What is your rescue remedy for cycle breakdowns miles from home?

[wonderloaf]

Not sure if you are are referring to the same company...ETA?

Their cycle insurance cover offers free cycle recovery , but not the other way round??

Oops got it the wrong way round, the recovery insurance comes free with the cycling insurance, not the other way round. Just did a quick online quote for my bike (which isn't expensive) and the cost is way above what I'm currently paying, so don't think I'll be taking up the offer. Just have to keep Mrs W on call for emergencies!

 

[lane]

but IIRC they had a limit to the distance they would recover you at the time (not sure if they still do), and they had a line about taking you either to your destination, or to a local station/hotel. I could see myself being stuck in Langholm for the evening and the hotel costing more than the taxi ride.

That is why I do not bother with the ETA insurance or similar. They say they will take you a bike shop, train station or hotel (not sure if you have the option of which or just what's nearer). BUT you only get taken home or to your car if it's nearer than the first three options. Depending upon circumstances these might not be of much use. A bike shop might not be able to repair your bike there and then, the train if you need to get back to your car might not be suitable and you probably don't want to stay overnight in a hotel. On the off chance that I get stranded I will take my chances and try and get a taxi to where I actually want to go on that occasion. Most likely I would want to get back to my car - if I was cycling from home I could get someone to rescue me anyway.

If there was cycle insurance that offered to take me home or back to my car - whichever was nearer - then I might be interested - depending upon cost.

 

[booze and cake]

These incidents seem really rare, I definitely would'nt bother with any insurance as its in the really remote places you want help, but that's exactly where help would be least likely to arrive quickly.

Its only happened to me once. I had a collapsed rear wheel once while riding in Mid Wales, no chance of repairing it so it was a call for help job. Problem was the area I was in had no mobile reception, so I walked a couple of miles to the next village and found a phone box, but it had been vandalised and was'nt working, so I had to walk a few miles to the next village. When this second phone box was also vandalised and unusable I could'nt be arsed with walking any further in silly SPD-SL shoes, so I went and knocked on the door of the village pub, which was shut, and told the owner my tale of woe. The owner told me he used to have a Campagnolo equipped bike years ago, and was delighted to see I had one too. The owner opened up and let me in, let me use his landline to call for rescue, and then served me a drink and made me a sandwich. People are generally really helpful so don't be afraid to ask.

It also made me fall out of love with fancy wheels with aero bladed spokes, especially while out riding in the shires. I'd broken 5 spokes on my rear wheel but nowhere in a 60 mile radius had any replacements, they were a special order which would take days to arrive, so the rest of my long weekend cycling in Wales involved no cycling at all.

 

[byegad]

Riding recumbent trikes, bus, taxi and a lift are not possible, the trikes are too big. So I am a member of ETA for car and bike. I've never used them for car or bike but for bikes/trikes they will take you to suitable destinations within IIRC 20 miles. Far better than leaving a £3000 trike by the side of the road.

 

[Alan O]

It also made me fall out of love with fancy wheels with aero bladed spokes, especially while out riding in the shires. I'd broken 5 spokes on my rear wheel but nowhere in a 60 mile radius had any replacements, they were a special order which would take days to arrive, so the rest of my long weekend cycling in Wales involved no cycling at all.

I think there's a lot to be said for sticking to as common and as simple technology as possible, so that just about anyone with a spanner or wrench can fix it.

 

[Ajax Bay]

I remember seeing my bikes forks wedged in a bench and several club mates pulling the thing straight enough that I could ride it home. . . . That bike was alloy framed. Even they can be bent back temporarily. If that happened with a carbon frame, I'd have been f****d.

Do try this at home (with an alloy frame). Don't try this on the road and then ride bent and rebent aluminium alloy framed (and forked ) bike at any speed.

ETA cycling services, they'll arrange transport to get you home or the nearest station
https://www.eta.co.uk/breakdown/bicycle/

ETA for me too (but I too would hope/expect to mend or make do with most 'breakdowns'). Note words 'appropriate' and 'suitable' (below): so a shop that's closed, or a station which has no train going in an appropriate direction, or a car hire place that's not open or hasn't got an appropriate vehicle for hire can be excluded from the viable options.
"This service requires you to be in possession of identification at the time of the breakdown.
If you suffer a breakdown to your bicycle (including punctures), which is irreparable at the scene, occurring one mile or more from your home, the ETA undertakes to pay for the transport of the bicycle and you to:
• the nearest appropriate railway station; or
• the nearest suitable bicycle repair shop; or
• the nearest car hire agency; or
• the nearest overnight accommodation; or
• your vehicle; or
• home, if nearer."
Cover is extended to include Cycle Breakdown for up to 90 days to all states of the European Union."

 

[booze and cake]

I think there's a lot to be said for sticking to as common and as simple technology as possible, so that just about anyone with a spanner or wrench can fix it.

The part I most remember about Marc Beaumont's first epic cycle adventure, was how many spokes he broke, he carried plenty of spares with him, but he was rebuilding wheels in some of the remotest and inhospitable places imaginable. That really puts the pressure on, either you mend this yourself or you could die there. We should remember we live on a tiny but pretty densely populated island, we're never far from the next village. Its not like the wilds of Canada or Russia when you could wander for days and not see another person.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I looked up cycle rescue afterwards, but IIRC they had a limit to the distance they would recover you at the time (not sure if they still do), and they had a line about taking you either to your destination, or to a local station/hotel.

That is why I do not bother with the ETA insurance or similar. They say they will take you a bike shop, train station or hotel (not sure if you have the option of which or just what's nearer). BUT you only get taken home or to your car if it's nearer than the first three options.

I've just had a nice online chat with ETA and they say there is a 25-mile limit on *free* recovery but if you needed to go beyond that they'd charge £1 per excess mile.

They also confirmed that the choice of destinations is down to the policy holder.

 

[night cycler]

I've just had a nice online chat with ETA and they say there is a 25-mile limit on *free* recovery but if you needed to go beyond that they'd charge £1 per excess mile.

They also confirmed that the choice of destinations is down to the policy holder.

I phoned them at about 12.50 today and probably had a similar type communication. It was explained to me that decisions are based on the individual situation, which is fair enough. Explained to me....local cycle shop if small repair. If shop closed train station or taxi. I could have asked a multitude of scenarios, but I got the impression they seem quite reasonable. I would not want cycle shop to do expensive repair.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I phoned them at about 12.50 today and probably had a similar type communication. It was explained to me that decisions are based on the individual situation, which is fair enough. Explained to me....local cycle shop if small repair. If shop closed train station or taxi. I could have asked a multitude of scenarios, but I got the impression they seem quite reasonable. I would not want cycle shop to do expensive repair.

I saved the text of my chat. Here's the bit where he confirmed user choice:

ME:
Does the policy holder have the right to choose which option?
For example: if there is a hotel 2 miles from the recovery location and the policy
holder's home is 5 miles away, can he request recovery to his home address?
Or is the choice always ETA's?



ETA:

Hello there. Yes as long as it is within the 25 mile radius that we cover then yes
you can choose which ever destination you want.​

 

[night cycler]

That sounds like a better answer doesn`t it.

I would be curious to ask what is meant by ..."radius that we cover". A 25 mile radius is a 25 mile radius but where is the centre point (just got my pedantic hat on-I`m still in) I don`t think he meant radius.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

That sounds like a better answer doesn`t it.

I would be curious to ask what is meant by ..."radius that we cover". A 25 mile radius is a 25 mile radius but where is the centre point (just got my pedantic hat on-I`m still in) I don`t think he meant radius.

I take the radius to be measured from the recovery point. I don't see where else they could put it!

 

[swansonj]

Straight line distance or distance by shortest practicable route?

When determining school admission criteria, people go to court (or at least the Adjudicator) over that distinction....

 

[Alan O]

Straight line distance or distance by shortest practicable route?

When determining school admission criteria, people go to court (or at least the Adjudicator) over that distinction....

As they actually used the word "radius", I'd expect that to mean a circle on the map and not based on the actual route distance - but it's worth clarifying.

 

[swansonj]

As they actually used the word "radius", I'd expect that to mean a circle on the map and not based on the actual route distance - but it's worth clarifying.

Agreed. But I'll bet there are plenty of hypothetical instances in mountainous terrain where less than 25 in a straight line over a mountain is a heck of a lot more that 25 by road....