Any recommendations for good bicycle insurance? 12 February 2017 at 12:20AM in Public transport & cycling 25 replies 6.9K views

Emily_Joy

I think the question most relevant to the topic is how to convince the insurance provider that the wheels are not ''accessories''. I have yet to meet an individual who would remove the wheels and bring them to the office.

Nasqueron

Techno_Mystic wrote: »

You only need one small, light spanner. A commuter will usually have a backpack anyway so the extra weight is negligible.

I still have to carry tools anyway, like a multi-purpose Allen key. And, in any case, a commuter probably only travels a short distance that it isn't worth fixing the puncture by the roadside anyway.

Anything else?

Firstly, what is a "short distance"? Are you assuming everyone who cycles to work does 1/2 a mile and can walk if they have a problem? I do 6 miles each way now, old job I did 9. I know of commuters who do 20+ miles. If I get a puncture at 3 miles, it will be 45-60 minutes walk to work if I can't change the tyre.

You're arguing about something you want (and can still get, easily, you can get adaptors or converters if you don't get the spec on the bike you buy.) The vast majority of cyclists don't want bolt wheels - QR is here to stay because it's better, faster and less hassle. If you forget your spanner or lose it, you're screwed. With QR you aren't - you can get tyres off with a spoon worst case.

You're not in a race sure but you can still be late for work if you have to stop and take longer to change vs a QR

SasaP

Hi Guys, do you know about any good electircbike insurance?

Redvee

WLM21 wrote: »

I can imagine there's probably some kind of minimum specification regarding locks.

I looked at Thcover for my bike via household insurance on my flat mainly for my bikes and raised the subject of locks with the caller and she said as long as the bike was locked it will be covered to which I replied even with a 99p combination lock and again I had a positive answer. Doubt that would have been the case if things had gone wrong. At the time I didn't follow the claim through and looked recently as I'm buying the place and now I can't get cover.
British Cycling and We Are Cycling offer similar cover and legal advice for similar fees.

Aretnap

Redvee wrote: »

I looked at Thcover for my bike via household insurance on my flat mainly for my bikes and raised the subject of locks with the caller and she said as long as the bike was locked it will be covered to which I replied even with a 99p combination lock and again I had a positive answer. Doubt that would have been the case if things had gone wrong.

Of course it would. Whether or not your insurance policy covers an event is determined by what the policy documents say, not by whether the insurer feels like paying for the event after the fact. If the policy says that you have to use a particular type of lock then you have to use a particular type of lock. However if it only says that you have to use a lock, then any lock will do. It's not complicated, it's contact law 101 (and consumer law 101 to boot).

For what it's worth most if not all of the home insurance policies that I've seen merely specify that you have to lock your bike when you leave it unattended and don't require you to use any particular type of lock., However they tend to have cover limits which don't extended to high end bikes. I imagine that if you wanted to cover a seriously expensive road bike, the insurer would be more likely to include a clause about the type of lock that you had to use to exclude the pound shop combination options.