Recovery Insurance

[horizon]

They just "recover" you to a "safe place", bike repair shop, or home - they don't attempt to fix the bike, so basically they call you a taxi that can fit your bike in.

+1 When I looked into it awhile ago, "recovery" means a lift to the nearest railway station or bike shop or home (if not too far away). It bears no resemblance to AA "Relay" and they certainly won't make an attempt at repair (not even a puncture AFAIK). £24 will cover you in any case for a taxi to anywhere they might take you and, AIUI, a taxi is what you would get anyway. It's a really odd service IMV.

[simonhill]

"a really odd service" - it presumably gives a single point of contact that could be reassuring.

Struggling to find a local taxi firm when stuck by roadside, maybe with non smart phone, more daunting.

All insurance is a waste of money if you never have a claim, unless you like peace of mind.

[horizon]

"a really odd service" - it presumably gives a single point of contact that could be reassuring.

Struggling to find a local taxi firm when stuck by roadside, maybe with non smart phone, more daunting.

I'm curious to know what resources they might have at hand. AIUI they don't send a flat-bed trailer driven by a hefty bloke with greasy overalls, a trolley jack and extra bright torch. For £24 they will ring the local taxi service for you. Quite how you ring them if you need them to ring for the taxi I don't know. It's some while since I looked into it so I could be wrong and I would be interested to know for sure exactly what is on offer ... for £24.

Just as a comparison, I recently forked out for AA National Recovery: £70 to take me, my passengers, a trailer and car to the other end of the country. I already had cover through my bank account for the roadside service but this in any case covers, yes, a man or woman with a set of tools and the knowledge to use them. Why they cannot do your bicycle I don't know - the national recovery covers any vehicle - except a bicycle.

[rotavator]

I used my ETA insurance once. My bottom bracket disintegrated while doing a circular day trip in Herefordshire. I had my (non-smart) mobile phone with me but didn't have any numbers for local taxi companies. I phoned ETA and they had a taxi with me within an hour, the driver was friendly and the taxi was one of the big airport transfer types so easily big enough for the bike. This represented good service and a relief as far as I was concerned.

However, I understand that if you rarely stray far from home and/or you have a partner to rescue you then such insurance might not be worthwhile.

[rareposter]

£24 will cover you in any case for a taxi to anywhere they might take you and, AIUI, a taxi is what you would get anyway. It's a really odd service IMV.

I dunno, a taxi can cost a fortune, especially if you're out in the wilds somewhere an hour's drive from the nearest town with a taxi service.
Wouldn't be at all unusual to see a fee of £80+ for something like that.

It *is* an odd service though, basically it's insurance against the possibility of a very expensive taxi. Doesn't really help if the taxi driver takes you to a station and you need to spend £50 on a train ticket either!

My cycle club provides Rider Insurance which (amongst other things) covers reimbursement of "the costs associated with taking a taxi or train (or a more appropriate form of transport) if you have an accident or irreparable mechanical breakdown whilst out on a ride."

However that is limited to one claim per year to a maximum of £100, it does not cover punctures and you must be more than 10 miles from your place of residence.
I'm also not sure what they'd say if you presented them with (eg) a broken chain because that is very much repairable - not being able to repair it means you haven't got the right tool which is hardly their fault! I'm not aware of anyone in the club who's yet used it but it sounds like a sort of "walking wounded" self extraction cover.

Ultimately that's what most are going to be. Anything more serious, you'd be in an ambulance out of there...

[simonhill]

The only thing I find strange is that some people can't see how this would appeal to a certain tranche of people.

Some people like to be covered, regardless of paying for it. You can get all sorts of insurance that isn't cost effective, but gives quick single point access. Washing machine breakdown; central heating; lost credit cards; etc.

Not to mention someone taking it for a dependant as a sort of security blanket.

Maybe not good value; maybe some posters can't see need for this, but neither negate that some will value such a service, even if it only remains in their back pocket.

[horizon]

The only thing I find strange is that some people can't see how this would appeal to a certain tranche of people.

It may be because it isn't what it appears to be at first sight. It isn't like "national recovery" where they will take you home (or wherever you want go). They will only take you to the nearest shop, station or home* and even that is within a 25 mile limit (I've checked).

I agree with you though about people wanting that assurance. Here's a scenario: you're on a ride to a business meeting ten miles away. It's raining, you've got a puncture, you're unfamiliar with the area. I think it could be useful. But I'm not sure what happens next. ETA say they will call up the taxi and get you there (same as if you are in the middle of the countryside) but even they might struggle to find a taxi (at 3.00 am?). The AA has a fleet of dedicated vehicles, ETA will have a list of taxi firm numbers. In fact ETA say that you can flag the taxi down yourself and they will pay (to get to that work meeting) but you still have that £24.

I've always recommended to my less experienced cycling friends and family that they actually do keep £25 in their pocket and the telephone number of the the local taxi firm and if they really don't want to/cannot mend a puncture, then use it.

So I'm going to hand it to ETA: yes, it's not such an odd service but be very clear about its limitations.


* That isn't strict - it could be any destination.

[Aikon]

An insurance premium is only every the underwriters assessment of your risk, plus their profit margin, so if you can afford your own risk, and don’t need the peace of mind the policy could bring then I wouldn’t bother.

[Mike Sales]

An insurance premium is only every the underwriters assessment of your risk, plus their profit margin, so if you can afford your own risk, and don’t need the peace of mind the policy could bring then I wouldn’t bother.

Yes, and if you are more confident of your ability to cope with mishaps, the balance shifts again.

[AndyK]

My cycle club provides Rider Insurance which (amongst other things) covers reimbursement of "the costs associated with taking a taxi or train (or a more appropriate form of transport) if you have an accident or irreparable mechanical breakdown whilst out on a ride."

However that is limited to one claim per year to a maximum of £100, it does not cover punctures and you must be more than 10 miles from your place of residence.
I'm also not sure what they'd say if you presented them with (eg) a broken chain because that is very much repairable - not being able to repair it means you haven't got the right tool which is hardly their fault! I'm not aware of anyone in the club who's yet used it but it sounds like a sort of "walking wounded" self extraction cover.

That sounds like it's the Rapha scheme:

Typical insurance document: the "Definitions" section includes a detailed definition of "Nuclear weapons of mass destruction" but fails to define "irreparable"! *

As the exclusions specifically exclude punctures that can be fixed "by pedal cycle emergency kit available to the person at the time of the incident" [my italics] it seems you can still claim if you don't have a puncture kit with you. By extension it would be easy to argue that an irreparable breakdown is one that cannot be repaired by you using the tools available to you at the time. You and I might travel with a chain extractor/multitool and a spare quick link but it doesn't mean everyone does, and I know quite a few experienced cyclists who shouldn't be let near a chain tool anyway.

* (In case anyone's wondering - the Rapha policy doesn't cover the cost of repairs if your bike is hit by a nuclear weapon while you're riding it. My general advice is to try to avoid being the target of a nuclear attack and/or wear a cycle helmet certified to protect against atomic warheads.)

[thirdcrank]

It seems hard to believe that the insurer intends to be more generous towards a rider who doesn't carry a normal repair kit ( + pump) than one who does. I'd have read #6 to mean "we don't cover ordinary punctures"

It's easy to see apparent inconsistencies like conveying a cycle subject to "irreparable breakdown" to a "suitable pedal cycle repair shop" but I fancy the former implies "irreparable at the roadside"

[rareposter]

Oh yeah, I suspect you could argue the definition of irreparable for ever!

Someone on a long tour would likely be equipped to do far more running repairs than someone out for a fast 2hr road ride for example.

Guessing that's the reason for the limit of one claim per year, to force riders to think about when they might call it in. If I was a 5 min walk to a station and it was only £15 for a ticket home, there's little point claiming that for example.

If it was a £90 taxi ride due to a massively buckled wheel, then yep, I'd claim that!

[Sweep]

Must admit I couldn't be bothered with all this palavar.
Try to minimise my contact with insurance companies in general.
I find it's usually possible to sort things in some way, pull through.
Then there's the kindness of strangers/passing cyclists etc.

[dmrcycle]

I find insurance companies and making claims more faff and I too do my best to avoid. If you can afford the loss dont have insurance. The insurance company after all is making money out of you. This is what credit cards, mobile phone and a taxi is for.