That reminds me of that incident a couple of years back that started with a cyclist waiting at traffic lights at a big junction. The lights turned green, so he started to go, but the pedestrians crossing on the other side of the junction didn't stop. He gave a blast of his big horn, which stopped more coming and made the rest hurry accross, then, just when he reached that part of the road, one of them panicked and decided to run back to the other side - straight in front of him, causing the bike to hit her arm. She sued him, and the judge said that he knew she was there because he sounded his horn, so he should have stopped. IIRC, he lost his house over it because he wasn't insured. If he hadn't sounded his horn, he might have got away with it. I seem to remember that causing panic on the forum and everybody rushed out to get insurance. That included me.Effective against errant car drivers though !
But risks a manslaughter charge if it's use causes a pedestrian's fatal heart attack.
.
Safe cycle routes. Are there any really?
- Thread starter Wayners
- Start date
cycle insurance for theft/loss and 3rd party liability primarily, an ebike as long as rd legal may carry a premium, but since many cycles cost 1000's anyway,, my circa £800 valued ebike (new bike + kit costs) costs £80 p.a
You may get a better deal from you home insurer, iirc co-op offered excellent cover away from the home for very little. the house is currently insured via the cheapest web option thats a hassle to contact so just went online and googled..
edit, I rang 2 places to confirm ebike kit conversions were covered and while very hot on the 250w and 15mph and 4mph throttle limits and would refuse cover if anything was not according to the regs kits and any additions were fine as long as i had proof of purchase and were within whats understood to be legal.
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British Cycling give free insurance when you join. It basically gives you legal help if somebody claims against you and up to £20 million cover against 3rd parties if they succeed.
British Cycling Insurance state that.....
"(7) E-bike (Electrically assisted pedal cycle) must have pedals that can be used to propel it, the electric motor should have a maximum power output of 250 watts or less, and the motor should not be able to propel the bike when it is travelling more than 15.5mph. In addition your E-bike must display either the power output or manufacturer of the motor, as well as either the battery voltage or maximum speed of the bike, as defined by the manufacturer."
"(7) E-bike (Electrically assisted pedal cycle) must have pedals that can be used to propel it, the electric motor should have a maximum power output of 250 watts or less, and the motor should not be able to propel the bike when it is travelling more than 15.5mph. In addition your E-bike must display either the power output or manufacturer of the motor, as well as either the battery voltage or maximum speed of the bike, as defined by the manufacturer."
I doubt the insurance will cover any self build e bike, they will always try and find/wriggle out of any suspect case.
They've just copy and pasted the info from the government website, which is incorrect. Nearly every OEM ebike sold in the UK has a maximum power of more than 250w. It should say "rated power" of 250w or less.
KERCHING! Commission
I bought one, it's rubbish in comparison. Less shocking for pedestrians on paths, but I can't hear how it can possibly get through to drivers.
Update.
Hornit bike horn started ringing out and I could not stop it. My ears were ringing! Pulled switch plug and that stopped it so I suspect cable or switch trouble. No visual signs of a problem.
I've taken batteries out as and put in airing cupboard as it started today, although I've tried to keep rain off with a plastic bag. I can test the switch wire with multi tester but can't do much with horn. Was working well though.
Hornit bike horn started ringing out and I could not stop it. My ears were ringing! Pulled switch plug and that stopped it so I suspect cable or switch trouble. No visual signs of a problem.
I've taken batteries out as and put in airing cupboard as it started today, although I've tried to keep rain off with a plastic bag. I can test the switch wire with multi tester but can't do much with horn. Was working well though.
I think it might be one of those blister/bubble switches - mine hasn't failed, but I saw spare switches on the Hornit website, so might be a common problem. The switch connects to the horn using a standard mini mono audio jack plug, looks easy to replace with a more robust and cheap horn switch. The switch did look flimsy to me, so I bought a cheap horn switch from Amazon for £1.29, just in case, but it's been more than two years and it hasn't stopped working yet.
You've only had it since Sep 23, 2023, I'd contact Hornit...
You've only had it since Sep 23, 2023, I'd contact Hornit...
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Another update.
Hornit is working fine now, so I think its water ingress.
Going to have to think about that?
Hornit is working fine now, so I think its water ingress.
Going to have to think about that?
Was water inside the jack connector causing a short, or was there some some other short inside the horn unit? I'd dry it out thoroughly - throw your soggy horn/phone/camera etc. in an airtight bag with this stuff for a few days, it's useful have handy. Move the beads around a bit every day or so.
Because my handlebar is crowded, I've mostly kept the horn angled down, I don't know if that makes a difference. Seems just as loud, and there's less chance of rain entering through the front of the horn. I bought the Hornit V1 for £19.99 with free delivery, and very often cycle when it's raining, the V1 seems fine over two years later. Have they removed waterproofing on the 33% more expensive V2 as an added bonus?
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Because my handlebar is crowded, I've mostly kept the horn angled down, I don't know if that makes a difference. Seems just as loud, and there's less chance of rain entering through the front of the horn. I bought the Hornit V1 for £19.99 with free delivery, and very often cycle when it's raining, the V1 seems fine over two years later. Have they removed waterproofing on the 33% more expensive V2 as an added bonus?
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