Frame written off in crash - what now?

[Mick F]

This is a horror story in my view and I can't give any more advice than has already been given.

I don't insure my precious Mercian as the frame is irreplaceable both in 531c tubing and in sentimental value. The insurers would be unable to put me back in the same state as before the accident.
Some of the components are irreplaceable as well, but I suppose that doesn't matter so much.

[ebor62]

I had a similar incident, when a police failed to stop at a T junction and took me out at high speed. My Galaxy (£800 ) was a write off and my clothing (£500) was torn or cut off by the medical. I was looking for £1300 to put me back on the road. Although they accepted total liability, they insisted on receipts and offered me £850, due to depreciation for wear and tear. Cycling UK solicitors were not very encouraging. I refused to accept and was approached by a cycling solicitor ( I think the LBS had sent them details ) I went ahead, on a no win no fee. I received £4500 and they also had to pay the solicitors about £4000 costs (The barrister charged £168 per hour) It cost them £8500 instead of paying me £1300. They charged for transport as I had no bike, loss of confidence in traffic, pain and suffering etc. I was just glad to be alive. I kept the old bike. I would go for repair as the most expensive option and let them come back, with replacement as a cheaper option. Best of luck.

[chris_suffolk]

For what it's worth, my experiences.

Had a similar incident a about 3 years ago. When I spoke to the 3rd party insurer (via my solicitor (off the house insurance)) they said that whilst they had car repair specialists, no such thing exists for bikes. Thus I was told to get quotes for replacing any damaged parts from 3 cycle shops. They never even asked to see photos, nor even that the parts I was claiming for were damaged (though I didn't go overboard). They accepted the quotes, all fairly close to each other, and just sent me a cheque in the post - within a week of the accident. No requirement for me to spend it on the parts I said were damaged - indeed I never did replace most of them, as they were just scratched and otherwise perfect.

Remember to claim (and get quotes) for labour from the shop to do all the fitting too, as this can add quite a bit to the final bill,

Any personal injuries, pursue separately.

[rmurphy195]

This is a horror story in my view and I can't give any more advice than has already been given.

I don't insure my precious Mercian as the frame is irreplaceable both in 531c tubing and in sentimental value. The insurers would be unable to put me back in the same state as before the accident.
Some of the components are irreplaceable as well, but I suppose that doesn't matter so much.

Even so, a substitute is better then nothing at all. I felt the same about my Galaxy however it was gone, so I moved on and (with the perps insurance payout) replaced it with a Condor. The fact that someone else paid for it was some consolation. In your case I would think that you could have Mercian build an exact replica of the frame at least.

If you are concerned about the cost of insurance try the TSB Pick and Mix policy.

James - a proper valuation for the whole bike is what you need as your starting point, or the cost of a new equivalent replacement, this is what I did. In my case it was a 25 year old 531 Galaxy, I picked the nearest equivalent from Dawes catalogue (a brand new 531 Galaxy) and took it from there. In practice I claimed the list price (about £1800), and eventually took the solicitors advice of accepting £400 (which is what I had paid for the bike 25 years previously) along with other damages including personal injury, and re-used some of the parts on the replacement bike on which I spent about £1700 all told. It wasn't like for like, since I went for upgrades over the old bike (disc brakes, brifters etc.) The solicitor's advice was I felt sound - they had not sent the original bike's receipt to the perps insurer, whose offer was based on depreciation of the new version.

I used the CTC solicitor (Slater and Gordon), but had to keep on top of things - this finally resulted in them assigning a new person to the job (long story). Worth going onto thier web site to find out what's what. And don't forget, its not only the bike and clothing you cn claim for - in my caseI got the dosh for a walking stick, my wife's parking fees at the hospital, travelling expenses of various sorts, costs of postage etc. Just pile it on!

[buddyboy]

For what its worth, the phrase that kept coming up when my wheels were written off was "like for like" replacement. So in theory you should be looking for a frame of the same standard and paintjob of the one that was written off. I don't know if this helps you or not- my LBS were very helpful in providing a quote but I guess the question remains how you value a 30 year old bike of this type?

[chris_suffolk]

For what its worth, the phrase that kept coming up when my wheels were written off was "like for like" replacement.

I would definitely be arguing along these lines.The point of insurance is to put you back in the same position as if the event had never occurred.

[crazydave789]

just ask the insurers for a new bike to replace the written off one, they understand that. get a like for like quote.

[The utility cyclist]

You say you want off the peg which is what the Royal was, so find a new Reynolds 525 frame or get your lbs to locate one, add in your other component costs plus your expenses and you should have a figure.