Bike Insurance

Do I have to have home insurance with hiscox to get my bike insured with them?

Same question on M&S?

Looks like Butterworths otherwise.

i'm insured with cycleguard, value 450 (bianchi pista 08).

before i learned to lock up properly, i left it locked up only through the frame during the day (outside of a court when i was on jury duty - double fail). the wheels, handle bar, brake lever and saddle were stolen.

they gave me 400 with no real sweat for replacement bits. policy didn't even go up.

i'd recommend.

Ha. The only point of Evans is the internet price match. Not much use when you're talking about a Mancunian frame maker :(

@ Dammit, was 'they' Endsleigh or someone else? If Endsleigh I won't bother calling them back tonight.

"They" were indeed Endsleigh.

No other insurerer will offer to cover me due to not living purely with immediate family and/or my partner.

I did it with hiscox home insurance. They pay cash for the agreed replacement value.

However:
1) Hiscox are not cheap (for a good reason, they give you cash and not vouchers so they're not getting backhanders from which they can reduce the premium to you).
2) The bike cannot be worth more than 5% of the total policy and if it's worth above £5k then the premium increases substantially as an underwriter will put it into a separate clause.

I wish I could use Hiscox- see above post!

I recently insured a bike with ETA. Their T&C's seem pretty reasonable actually, by far the best I've come across (in that unless I was being stupid, I was covered for every scenario I could likely see myself in) and waaay better than Cycleguard/E&L etc.

Anyway, the point is, my bike is "homemade" too and they were cool with that providing I got a valuation from a VAT registered bike shop, so I went down my LBS and 5 mins later had a piece of headed paper and a signature from the manager stating that the replacement cost of the bike was £x. Done. ETA accept that as a fair valuation and there's no new for old business, the valuation of the bike is simply the replacement cost. Took a stack of photos too, just to be safe.

Thanks, also bollocks, because my policy I took out to cover my old bike last month now seems entirely useless! Lucky I didn't insure it for much.

I live with partner so I'm ok on that front, will just have to get a quote from a better insurance company.

"They" were indeed Endsleigh.

No other insurerer will offer to cover me due to not living purely with immediate family and/or my partner.

Orright...

We have recently signed up with Direct Line home insurance. We are 4 in the rented house, and we're not family (which caused us issues with M&S). They have covered us for a reasonable premium and our bikes are covered to replacement value outside our flat.

I have been looking into/talking to ETA and I'm very happy with the proposed cover.

Probably even better than I need, they've also confirmed to me, as to you Courant, that you insure the amount you want insured, get proof and they will pay that amount, including on bikes you've built up yourself. They pay by cheque, not Evans vouchers! Good cover on getting you home, in the event of accident, getting seriously hurt, death etc.

Plus you can get a 10% discount using this link:
http://www.eta.co.uk/affiliate/1786-6000

I recently insured a bike with ETA. Their T&C's seem pretty reasonable actually, by far the best I've come across (in that unless I was being stupid, I was covered for every scenario I could likely see myself in) and waaay better than Cycleguard/E&L etc.

Anyway, the point is, my bike is "homemade" too and they were cool with that providing I got a valuation from a VAT registered bike shop, so I went down my LBS and 5 mins later had a piece of headed paper and a signature from the manager stating that the replacement cost of the bike was £x. Done. ETA accept that as a fair valuation and there's no new for old business, the valuation of the bike is simply the replacement cost. Took a stack of photos too, just to be safe.

I have been looking into/talking to *ETA* and I'm very happy with the proposed cover.

Overkill

I too need bike insurance but on a travel slant. I will be in the pyrenees this summer with road and mtb - not sure i can do contents insurance as i dont really live anywhere. details all at my mums but staying with a mate. basically, best bike travel insurance. and i have upgraded forks on mtb so worth about a grand now - they usually just want to replace same model of bike dont they.

No way, nobody's nicking my bike!

ETA offer:

• Cover for theft, accidental damage and vandalism (new-for-old) RACE COVER INCLUDED
  
• Third party cover up to £1m
  
• Personal accident cover up to £2,500
  
  • Breakdown cover (hyper linked to cycle rescue page) for your bicycle
    *** Up to 90 days European cover**
    *** Up to 60 days worldwide cover**
    
• ‘Get You Home Cover’ - pays for a taxi home should your bike be stolen or damaged
  
  • No claims discount up to 40%
    
    

Will that do? They will also pay out for whatever you insure, as long as you have proof of purchases/valuation. Self built/custom is fine.

You may be better off with specialist travel only insurance though, I'm not expert.

Overkill

Bit of a thread dredge, but I'm having the same problem as Dammit - I live in a rented house on a joint tenancy agreement with friends (all 20/30s employed professionals, no students, no previous insurance claims), but I can't get contents insurance. Natwest 'Essentials Contents Insurance' is the only one so far to be able to cope with covering me while co-renting, but I have to take extra cover to get the bikes included, and Natwest don't pay out more than £250 per bike, which is an epic fail. Endsleigh won't insure me because our house (victorian terrace) is too old apparently.

The bikes are also a problem in themselves, only one is less than 3-years-old, the other three are decent spec 1990s steel or alu, so most bike specific insurance policies don't work due the depreciation policies. There's also no way I'm taking out two seperate policies for bikes, and then a third for personal possesions.

I don't know what the point of story is really, just a moan/plea for suggestion/similar experiences I guess...

Also, if your house burns down and you lose 4 bikes worth £2k each and your tv and your music collection and your collection of hipster jeans and your sex toy collection blah blah.. if you have expensive possessions insurance IS worth it.

Oh shit... replacing our sex toys would cost THOUSANDS..!!!

=:-O

runs off to make sure contents insurance is up to date and add bikes on at next renewal

So - I called up M&S Home insurance, to take out a new policy with them, after hearing much praise about them.
Here's a snippet from my conversation with them - all of the pleasantries have been made, i've informed them that i would like to insure 3 bikes on this policy. For everyone's information - i live in Digbeth, Birmingham. Its pretty damn close to being the heart of Brum....
"O.K. sir, can i just take your postcode again?"
"Yeah, no drama, its B12 0NP." says I.
..... momentary delay.
..... a bit more (with a muffled clear of the throat)
"I'm sorry Mr Morris, but we are not able to ensure your premises - with the "Special Items" cover, because of your postcode. Thankyou for your call. Is there anything else i can do for you today?"
Puts things in perspective if you ask me. I'll just renew my existing policy, and continue to pay a fortune!

Bit of a thread dredge, but I'm having the same problem as Dammit - I live in a rented house on a joint tenancy agreement with friends (all 20/30s employed professionals, no students, no previous insurance claims), but I can't get contents insurance. Natwest 'Essentials Contents Insurance' is the only one so far to be able to cope with covering me while co-renting, but I have to take extra cover to get the bikes included, and Natwest don't pay out more than £250 per bike, which is an epic fail. Endsleigh won't insure me because our house (victorian terrace) is too old apparently.

The bikes are also a problem in themselves, only one is less than 3-years-old, the other three are decent spec 1990s steel or alu, so most bike specific insurance policies don't work due the depreciation policies. There's also no way I'm taking out two seperate policies for bikes, and then a third for personal possesions.

I don't know what the point of story is really, just a moan/plea for suggestion/similar experiences I guess...

I tried everyone suggested by the forum and everyone suggested by Google, even down to specialist boutique insurers recommended by other insurance companies.

Nada- there is simply no financially viable way of insuring either one or a number of bikes that have a replacement cost of over £5,000.

The best offer that I had was well over £1,000 a year to cover 60% of the bike that got stolen.

Meh and double Meh.

Direct Line.

Cover our bikes outside our house as part of contents insurance with 4 non-family people living there.

It's official - you have too many bikes and they are too expensive. The only solution is to sell one of them to me now for a fraction of what it's worth.

I tried everyone suggested by the forum and everyone suggested by Google, even down to specialist boutique insurers recommended by other insurance companies.

Nada- there is simply no financially viable way of insuring either one or a number of bikes that have a replacement cost of over £5,000.

The best offer that I had was well over £1,000 a year to cover 60% of the bike that got stolen.

Meh and double Meh.

Seriously though, can you not take out a few policies with different people?

Fox- a) which of my bikes takes your fancy?, and b) looked at that- seperate contents insurance and bike insurance.

No go- best of the bunch was Endsleigh who would insure one pedal cycle up to £1,500, so the other five would have no cover.

Balki- I'll give Direct Line a go and report back. I'd forgotten about that.

Direct Line.

Cover our bikes outside our house as part of contents insurance with 4 non-family people living there.

Just phoned them- they categorically deny that they offer such cover.

Said to me that I would be in breach of their terms and conditions if I made a claim and they then discovered that it was anything other than close family/partner that I was living with.

I've got home content insurance with Endsleigh and found it quite reasonable and cheaper than my bank (Halifax). There's an extra option to include few expensive items giving their value and I chucked in my two cameras and lenses (without providing any receipts). I'm sure I can add my bike to the quote too without changing the premium. I'm going to check later the detail and come back with the news. For my camera is a better option than previous specialist product I had and works also when I take the gear on the job or leave it the car.

Try this lot...

http://www.eandl.co.uk/leisure-and-lifestyle/cycle-insurance

Just got a quote for a £1,500 bike in your postcode area and was informed it would be £91.68. E&L say they reimburse the insured value cost or replacement value (whichever is less). To be honest I would get quotes from your LBS as to the replacement value and if this isn't possible, lots of photographs to show each bike's spec. If they get nicked you are then in a position to argue that even if second-hand, these bikes have a high replacement value. For example, I have a Condor steel frame which was built for me, second-hand I'm sure it's not worth that much, but to replace it with another Condor steel frame £££££...

Not sure this is of any help...

Just phoned them- they categorically deny that they offer such cover.

Said to me that I would be in breach of their terms and conditions if I made a claim and they then discovered that it was anything other than close family/partner that I was living with.

Perhaps they made an exception in view of Balki's rather ... unusual ... living arrangements. ;)

From speaking to people who have used EandL they are hugely unwilling to actually ever pay out.

Also when and if they do pay out it is seldom the amount you expected.

They were stricken from the list of possibles early on.

Balki- did you tell Direct Line that you were in an "unconventional relationship" with your housemates?

I think this is the only way that I am going to be able to get insurance- claim multiple partners.