Recommend some Insurance

I've just gone a bit silly and laid out what I euphemistically told my
wife was ``two'' on a bike. The penny has finally dropped with her that
I didn't mean hundreds, and she quite rightly reminds me that some
insurance might be a nice idea.

We could put it on the all risks sections of the house and contents
policy, which has new for old and all that sort of good stuff, but (a)
the required levels of security may not become explicit until they're
rejecting my claim and (b) as a good citizen it's been bugging me all
year that I've not got any meaningful third party cover, and as a
legitimate user of mixed-use towpaths I think I should.

Marin (it's a Mount Vision) offer a policy themselves, but it contains a
load of things I don't need (trivial amounts of death and disability for
which I have other cover). It also has a broken website from which I
can't get a quote with Mozilla.

I believe that the CTC offer cover, and joining them would be a good
idea anyway.

What's peoples' experience been?

ian

"Ian G Batten" wrote in message
...

I believe that the CTC offer cover, and joining them would be a good
idea anyway.

I would always recommend joining the CTC anyway :-)

I found their insurance OK, others think it a bit dear. I think it depends
on how many bikes you have - the price per additional bike seems small,
presumably on the wholly logical grounds that you can only ride one at a
time. Check your house contents insurer and see if you can get it on as a
named item (many insurers refuse to accept that a bike could possibly be
worth more than a trivial sum).

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"Ian G Batten" wrote in message
...

We could put it on the all risks sections of the house and contents
policy, which has new for old and all that sort of good stuff, but (a)
the required levels of security may not become explicit until they're
rejecting my claim and (b) as a good citizen it's been bugging me all
year that I've not got any meaningful third party cover, and as a
legitimate user of mixed-use towpaths I think I should.

You may well have third-party cover through your household insurance - my
parents discovered I did as a teenager.
I would go for the house contents option if they'll have it for a not
unreasonable sum. You can always ask them in writing what the required
levels of security are.
And joining the CTC is a good thing anyway - not only do you get another set
of 3rd party insurance, you also get an interesting magazine and other
stuff.

cheers,
clive

In article ,
Clive George wrote:
"Ian G Batten" wrote in message
...

We could put it on the all risks sections of the house and contents
policy, which has new for old and all that sort of good stuff, but (a)
the required levels of security may not become explicit until they're
rejecting my claim and (b) as a good citizen it's been bugging me all
year that I've not got any meaningful third party cover, and as a
legitimate user of mixed-use towpaths I think I should.

You may well have third-party cover through your household insurance - my
parents discovered I did as a teenager.

I do have third-party cover, but last time I checked I think it was
associated with the house and not with me. Which means that remote from
the house I'm not covered. I'll have to read the Ts&Cs in more detail.

ian

Ian G Batten wrote:


I believe that the CTC offer cover, and joining them would be a good
idea anyway.

What's peoples' experience been?


Join the CTC, they do a good job representing cyclists and deserve your
support. Don't bother with their insurance - it will cost you close to £200 a
year to insure your bike from my past experience. Either try your house
contants insurer or otherwise phone Fern Insurance (ad in the back of the CTC
mag - available to non-members in WHS usually) and they will set you up with a
specific household with bikes insurance with a big name insurer at a good
price. They even arrange the termination and premium refund on my previous
insurance. The insurance they offered was totally practical in the
coverage - included overseas touring - and restrictions.

Tony

"Ian G Batten" wrote in message
...

You may well have third-party cover through your household insurance -
my
parents discovered I did as a teenager.

I do have third-party cover, but last time I checked I think it was
associated with the house and not with me. Which means that remote from
the house I'm not covered. I'll have to read the Ts&Cs in more detail.

Two separate issues: third party cover & theft cover. Third party cover you
get automatically with CTC membership, £5m worth. You might also get a
discount at your bike shop (I do). Theft insurance is a shop-around job.

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

In article ,
Tony Raven wrote:
price. They even arrange the termination and premium refund on my previous
insurance.

Thanks for the advice, although this option may not fly for me: the
house and contents policy is a staff policy via my wife at a significant
discount.

ian

Ian G Batten wrote:
In article ,
Tony Raven wrote:
price. They even arrange the termination and premium refund on my previous
insurance.

Thanks for the advice, although this option may not fly for me: the
house and contents policy is a staff policy via my wife at a significant
discount.


Maybe but staff policy plus separate bike policy may be more than new policy
including bikes. Worth a try

Tony

Ian G Batten wrote:

I've just gone a bit silly and laid out what I euphemistically told my
wife was ``two'' on a bike. The penny has finally dropped with her that
I didn't mean hundreds, and she quite rightly reminds me that some
insurance might be a nice idea.

We could put it on the all risks sections of the house and contents
policy, which has new for old and all that sort of good stuff, but (a)
the required levels of security may not become explicit until they're
rejecting my claim and (b) as a good citizen it's been bugging me all
year that I've not got any meaningful third party cover, and as a
legitimate user of mixed-use towpaths I think I should.

Marin (it's a Mount Vision) offer a policy themselves, but it contains a
load of things I don't need (trivial amounts of death and disability for
which I have other cover). It also has a broken website from which I
can't get a quote with Mozilla.

I believe that the CTC offer cover, and joining them would be a good
idea anyway.

What's peoples' experience been?

ian


Insurance companies no longer insure bikes out of the home for a
sensible sum. Bikes up to a couple of hundred quid can be insured
economically - more expensive ones can't, unless you find a real bargain.

For example, a major building society's home contents insurance covers
bikes in the home for no additional fee, but if you want cover when
you're out for a 2 grand bike, you can't have it *at all*. Cover for a
£1,500 bike will double the contents premium for an average house, so
own a couple of nice bikes and self-insurance seems the way to go.
£1,500 really isn't much for a bike if you read C+!

Buy a big lock and keep it at work if you commute. Otherwise don't let
the bike out of your (or your riding buddies') sight. If you have to go
shopping by bike, buy an old 10-speed racer for twenty quid, spray it
with black Hammerite and get the brakes and gears working as best you can.

Even good road bikes used to be practically invisible to thieves and I
never worried about locking mine, but they're becoming fashionable again :-(

In article ,
Tony Raven wrote:
Maybe but staff policy plus separate bike policy may be more than new policy
including bikes. Worth a try

Two quid a month for a two grand bike. I doubt anyone's going to offer
it to me cheaper.

ian