions, profile information, status updates, and reviews ("User Content").
By posting User Content, you grant Hot Cogs a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable licence to use, reproduce, display, adapt, distribute, and promote that content solely in connection with operating and marketing the Platform. This licence ends when you delete your content or close your account, subject to reasonable retention periods for operational purposes.
You warrant that:
- ▸You own or have the necessary rights to post the User Content.
- ▸The User Content does not infringe any third-party intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or applicable law.
- ▸The User Content is accurate, not misleading, and not defamatory.
Hot Cogs does not pre-screen User Content but reserves the right to remove any content that violates these Terms or applicable law, at our sole discretion.
8. Prohibited Conduct
You agree not to use the Platform to:
- ▸Post false, misleading, or fraudulent listings or reports.
- ▸Misrepresent the condition, specification, or ownership of a bike or item.
- ▸Engage in, facilitate, or promote any illegal activity.
- ▸Harass, threaten, abuse, intimidate, or discriminate against other users.
- ▸Circumvent or attempt to circumvent platform fees or commissions, including by directing transactions off-platform.
- ▸Create multiple accounts to abuse free trials or promotional features.
- ▸Scrape, crawl, data-mine, or otherwise extract data from the Platform by automated means without our prior written consent.
- ▸Hack, reverse-engineer, decompile, or tamper with the Platform's software or infrastructure.
- ▸Post content that infringes copyright, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights.
- ▸Distribute spam, unsolicited communications, or malicious software through the Platform.
- ▸Submit false lost or stolen bike reports.
- ▸Impersonate any person, entity, or Hot Cogs.
Violation of these prohibitions may result in immediate account suspension or termination, removal of content, and, where appropriate, referral to law enforcement authorities.
9. Third-Party Integrations
The Platform integrates with or is supported by the following third-party services:
- ▸Strava: You may optionally connect your Strava account to import bike and mileage data into your Hot Cogs Garage. Your use of Strava is subject to Strava's own terms of service and privacy policy. You may disconnect Strava at any time in your Profile settings.
- ▸Google Sign-In: You may optionally sign in using your Google account. Your use of Google authentication is subject to Google's terms and privacy policy.
- ▸99spokes & Catalogue Data Providers: Hot Cogs may use third-party data providers, including 99spokes, to supply bicycle catalogue and specification data. These providers supply data to Hot Cogs only; no personal user data is shared with them.
- ▸RevenueCat: Subscription and billing management is handled through RevenueCat, which interfaces with Apple App Store and Google Play Store billing systems.
Hot Cogs is not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or performance of third-party services. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of or reliance on third-party integrations.
10. Advertising
Advertisements are displayed on the Platform to users on the Free tier and during certain trial periods. Ads are served through third-party advertising networks and may be personalised based on your interests and activity in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Premium subscribers are entirely ad-free. By upgrading to Premium, you will no longer see advertisements during your active subscription period.
Hot Cogs does not endorse the products or services advertised by third-party networks. Any concerns about specific ads should be directed to the relevant advertiser or ad network.
11. Intellectual Property
The Hot Cogs name, logo, brand marks, and all content created and published by Hot Cogs on the Platform — including Library articles, app designs, feature names, and visual elements — are the exclusive property of Jollylamma FZE LLC and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws.
You may not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, display, or create derivative works from any Hot Cogs intellectual property without our prior written permission. Unauthorised use of our IP may give rise to civil or criminal liability.
If you believe that any content on the Platform infringes your intellectual property rights, please contact us at info@hotcogs.com with details of the alleged infringement.
12. Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability
As-Is Basis
The Platform and all content and services provided through it are offered on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement, to the fullest extent permitted by UAE law.
No Liability For
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Hot Cogs is not liable for:
- ▸Accidents, personal injuries, or property damage arising from cycling, bike use, or the use of any bike, equipment, or service found through the Platform.
- ▸Disputes, losses, or damages arising between buyers and sellers, renters and providers, or any other users transacting through the Platform.
- ▸Inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading listings or reports submitted by users.
- ▸Failures, interruptions, or inaccuracies in third-party services or integrations.
- ▸Loss of data, loss of profits, or any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or related to your use of the Platform.
- ▸Unauthorised access to your account where you have failed to keep your credentials secure.
Liability Cap
To the maximum extent permitted by the laws of the UAE, Hot Cogs' total aggregate liability to you for any claims arising under or related to these Terms or your use of the Platform shall not exceed the total fees paid by you to Hot Cogs in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim. Where you are a Free-tier user who has paid no fees, our liability is limited to AED 100.
Consumer Rights
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable consumer protection law in your jurisdiction, including any statutory rights you may have as a consumer.
13. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Hot Cogs, Jollylamma FZE LLC, and our respective officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to:
- ▸Your use of the Platform in violation of these Terms.
- ▸Any User Content you post that infringes third-party rights or is otherwise unlawful.
- ▸Any transaction you enter into through the Platform, including any dispute with another user.
- ▸Any inaccurate or false information you provide, including in listings or lost/stolen reports.
- ▸Your violation of any applicable law or regulation.
14. Account Suspension & Termination
Hot Cogs reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or permanently terminate your account and access to the Platform at any time, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe that you have:
- ▸Violated any provision of these Terms.
- ▸Engaged in fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful conduct.
- ▸Created a risk or legal exposure for Hot Cogs or other users.
- ▸Failed to pay any applicable fees or charges.
You may terminate your account at any time by using the Delete Account feature in the Profile section of the app. Upon deletion, your personal data will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Where your subscription is active at the time of termination, you will retain access through the end of the current billing period. No partial refunds will be issued for unused subscription time, subject to applicable law and the refund policies of Apple or Google.
15. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United Arab Emirates and the applicable regulations of the free zone in which Jollylamma FZE LLC is incorporated, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.
Resolution process. In the event of a dispute arising out of or related to these Terms or your use of the Platform, the parties agree to first attempt to resolve the matter through good-faith negotiation. You may contact us at info@hotcogs.com to initiate this process.
If a dispute cannot be resolved through negotiation within 30 days, it shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of the UAE.
Nothing in this section limits your right to seek urgent injunctive or other equitable relief from a court of competent jurisdiction, or to exercise any statutory rights you hold as a consumer under your local law.
16. Changes to These Terms
Hot Cogs may update these Terms at any time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our business practices. We will notify you of material changes via:
- ▸An in-app notification; and/or
- ▸An email to the address associated with your account.
Notification will be provided with at least 30 days' notice where reasonably practicable. The updated Terms will show a revised Effective Date at the top.
Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree with the updated Terms, you must stop using the Platform and may delete your account.
17. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback regarding these Terms, please contact us:
We aim to respond to all enquiries within 5 business days.