Bike recovery ( for if you breakdown / puncture)

[malfos]

I have recently found ETA Cycle Rescue and Breakdown Recovery, which offers to send a van to take you and your bike, ( including electric bikes) to a repair shop,train station, to your car (if within 25 miles) or home if closer. The cost for one year is £30 or £45 if you want to include cover for punctures.
In common with plenty of others, I have repaired ( numerous) punctures on pushbikes, and a few motorcycles, by the roadside. With my pedelec , a Kalfhoff Agattu Impulse, I have repaired one front and one rear puncture at home, but found the rear wheel / gear change cable replacement a bit tricky. I would not really want to do this by the roadside, and would prefer to do it at home. This service appeals to me. It would give me the confidence to travel further from my home with my pedelec, using my car and bike rack, to go to another area, knowing that I would not be stranded if I broke down or got a puncture with which I was struggling. I am thinking of taking this cover,but would like to know if anyone else has experience of this service.

Has anyone else heard of this service / used them - and what sort of service did you get?
Thanks, Malc.

 

[jackhandy]

Don't know anything about this crowd, but I've been wondering if my AA silver membership would cover me on the bike: The cover is personal to me, in any vehicle, whether driving or not.

I asked an AA patrolman, out of interest, and he advised I should check with the operations centre, although he reckoned the guys would probably help me out if they weren't busy.

I must give them a ring & see what they say - it'll give them a laugh, anyway.

 

[patpatbut]

Just wondering does this kind of service include the battery runs out of juice :S

 

[103Alex1]

Just wondering does this kind of service include the battery runs out of juice :S

I wondered the same when I originally looked at cycle breakdown insurance ... if the bike is otherwise rideable it would be a moot point ! Decided in the end not to bother with it. Figured if the worst happened I could likely walk the bike to somewhere you could call a large taxi to pick you and the bike up for about the same as the annual premium and take you up to 15 miles or so. So long as the front wheel can come off, you can get most bikes in a large taxi. If you were regularly riding in very remote areas it might be a help as you probably can't get backup. But riding your bike to the limits of elec assist if you can't cycle home without power (at a push) is probably not a good plan !

 

[mountainsport]

I have recently found ETA Cycle Rescue and Breakdown Recovery, which offers to send a van to take you and your bike, ( including electric bikes) to a repair shop,train station, to your car (if within 25 miles) or home if closer. The cost for one year is £30 or £45 if you want to include cover for punctures.
In common with plenty of others, I have repaired ( numerous) punctures on pushbikes, and a few motorcycles, by the roadside. With my pedelec , a Kalfhoff Agattu Impulse, I have repaired one front and one rear puncture at home, but found the rear wheel / gear change cable replacement a bit tricky. I would not really want to do this by the roadside, and would prefer to do it at home. This service appeals to me. It would give me the confidence to travel further from my home with my pedelec, using my car and bike rack, to go to another area, knowing that I would not be stranded if I broke down or got a puncture with which I was struggling. I am thinking of taking this cover,but would like to know if anyone else has experience of this service.

Has anyone else heard of this service / used them - and what sort of service did you get?
Thanks, Malc.

Hi malfos,

Well spotted and also very kind of you to share this information with us. I am very interested in his policy, but where is the catch because it sounds too good to be true. A few months back, someone had posted some type of similar cover and when I had gotten a quote from them I am sure that it was over £200 for the year. Seeing this is like a dream come true for me and maybe also to others.

MS.

 

[amigafan2003]

Hi malfos,

Well spotted and also very kind of you to share this information with us. I am very interested in his policy, but where is the catch because it sounds too good to be true. A few months back, someone had posted some type of similar cover and when I had gotten a quote from them I am sure that it was over £200 for the year. Seeing this is like a dream come true for me and maybe also to others.

MS.

Yeah, for the amount of times you might have to use it calling a taxi firm and asking them to send a minibus would probably be cheaper. Or have a good lock, secure the bike somewhere safe, call a cab to take you home and come back in the car to retrieve the bike.

Of course - there is also the other ultimate bike rescue service - otherwise known as "the wife" or "dad".

 

[mountainsport]

Yeah, for the amount of times you might have to use it calling a taxi firm and asking them to send a minibus would probably be cheaper. Or have a good lock, secure the bike somewhere safe, call a cab to take you home and come back in the car to retrieve the bike.

Of course - there is also the other ultimate bike rescue service - otherwise known as "the wife" or "dad".

But,at the time your wife could be giving birth whilst your dad is at her bedside doing your job 'thinking that darn boy out on his bike again'

MS.

 

[freddy]

The only breakdown I have had with my bike wasn't my bike at all but me. Waited in the freezing cold for 2 hours for my husband to come get us.

 

[los monty]

Seems even better value when included with their insurance.

https://www.eta.co.uk/insurance/cycle/

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Seems even better value when included with their insurance.

https://www.eta.co.uk/insurance/cycle/

That's even more expensive than insuring my car.

 

[jackhandy]

Seems even better value when included with their insurance.

https://www.eta.co.uk/insurance/cycle/

£158 for my bike, in a low-crime area - pricey when compared to that as a specified item on my home insurance.

Also, would be as well to confirm they accept ebikes.

 

[malfos]

Thanks for that, I also have Green Flag for cars and motorcycles, I 'll check if they would cover myKalkhoff as part of the cover.

regards, Malc.

 

[103Alex1]

That's even more expensive than insuring my car.

Most of the cost of relatively low-risk car insurance is 3rd party liability cover. Basically the risk of them paying out for you damaging someone else's car and associated injury claims, rather than your own. The main reason why living in a high security expensive area for example comes with high car insurance premiums - the risk of you ****ting a nearby Ferrari or Range Rover Vogue drives up your own premium cost !

 

[los monty]

https://www.eta.co.uk/insurance/cycle/

Quoted me

Bike 1 value £750 £68.37

Bike 2 value £550 (folder) £36.16

Both include the £45 breakdown cover ie the folder appears to be free. Perhaps living in the sticks and riding cheap bikes have some benefits.

 

[jackhandy]

I guess they don't like moderately expensive bikes: Replacement value of mine is £1850.00.

I'd be wary of understating replacement value.

 

[NoToneS]

I added bike cover to my home insurance with M&S, adding the bike increased the quote about £50-60, Home, house and contents insurance with M&S Bank | M&S Bank

 

[EddiePJ]

That's even more expensive than insuring my car.

That was exactly what I was thinking.

 

[mike killay]

My main concern when I first got an ebike was third party cover in case I got sued.

 

[103Alex1]

My main concern when I first got an ebike was third party cover in case I got sued.

If the eBike is 'legal' then joining British Cycling gets you 3rd party liability insurance included. About £24 a year or 1/2 price for 1st year with some offers if you trawl about.

If the eBike is not road legal then obviously 3rd party insurance is in all probability effectively impossible to obtain.

 

[eHomer]

On the aspect of breakdown recovery, here's a strange thing.

Amongst my collection of push bikes, electric bikes, recumbents, and even a trike, I have two petrol engined bicycles and a Suzuki 50cc moped.

A couple of years ago I checked specifically with the AA what my relay membership covered me for.

They gave me the very firm answer that my car, the moped, and the two petrol engined bikes were covered, but none of the push bikes or electric bikes were.

The specific condition was whether the "vehicle" was registered with number plates and tax disc, insurance etc..

It's the one up-side of having to license bikes with very small petrol engines, compared with the basic freeness of low powered electric bikes, albeit with the associated complex rules governing pedelec "approval".

One of my petrol motorised bikes is a Dutch "Spartamet", with a 30cc two stroke engine that has a maximum speed of 14mph, and yet requires £16 a year road tax, £30 a year MOT, and £50 a year insurance.