Cycle lockers and insurance

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Wolf04

New Member
Location
Wallsend on Tyne
Hi, I rent an excellent locker for £50PA from my employer, which I have no complaints about. I am however thinking of getting a new bike via their Cycle to Work Scheme. The scheme recommends insuring the bike for the duration of the scheme as you would still be liable for the payments. All of the cycle specific insurance providers have a clause insisting that you use an approved lock (sold secure) attached through the frame to an immovable object. Has anyone insured their bike and got the insurers to accept a cycle locker as being sufficient security?
Thanks
Pete
 

thomas

the tank engine
Location
Woking/Norwich
When I looked into specific policies I found that the lock thing seemed like a get out clause. If you speak to them they'll want the keys and a recipt proving the make of the lock if they're going to pay out. Most of them seemed like they would have so many loop holes that they wouldn't need to pay out.

When my bike did get stolen, it was covered, more or less, on the home insurance my parents had. They didn't have any problem paying out. Bike was only locked with a chain lock so I guess they'd be happy with a locker.

Maybe look into that?
 
OP
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Wolf04

Wolf04

New Member
Location
Wallsend on Tyne
thomas said:
When I looked into specific policies I found that the lock thing seemed like a get out clause. If you speak to them they'll want the keys and a recipt proving the make of the lock if they're going to pay out. Most of them seemed like they would have so many loop holes that they wouldn't need to pay out.

When my bike did get stolen, it was covered, more or less, on the home insurance my parents had. They didn't have any problem paying out. Bike was only locked with a chain lock so I guess they'd be happy with a locker.

Maybe look into that?

Yes seemed like that to me too! I'm going to contact my home contents insurer to see what they say.
 

Norm

Guest
My £450 MTB costs about a tenner a year to add to my home insurance, the £700 road bike costs £23 and "must be locked to a fixed object" when left anywhere away from home, but without any specification of the lock used.
 
I think whatever you do you need to read the fine print carefully (sorry!) and if necessary query with the insurance company before buying the insurance (get it in writing, I wouldn't trust a phonecall, recorded or not!).
There is a fine line between 'in public' and not in public, for instance an office is public and I'm officially not covered unless I lock my bike to something when it's in my office.

I reckon you might be able to do something about a locker being a 'building' as if it is stolen out of the locker presumably you'll be able to show 'forcible and violent entry' etc etc; OR it being an immovable object, and then just get the lock used on the locker endorsed.

Just be careful you don't leave it overnight and fall foul of the 'abandonment' clause - generally you can't leave your bike (unless at home) for more than 12 hours where ever it is.

My policy, with ETA, says the following (sorry for the bad line breaks, copy paste not working so well with PDFs):

Exclusions:

3. Theft or attempted theft of the pedal
cycle(s) whilst left unattended in a
public place at any time unless:
a) the pedal cycle is secured by an
approved lock attached to an
immovable object, or;
;) it is locked in a building/vehicle
where theft is occasioned by a
forcible or violent entry. In this
instance, the pedal cycle must be
stored out of sight.

and building is defined as, generally, a whole lot of variants about where you live (incl sheds etc).

13. Immovable Object means
a) any solid object fixed in or on to
concrete or stone, which is not
capable of being undone,
removed with, or lifted under/over
the pedal cycle;

xx( a properly fixed motor vehicle roof
rack or properly fixed vehicle
bicycle rack;
c) at train stations, a bicycle rack
supplied by the train station
expressly for the purpose of
securing bikes, and within the
jurisdiction of the transport police.
 

solmisation

Active Member
Location
Paisley
As Norm said
"without any specification of the lock used." ,when I contacted my home contents insurer about adding my bike to the policy, I told them about the lock I had purchased, but they didn't want to know about it! Just took the money!
 
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