Securing bikes to meet home insurance requirements

[Gwylan]

I've always self insured.
We have an integral garage, so consider the risk low and as most of the bikes are well over 10 yes old, it would be a good excuse to buy a new one, should they get nicked.

My feeling is that 5k is a bit of a lump to self insure.

 

[DRM]

So basically, it costs a packet to buy & fit all these security items, which would be defeated quite easily by a battery angle grinder and cutting disc, typical insurance Co trying anything to get out of stumping up

 

[rivers]

When I had my shed broken into about 5 years ago, I secured my new bikes with a shed shackle from this website: https://securityforbikes.com/collections/ground-anchors.
They have a selection of not too expensive ground anchors.

 

[PaulSB]

I have a very similar arrangement as @Gwylan. I find it secure yet quick and easy to access with my keys.

I chose not to cover my oldest bike this year. It's nine years old, still a superb ride, and the new for old replacement cost is +/- £6000. I've only covered the two much newer rides this time.

 

[classic33]

Check the insurance company's definition of "immovable object with a Sold Gold standard lock". Especially the immovable object part.

 

[cyberknight]

ground anchors and chains plus locks designed for motorbikes does me .

 

[Danny]

So basically, it costs a packet to buy & fit all these security items, which would be defeated quite easily by a battery angle grinder and cutting disc, typical insurance Co trying anything to get out of stumping up

If the stories in our local paper are anything to go by, most of the people who break into garages are more likely to be opportunists looking for something they can easily steel rather than organised thieves equiped with angle grinders. However given that the external door to my garage is pretty secure - at least as secure as the front door to my house - I'm not sure why I need to pay for extra bike security.

 

[Drago]

The previous owner had put in a DIY alarm. The insurance company said we would not get a discount for having this unless it was covered by a maintenance contract. However they were happy to provide a quote based on us having no alarm and the extra we had to pay was negligible compared to the cost of taking out a maintenance contract.

My ADT contract, which includes maintenance, police notifications, and mobile response from a national name security company, costs about the tenth of what the typical motorist cheerfully pays each month on PCP for their car, and is a thousandth or less the value of the movable property in my garage and house. Its hardly Elkn Musk levels of cash.

You either care enough to secure it properly, and/or to insure insure it properly, or you dont.

The alternative whereby you try to save money in the short term and hope itll be alright but risk losing your anal virginity to the insurer if something does go wrong isn't a sensible approach.

You either cover your arse and accept the cost of doing so, or you dont cover your arse and accept instead you may well be royally stuffed when it goes sideways.

Theres no middle ground where it'll sort of be alright in all circumstances for little or no effort/money.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

When I first had a decent ebike I checked the House insurance and found that it specifically excluded all ebikes of any kind

SO I ended up looking at cycling specific ones - and ended up with Yellow Jersey
Their insistance on SOld Secure Gold with other details was worrying as they were so detailed that I wondered how much "proof" they would require if it was stolen

For example - the bike was stored ina shed - a decent wooden shed - andone where you could not defeat the locks by unscrewing external screws on the latch like a lot seem to have
(I "broke into" my wife's shed once when we lost the keys with just an old knife to undo teh screws!)

anyway - they insisted it was locked up and attached to the ground - which I did
but it was attached to a flag - and could that be defined as "not the ground"

so after a while I looked around and found that otehr Home Insurance companies were better for ebikes

The one I have at the moment says (I ALWAYS ring them up and check - even if only renewing) that as it is in a brock shed with a decent door and lock then if the shed gets broken into I am fine
but I have screwed a metal loop to the wall, destroyed the screw heads and lock the bikes to it with a U-lock (Sold Secure Gold) and a chain lock

They said as long as it is locked up then that is fine

same for outside - as long as it is locked it is fine


not at all sure how they would react if it was stolen after being locked up outside a cafe with a £4 cable lock from Tesco but they say they would pay out
so I use better locks

also not sure what "proof" they would need that it WAS locked up

I have photos of how it is locked in the shed
but I don;t photo it every time I stop at a cafe or shop

 

[Mike_P]

Aviva are good for bicycles on cibtebts insurance.
The only exception listed are any electrically assisted pedal cycle when anywhere outside of the United Kingdom, or if its an illegal ebike, the wording being "within the United Kingdom where there is a legal requirement to pay Vehicle Excise Duty for road use"

 

[wiggydiggy]

I just had a thought, if you want to avoid drilling a friend of mine filled giant bucket full of rubble and concrete, then set a hoop in it. It's immoveable or as good as due to the weight.

 

[DRM]

If the stories in our local paper are anything to go by, most of the people who break into garages are more likely to be opportunists looking for something they can easily steel rather than organised thieves equiped with angle grinders. However given that the external door to my garage is pretty secure - at least as secure as the front door to my house - I'm not sure why I need to pay for extra bike security.

In York, more people use a bike for general every day use, than most of the U.K, your bike is probably more at risk of being stolen when you nip into the City, or out to the shops, than in your garage, however there are still crooks that will follow people home if they own an expensive bike, as it's worth the risk to try & break in & steal it, I suppose this is where all this securing it to an immovable object comes in.

 

[Danny]

My ADT contract, which includes maintenance, police notifications, and mobile response from a national name security company, costs about the tenth of what the typical motorist cheerfully pays each month on PCP for their car, and is a thousandth or less the value of the movable property in my garage and house. Its hardly Elkn Musk levels of cash.

You either care enough to secure it properly, and/or to insure insure it properly, or you dont.

The alternative whereby you try to save money in the short term and hope itll be alright but risk losing your anal virginity to the insurer if something does go wrong isn't a sensible approach.

You either cover your arse and accept the cost of doing so, or you dont cover your arse and accept instead you may well be royally stuffed when it goes sideways.

Theres no middle ground where it'll sort of be alright in all circumstances for little or no effort/money.

Fortunately I live in a very low crime area where very few people feel a need to have alarms. In 30 years I haven't had a single break in so I eventually decided to remove the alarm as it seemed to go off every time there was minor power cut.

 

[Punkawallah]

Change your insurer to a more accommodating one?

 

[Danny]

In York, more people use a bike for general every day use, than most of the U.K, your bike is probably more at risk of being stolen when you nip into the City, or out to the shops, than in your garage, however there are still crooks that will follow people home if they own an expensive bike, as it's worth the risk to try & break in & steal it, I suppose this is where all this securing it to an immovable object comes in.

Indeed - I always try to lock it securely when I'm out.