DOH!!! Just Dropped my bike :(

Hi all,

I'm gutted - just dropped my 1 year old Ribble 7003 bike against a corner of a wall inside my
house. There's quite a significant dent in the top-tube, does anybody know if it's actually worth
claiming on my household accidental damage insurance for a replacement frame? I.e. will my premiums
go up! lol

Has anybody else had this happen to them?

Cheers

 

In article <[email protected]>, Al Ford
<[email protected]> writes
>Hi all,
>
>I'm gutted - just dropped my 1 year old Ribble 7003 bike against a corner of a wall inside my
>house. There's quite a significant dent in the top-tube, does anybody know if it's actually worth
>claiming on my household accidental damage insurance for a replacement frame? I.e. will my premiums
>go up! lol
>
>Has anybody else had this happen to them?
>
>Cheers

Had a similar problem early this year, frame damaged in accident in my garage. Claimed for
replacement frame. Mega hassle.

(Bike insured as separate item on contents policy for circa UKP1500 replacement.)

Insurance company put me on to company in Wales which handles their bike replacement/repair. Welsh
Company doesn't deal with company who built frame (SJSC Thorn Audax frame), so I was told I had to
choose another one. Arguments like "It says Thorn on the insurance policy" totally wasted.
Eventually went for Argos in Bristol. Good frame but necessitated trip to Bristol, Ins co would not
pay for that. Slightly different frame geometry meant replacing brake & gear cables, Ins co wouldn't
pay for that.

Discovered when frame delivered that rear dropouts on Thorn are a different width than the new
frame, needed to get new axle & get wheel re-dished. Ins co wouldn't pay for that. Seems as a
cyclist I should have known that the dropouts might be different, despite experts in Wales seemingly
not knowing the difference between an axle and a hub.

Arguments with insurance company that all the above expenditure was directly because they chose to
deal with my claim through one of _their_ agents fell on stony ground. At the end of the argument
the insurance company said if I wasn't happy with the Welsh mob I should have come back to them at
the beginning. No mention of this at the time. Whole process (mainly because frame had to be built)
took from mid May to late August. Sizeable chunk of my cycling season that.

Oh, and yes my premiums went up.

Far be it from me to suggest anything, but the complete loss of the bike via theft seems easier for
them to handle.

Good luck!

Pete

Remove crude Spam trap to reply.

Peter Grange

 

It's almost certainly totally harmless. Cover it with an transfer.

 

On Sun, 29 Dec 2002 10:37:00 +0000, chris French <[email protected]> wrote:

>In message <[email protected]>, Peter Grange
><[email protected]_THISplgrange.demon.co.uk> writes
>>In article <[email protected]>, Al Ford
>><[email protected]> writes
>>>
>>>I'm gutted - just dropped my 1 year old Ribble 7003 bike against a corner of a wall inside my
>>>house. There's quite a significant dent in the top-tube, does anybody know if it's actually worth
>>>claiming on my household accidental damage insurance for a replacement frame? I.e. will my
>>>premiums go up! lol
>>>
>>>Has anybody else had this happen to them?
>>
>>Had a similar problem early this year, frame damaged in accident in my garage. Claimed for
>>replacement frame. Mega hassle.
>>
><snip>
>
>I claimed a few years back when someone stole my front wheel and handlebars (inc. stem,
>levers etc.)
>
>My co. then (CIS) were happy for me to get a quote from a local bike shop for fixing it, and then
>sent me a cheque for the money. no probs.

My forks were stolen off my bike while it was locked outside Uni one evening. I claimed off my
parent's house insurance and got the replacement value less depreciation (20% - 2yrs old). Premiums
stayed the same and they are still the cheapest insurer (Prudential)

Gareth