Tony C. McCray Blog: Bicycle insurance – small print to consider

Bicycle specific insurance is a good idea for commuters in London and we have discussed some providers and policies before. Not only does specific insurance cover your bike, but it covers your personal liability and therefore your health should you be involved in an incident on the road.

Bike insurance

However, you need to make sure you are complying with the small print if you want to be able to claim on your policy. Insurance can be a huge help, especially in London where theft is high and your chance of getting into an incident on the road is probably higher than outside the city. But of course it is one of these products where you have to be absolutely certain you know what your responsibilities are – as with all insurance, they will try to catch you out if at all possible, any excuse not to pay out.

To that end, we thought it might be useful to point out some areas that you might not think about, or forget, which will invalidate your policy. Hopefully the points below will help you if you are thinking about getting insurance as well.

Security

If you leave your bike outside your flat on the street it might not be covered: Bikes are often not covered if they are left in a public space for more than ~12 hours. Therefore, your policy will also be invalid if you leave your bike overnight in town for whatever reason – puncture, night out, etc.

If you leave your bike in a communal area it will need to be locked to something immovable to be covered – therefore if you share a flat with someone or leave it in a communal hallway, it will need anchoring, otherwise it will not be covered for any damage or theft.

bikes in flat

If you do not use an approved lock it might not be covered. A lock will be approved based on its security rating in the Sold Secure system. The minimum level required is based on the value of your bike, with many policies only requiring a Gold level lock for bikes over £750 or so. In London of course you will be wanting a lock at this standard regardless of bike value, but if you travel and take a smaller lock, just keep this restriction in mind.

Proof of ownership

You will need proof of purchase for your bike, accessories and the lock you intend to use. Without these you will not be covered. The bike is also only covered at replacement cost in the first 3 or so years for most policies. Therefore if it is a second hand, vintage or custom bike you will often have to call to check with them first about what can and cannot be covered on your bike.

Not quite proof of purchase, but the bike is only covered if you locked it up yourself. Therefore, your bike will not be covered if you lend it to a friend and it is stollen when they locked it up. The bike also needs to be in your designated address over night. This could also mean, while not expressly stated in the T&C’s, that if you go and visit a friend and stay over night, your bike may need to be locked up to something inside their residence for it to be covered should they be burgled.

Other things

If you crash and sustain any head injury and were not wearing a helmet, then the personal liability section would not be covered. As there is no real control over when you might be involved in an incident and whether you could suffer a head injury, it basically means that if you want to be sure you could claim on the personal liability of your insurance, you need to wear a helmet. If this is really not your thing, then consider whether you can get a cheaper policy to just cover your bike and accessories.

Bicycle helmet

If you are intending to go on a cycling holiday, the policies vary as to how long you can be away for and still be covered for personal liability and theft. Therefore, if you do a lot of touring or holidaying with your bike, it is certainly worth checking holiday coverage and using it to decide between policies.

If you are thinking about getting an insurance policy then check out our helpful article from a couple of years ago. Whilst there are conditions on all policies, it is still a benefit for most people and can really help out in unpleasant situations.

What small print conditions have you found with your bike insurance? Is there anything you have been caught out on in the past, or a particularly good policy you know of? Let everyone know below!

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