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Am I being conned by my bike insurance company?


Saudiq

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So lying is okay? 

 

Aye, some people... :thumbdown:

It's not lying though. And it's definitely a more feasible explanation than chain suck. Sorry but there is just no chance of chain suck causing a frame to crack. It's ridiculous.

 

Take it to another bike shop for a second opinion and see what they say. 

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I still think its better to put money away every month into a bike fund. this is the only time you win.

only once you've invested enough to replace the bicycle. If you break it after one month, you're up **** creek. Whereas with insurance you're covered from day 1. 

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This whole chain suck thing is just dumb. If you were my client, the description of the claim would have been a stone or rock damaged frame as a result of a fall. Simple description and you would get paid immediately.

 

Moral of the story. Always use a broker.

 

I must have posted that line 20 times already.

 

You have no case to stand on unfortunately. Your description of the incident is not good enough for a claim.

I'm sure your underwriters and the FIA would be interested to hear you say this.....

 

This is exactly why the RDR is being pushed by the underwriters. Brokers who take the piss!

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only once you've invested enough to replace the bicycle. If you break it after one month, you're up **** creek. Whereas with insurance you're covered from day 1. 

and lets not forget the amount of money you gonna put away each month vs. the fraction of a monthly installment with payouts in the thousands

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As the OP stated, it MAY have been chainsuck. In my experience, the first question the insurance asks is what happened to cause the damage. If the response is essentially "I'm not sure, but I think it may have been..." I don't know of any insurer that would process that claim.

You see this is where a broker comes in. If a client phoned me and say he has a hole in his frame and is not sure what caused it, I will advise him then to get a report from a LBS or the manufacturer of what the most likely cause might have been. You're not gonna submit a claim form stating that it may have been this or may have been that.

 

It's like when you wash your car and then noticed on the passenger side there is a huge scratch. You don't know what caused it and when it happened, whether it was malicious by someone, or perhaps another car in a parking bay, a kid with his bicycle or a checkers trolley. You will submit a claim stating that you discovered the damage on this or that date while washing your car and it wasn't there when you washed it 2 or 3 weeks previously. You will stating to your insurer that it is very likely, considering the height/ depth/ width of the scratch that it was caused by a checkers trolley and that  you have been at checkers during the two washes. Your suspicion will be supported by a report and quote from a panel beater that states the same.

 

If the OP was my client I promised his claim would have been sorted by now, and not by lying to the insurer. I would never advise a client to lie or submit a fraudulent claim, I have just to much to loose. However there is nothing wrong or unethical to guiding your client to get the correct documentation and give a more clearer/ definite description when submitting a claim.

 

I think this is what Bub Marley meant as well.

 

If you read the OP again, he said he noticed the damage while cleaning the bike and LBS said it was a chain suck. I still don't know what a chain suck is but if it is dropped chain then I find it difficult to believe it can cause a hole in a frame. If the LBS is right and it was caused by the chain suck and a chain suck is chain that dropped, then i.m.o the OP still has a claim since it was a single/ sudden/ once-off event.

 

If the hole occurred due to numerous "chain sucks" and not just one, then obviously there is no claim.

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I'm sure your underwriters and the FIA would be interested to hear you say this.....

 

This is exactly why the RDR is being pushed by the underwriters. Brokers who take the piss!

I think you're misunderstanding what I'm saying and maybe I never said it correctly. I'm not trying to condone fraud here. The point I was making was that a broker would have guided him better. If the damage was caused by wear and tear then you don't have a claim and only the client himself will know that but if it's sudden damage then a broker could have guided him better as to how to phrase his description. That's all I'm saying.

 

And I am a big advocate of RDR believe it or not. The industry needs it imo[emoji106]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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It's not lying though. And it's definitely a more feasible explanation than chain suck. Sorry but there is just no chance of chain suck causing a frame to crack. It's ridiculous.

 

Take it to another bike shop for a second opinion and see what they say. 

 

 

uhhh....yes, it IS lying if that's not CLEARLY what happened. And taking your bike to many LBS's to prove YOUR THEORY....again, it's called L Y I N G...

 

Which eventually makes MY insurance premium higher...and THAT is NOT COOL... :cursing:

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uhhh....yes, it IS lying if that's not CLEARLY what happened. And taking your bike to many LBS's to prove YOUR THEORY....again, it's called L Y I N G...

 

Which eventually makes MY insurance premium higher...and THAT is NOT COOL... :cursing:

I don't see how getting a second opinion is lying. Chain suck doesn't sound right to me. There's nothing wrong with getting another opinion.

 

However all of this should have been done before submitting claim. And again, this is something a broker could have guided client on.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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Ok, so I've googled chain suck;

 

 Chainsuck” is when your chain does not detach correctly from the bottom of your chainring, and instead wraps around the ring until something jams. Chainsuck happens when the force provided by the rear derailleur spring is less than the force causing the chain to stick to your chainring.

 

Now, the question to all the experts is, can this cause a hole in a frame? Under the BB? I'm no expert but it sounds a bit far fetched for me.

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As the OP stated, it MAY have been chainsuck. In my experience, the first question the insurance asks is what happened to cause the damage. If the response is essentially "I'm not sure, but I think it may have been..." I don't know of any insurer that would process that claim.

 

Question then is if this is the feedback from the bike shop, how do I change the assessment to be more specific? I actually thought a stone hit the bottom of the frame when I saw the hole but bike shop says they doubt it was a stone.

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Ok, so I've googled chain suck;

 

 “Chainsuck” is when your chain does not detach correctly from the bottom of your chainring, and instead wraps around the ring until something jams. Chainsuck happens when the force provided by the rear derailleur spring is less than the force causing the chain to stick to your chainring.

 

Now, the question to all the experts is, can this cause a hole in a frame? Under the BB? I'm no expert but it sounds a bit far fetched for me.

 

Did you miss the part where he said it was actually a chain drop? If I understand correctly! See post #69

 

He was pushing 900 watts and for some reason changed from big to small chainring at that wattage. I'm a noob regarding mechanics, but I wouldn't think it would be good to change the ring at that power? Or shouldn't it be a problem, just unwise?

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Question then is if this is the feedback from the bike shop, how do I change the assessment to be more specific? I actually thought a stone hit the bottom of the frame when I saw the hole but bike shop says they doubt it was a stone.

Did you present the LBS report to the insurer? Did the say in their report that it is definitely chain suck or that it is probable chain suck?

 

My advise will be to take it for a 2nd opinion- nothing wrong with that- or even better have it inspected by the manufacturer.

 

If they give a different scenario, ask them for a very clear explanation why they say so and a very clear explanation why they say it couldn't have been caused by chain suck.

 

submit this to the insurer stating that you never were sure about the cause of the damage and was guided by the 1st lbs.

 

hell, if doctors can sometimes diagnose a patient erroneously, then surely a lbs can also make a mistake. 

 

this is not lying.

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Did you miss the part where he said it was actually a chain drop? If I understand correctly! See post #69

 

He was pushing 900 watts and for some reason changed from big to small chainring at that wattage. I'm a noob regarding mechanics, but I wouldn't think it would be good to change the ring at that power? Or shouldn't it be a problem, just unwise?

No I did read it. In my previous posts I said I'm not sure what a chain suck is and was wondering if a chain suck and a dropped chain is the same thing.

 

hence I googled it and it obviously its not the same thing. I'm also a noob and my question still is; can a chain suck or dropping a chain when switching chainrings under 900 watts cause a hole in a frame? Is it like going from 5th gear to reverse gear on a car and damaging your gearbox?? 

 

Where is the experts when you need them?

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Did you miss the part where he said it was actually a chain drop? If I understand correctly! See post #69

 

He was pushing 900 watts and for some reason changed from big to small chainring at that wattage. I'm a noob regarding mechanics, but I wouldn't think it would be good to change the ring at that power? Or shouldn't it be a problem, just unwise?

I've been doing certain training to try and simulate certain conditions. As previously mentioned, this may not been my brightest move, also considering I have a compact chain ring which I've now read is prone to chain suck

 

'Over Shifting and Chain Suck – Outside of rub, the most common shifting issues we have seen with compact crank designs is a greater tendency for the chain to over shift and the chain getting sucked against the frame more frequently. While proper set-up and maintenance is paramount to minimizing the likelihood of these events occurring, even a well set up bike can be prone to throwing the chain and chain suck. For riders that are prone to these issues, there are inexpensive devices like the 3rd Eye ChainWatcher and anti-chain suck plates that can be installed on the frame to keep the chain cooperative. These chain watchers are not always compatible with aero tubing or non-traditional designs, so check with a well informed mechanic to find out what will work for you'

 

http://fitwerx.com/compact-cranks/

 

Host of reasons why this could occur but insurance went straight to wear and tear

 

http://fagan.co.za/Bikes/Csuck/

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Saudiq, the lack of photos of the damage to the frame and your drivetrain is worrying.

 

Make a plan. Get some pics up.

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Saudiq, the lack of photos of the damage to the frame and your drivetrain is worrying.

 

Make a plan. Get some pics up.

Will take some pics of the drive train this evening and post

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