Wil Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Can anyone suggest an insurance company for 9 months cycle cover in Europe? Also things like lap top and camera as we have no UK home insurance? We are staying with our son at the moment before departing for 9 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 I am sure that you will get a lot of good advice from contributors on this forum. Have you also raised your question on the 'Motorhome Fulltimers' Forum www.motorhome365.com as they may be able to help as well as many are already out there doing it and may have such Insurance ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 19, 2011 Author Share Posted March 19, 2011 Will give it a go... Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Just a thought on the difficulties of getting bicycle insurance for your trip: why bother? Seriously. Get cheapo 2nd hand bikes, and don't bother with insurance. If you carry expensive, new push bikes, especially on an external rear rack, they may well be a thief target....and they'll also send a signal that there may well be lost of other shiny new stuff inside the MH too............... But a cheapo, old, battered but functional 2nd hand pushbike for (say) 30 quid is, I'd have thought, far far less likely to get nicked. And it it ever was, it'd probably cost less than the insurance premium to replace. Have you thought of the hassle of trying to put in/process/chase up such an insurance claim on a UK broker from your MH whilst touring around in Spain/Italy/Greece etc?? I suspect it'd be an utter nightmare..... Dunno about the rest of Europe, but here in Spain Carrefour are doing basic pushbikes, brand new, from 79 euros (about 70 quid) OK, so they'll be chinky ones, made of cheese, and will rust at the first sign of rain, but 79 euros for pities sake, brand new....including shimano gears, lights, front suspension, mudguards. At any "rastro" (sort of car boot sale) in Spain you'll see dozens of old but mostly fully functional pushbikes for maybe 30 euros. I'd go for a couple of old, battered pushbikes, without mudguards or lights, and with saddle posts and handlebar stems held on by proper heavy duty bolts rather than those gift-to-a-thief easy hand-loosenable bar-nut thingies, for a MH every time. Then invest 10 quid in a combination lock/chain for each of them. Don't bother with anything more.....it'll stop and opportunist riding off on your bike when you've left it outside a shop; and a pro with a decent paid of bolt croppers will get through any lock & chain you care to buy (unless it's so damn big you can't carry the damn thing on the bike anyway): but he won't go for your £30 old bike anyway, he'll go for the super-posh new £400 quids worth on the rack of the MH next to yours instead. Job done, then just peddle about on your old banger bike and enjoy life............... Maybe food for thought? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Sorry Bruce can't agree, cheap bikes are horrible to ride maybe OK if you are only going a couple of miles to the shops, but you try riding 20 or 30 miles on them. You get what you pay for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Bruce, you may as well say, do't go and buy new this or new that, it will attract thieves. Part of enjoying the outdoor life is having the type of equiment that you want and can afford, new or otherwise, and then like everything, looking after it, much like you would do at home. Apart from taking care of it and taking measures to prevent things from getting nicked you take out Insurance just in case it does. They were seeking advice on where to get the insurance not whether they should have purchased the bicycles *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Big Momma - 2011-03-21 5:18 PM Bruce, you may as well say, do't go and buy new this or new that, it will attract thieves. Part of enjoying the outdoor life is having the type of equiment that you want and can afford, new or otherwise, and then like everything, looking after it, much like you would do at home. Apart from taking care of it and taking measures to prevent things from getting nicked you take out Insurance just in case it does. They were seeking advice on where to get the insurance not whether they should have purchased the bicycles *-) Now don't be a silly billy. It isn't a black or white issue. It's a judgement call; and that is largely dependent upon the individuals assessment of risk. Risk being the likelihood of the event occurring, factored by the perceived damage/pain resulting. Each of us has differing attitudes to risk; differing from other individuals, between possible events, and over time too. I advised what MY suggestion would be. I did not instruct. I simply outlined and alternative scenario which, given my perception of the OP's attitude to risk (which may or may not be accurate), might provide reduced risk for him. It may or may not be a suitable alternative for him. But that is for him to decide. I respectfully submit that it really isn't for you to seek to arbiter which possible responses to the OP's post get to him or not. ;-) Buy hey ho, life goes on regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 BGD - 2011-03-21 7:10 PM Big Momma - 2011-03-21 5:18 PM Bruce, you may as well say, do't go and buy new this or new that, it will attract thieves. Part of enjoying the outdoor life is having the type of equiment that you want and can afford, new or otherwise, and then like everything, looking after it, much like you would do at home. Apart from taking care of it and taking measures to prevent things from getting nicked you take out Insurance just in case it does. They were seeking advice on where to get the insurance not whether they should have purchased the bicycles *-) Now don't be a silly billy. It isn't a black or white issue. It's a judgement call; and that is largely dependent upon the individuals assessment of risk. Risk being the likelihood of the event occurring, factored by the perceived damage/pain resulting. Each of us has differing attitudes to risk; differing from other individuals, between possible events, and over time too. I advised what MY suggestion would be. I did not instruct. I simply outlined and alternative scenario which, given my perception of the OP's attitude to risk (which may or may not be accurate), might provide reduced risk for him. It may or may not be a suitable alternative for him. But that is for him to decide. I respectfully submit that it really isn't for you to seek to arbiter which possible responses to the OP's post get to him or not. ;-) Buy hey ho, life goes on regardless. :D :D Hey Bruce, I knew you would respond and to be perfectly honest after I submitted my post I had a 'minor' question of conscience. How many times do I respond to posts with opinions, suggestions which may not have been directly related to the question asked or topic. So 1,000 apologies, bit out of order, hands held up and willing to admit that on THIS occasion I was wrong to have a go and please accept my most sincere apologies. Your advice was well intended :$ :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Question :D Would a fat bald bloke notice any difference peddling a 80 quid bike compared to a £1500 bike :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 BGD - 2011-03-21 3:07 PM Just a thought on the difficulties of getting bicycle insurance for your trip: why bother? Seriously. Get cheapo 2nd hand bikes, and don't bother with insurance. If you carry expensive, new push bikes, especially on an external rear rack, they may well be a thief target....and they'll also send a signal that there may well be lost of other shiny new stuff inside the MH too............... But a cheapo, old, battered but functional 2nd hand pushbike for (say) 30 quid is, I'd have thought, far far less likely to get nicked. And it it ever was, it'd probably cost less than the insurance premium to replace. Have you thought of the hassle of trying to put in/process/chase up such an insurance claim on a UK broker from your MH whilst touring around in Spain/Italy/Greece etc?? I suspect it'd be an utter nightmare..... Dunno about the rest of Europe, but here in Spain Carrefour are doing basic pushbikes, brand new, from 79 euros (about 70 quid) OK, so they'll be chinky ones, made of cheese, and will rust at the first sign of rain, but 79 euros for pities sake, brand new....including shimano gears, lights, front suspension, mudguards. At any "rastro" (sort of car boot sale) in Spain you'll see dozens of old but mostly fully functional pushbikes for maybe 30 euros. I'd go for a couple of old, battered pushbikes, without mudguards or lights, and with saddle posts and handlebar stems held on by proper heavy duty bolts rather than those gift-to-a-thief easy hand-loosenable bar-nut thingies, for a MH every time. Then invest 10 quid in a combination lock/chain for each of them. Don't bother with anything more.....it'll stop and opportunist riding off on your bike when you've left it outside a shop; and a pro with a decent paid of bolt croppers will get through any lock & chain you care to buy (unless it's so damn big you can't carry the damn thing on the bike anyway): but he won't go for your £30 old bike anyway, he'll go for the super-posh new £400 quids worth on the rack of the MH next to yours instead. Job done, then just peddle about on your old banger bike and enjoy life............... Maybe food for thought? Couple of points. A friend had expensive bike chained up in back yard, he used this for cycling to fire station when he got a shout, for some reason he mistakenly chained front wheel only, got a late night shout and found just the front wheel *-) , when he moved house he had locked gate to back garden so decided just to get an old battered bike and leave that unlocked in garden, guess what, that also got stolen. When full suspension bikes had not long been out I thought one would suit my trip into work, but didn't want to pay a large sum if it wouldn't be any good, then I came across one of the first cheap full suspension bikes being sold at auction. After purchase I found out why it was being sold, I had to vertualy rebuild it to make it work any good. I still use this bike, a bit heavy but still keeps going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 pelmetman - 2011-03-21 7:45 PM Question :D Would a fat bald bloke notice any difference peddling a 80 quid bike compared to a £1500 bike :D depends on whether the electric motor still works on the £80 bike :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Most Cycle insurers only cover for limited period outside the UK, but this company appears to offer EU cover. http://www.cycleguard.co.uk/?affid=54840 "Cycleguard are also one of the few bicycle insurance companies that offer a worldwide cover option, so if you do take your bicycle abroad, we have an insurance option that works for you. Of course you can choose UK only or EU cover if you don't plan of going that far abroad!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Big Momma - 2011-03-21 7:18 PM BGD - 2011-03-21 7:10 PM Big Momma - 2011-03-21 5:18 PM Bruce, you may as well say, do't go and buy new this or new that, it will attract thieves. Part of enjoying the outdoor life is having the type of equiment that you want and can afford, new or otherwise, and then like everything, looking after it, much like you would do at home. Apart from taking care of it and taking measures to prevent things from getting nicked you take out Insurance just in case it does. They were seeking advice on where to get the insurance not whether they should have purchased the bicycles *-) Now don't be a silly billy. It isn't a black or white issue. It's a judgement call; and that is largely dependent upon the individuals assessment of risk. Risk being the likelihood of the event occurring, factored by the perceived damage/pain resulting. Each of us has differing attitudes to risk; differing from other individuals, between possible events, and over time too. I advised what MY suggestion would be. I did not instruct. I simply outlined and alternative scenario which, given my perception of the OP's attitude to risk (which may or may not be accurate), might provide reduced risk for him. It may or may not be a suitable alternative for him. But that is for him to decide. I respectfully submit that it really isn't for you to seek to arbiter which possible responses to the OP's post get to him or not. ;-) Buy hey ho, life goes on regardless. :D :D Hey Bruce, I knew you would respond and to be perfectly honest after I submitted my post I had a 'minor' question of conscience. How many times do I respond to posts with opinions, suggestions which may not have been directly related to the question asked or topic. So 1,000 apologies, bit out of order, hands held up and willing to admit that on THIS occasion I was wrong to have a go and please accept my most sincere apologies. Your advice was well intended :$ :D De nada. (Spiccy for "no worries mate") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 As a long time cyclist one of the dodges to prevent a bike being nicked is to ride the most awful looking brightly coloured bike, one that makes strangers stop and look at it. No one will pinch it as it attracts too much attention and is remembered. I've done exactly this and parked up in nickable places, it hardly gets looked at !! If its parked up for a long time, remove the tyres and tubes, it makes it difficult to ride away and carrying and it attracts attention. Don't want to remove the tyres? then just pull them off the rim, it may take time to put them back but at least you still have the bike, and if the thief has not noticed he will only go two yards before dumping it. Fit gaudy coloured flags and decorations. Thieves are not silly they want disguise, to be seen riding a crappy bike is to be remembered. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 Very amusing, I have decided to chain the wife to them while I go for a drink! That should sort the theft element. Also I will Lock my garden gate before I leave and will have the bikes with me. We have bought the bikes and yes they are vey nickable hence the question about insurance. Cycle guard only do 90 days EU Before you write what a chauvinist, my wife is quite handy with a bicycle pump! Any further insurance advice will be gratefully received...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Be wary as most cycle insurance will not cover bikes left on a vehicle in a public place overnight. We changed our house insurance to M&S as they cover unspecified items including cycles up to £4000 world wide without restrictions. I know this info won't help you but may be of use to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuevoboy Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 pelmetman - 2011-03-21 7:45 PM Question :D Would a fat bald bloke notice any difference peddling a 80 quid bike compared to a £1500 bike :D Yes, he'd be a lot worse of peddling the bike if he got the right amount for it. However, if he was pedalling the 80 quid bike, he'd also notice a vast difference between the two bikes also. ;-) Sorry to be pedantic, but as a keen cyclist this is one bit of terminology that really gets to me. :-( The last time I got a quote for our tandem it was over 400 quid. Hence not insured and taking a risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 nuevoboy - 2011-03-22 6:36 PM Sorry to be pedantic, but as a keen cyclist this is one bit of terminology that really gets to me. :-( Oop's got me pedals in a twist :D When we moved up here I bought a couple of mountain bikes........very useful in Lincolnshire (lol) and we have done hundreds of miles with them :D ..................................................strapped to the back of the camper (lol) Do they have these bikes at shows as I would love to try one, just to see if I would notice the difference :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuevoboy Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Well, you wouldn't find our tandem on offer at any of the shows as it was custom built for us a few years ago and I'll leave you to guess the price, given the £400 quote to insure it. I've been pleasantly surprised by the number of M/homers who actually cycle. On our first outing in our 'van, we drove 480 miles, but cycled 240 miles in the week of our trip. Not quite been able to keep up that ratio lately but managed 130 plus last week over in Cambridgeshire. And we did see a hill once in Lincolnshire, so will forgive you for buying a mountain bike. However, mountain bikes and racing bikes are probably the two things that put more people off cycling once they've bought them. It really is worth doing some research and finding the correct bike for your needs. Then you'd enjoy it more and get some decent use out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Getting some where now with some helpful advice about home insurance for bikes. We have been quoted £440 for the two bikes so far through a broker. Cheers Wil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Wil - 2011-03-22 9:28 PM Getting some where now with some helpful advice about home insurance for bikes. We have been quoted £440 for the two bikes so far through a broker. Cheers Wil Thats more than I pay for my car and camper to insure 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 Many thanks to you all for responding. M&S home insurance have come up trumps, so our son has arranged this for us on his home contents insurance. Regards Wil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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