Bike insurance specialists

[Bub Marley]

2 hours ago, cadenceblur said:

I have seen bikes that have been repaired being sold for much less than they should be  due to the frame being repaired, and insurance companies are going to the repair route over replacement, surely this is a concern. Despite lifetime warranties being offered 

I think the repair industry has come a long way these past 5 years. If it’s a frame under warranty, then surely you would claim that through the manufacturer. If it’s out of warranty, and it’s safe to repair i think the insurers are within their right to repair through a reputable repairer. I know people dont like to hear this but that’s where we are headed. The bike values are essentially car values right now. If people accept a car can be repaired then why not a bike.

[cadenceblur]

9 minutes ago, Bub Marley said:

I think the repair industry has come a long way these past 5 years. If it’s a frame under warranty, then surely you would claim that through the manufacturer. If it’s out of warranty, and it’s safe to repair i think the insurers are within their right to repair through a reputable repairer. I know people dont like to hear this but that’s where we are headed. The bike values are essentially car values right now. If people accept a car can be repaired then why not a bike.

I hear you, but there's the issue - people are not that accepting of purchasing repaired frames.

Perhaps someone with experience in successfully getting 'full' value for the a repaired bike can comment but I have seen some high end bikes with repairs being advertised for abnormally low prices.

[Shebeen]

21 hours ago, Luca Stermin said:

@Remington you can contact my father Riccardo Stermin on 083 6752057. He an Insurance Broker and Avid Cyclist, been in the insurance industry for over 30 years. He can assist you.

Thanks

plus one. and i don;t even have the same surname.

 

reminds me. i have a schedule reminder to update with him.

[Remington]

4 hours ago, Shebeen said:

plus one. and i don;t even have the same surname.

 

reminds me. i have a schedule reminder to update with him.

On 4/10/2025 at 1:37 PM, Luca Stermin said:

@Remington you can contact my father Riccardo Stermin on 083 6752057. He an Insurance Broker and Avid Cyclist, been in the insurance industry for over 30 years. He can assist you.

Thanks

will do thanks

 

[betaboy]

Insurer: please send us a picture as too why you only claiming for wheels.

Okay, hold my beer! 

[Eugene]

11 hours ago, cadenceblur said:

I have seen bikes that have been repaired being sold for much less than they should be  due to the frame being repaired, and insurance companies are going to the repair route over replacement, surely this is a concern. Despite lifetime warranties being offered 

Most insurers state in their t&cs that that have the right to repair. They also state that they are not responsible for future values. 

That means that as long as they get your bike on the road, any future value loss is on you. 

I would not want my frame to be repaired. There is no industry accreditation or standards authority for carbon repairers. I am not even aware of any apprentice route a person can follow to be a carbon repairer. Many of them are self taught.

All you get is word of mouth and reputation to rely on. 

[love2fly]

There are at least 2 posts in this thread that pertain to cracks not caused by an incident or accident yet covered by insurance....how?

A few years ago I claimed for a crack and insurer rejected saying manufacturer fault....frame sent back to Taiwan for manufacturer to assess. They ground through the gelcoat/clear coat and crack was clearly caused by damage which the insurer had rejected but get this - manufacturer found a previously hidden and unrelated crack far away and and replaced the frame under warranty.

First crack: intersection toptube and seattube

Second crack: BB/Chainstay

Insurer: Santam

Broker: Interisure.....

Again, how?

[cadenceblur]

There is a Bianchi in the classifieds being sold for well below market that has been professionally repaired, case in point. 

[Sandro]

On 4/10/2025 at 12:31 PM, Remington said:

Both our mountain bikes are insured with Santam. They are both specified items but looking around at bike specialist insurers.

The reason is everytime I want to submit a claim for any household or vehicle issue I get the impression my broker is trying to discourage me or makes up excuses when a claim is rejected .We very rarely claim  for anything and then its been for small amounts

I did ask my broker last year what happens if our bikes are stolen. The answer I got, you dont want that happening to you. So I dont have trust that they are going to honour a payout should that situation ever arise.

What has been other peoples experience in dealing with a  bike claim payout with insurers and Santam in general and is there a recommended insurer who is reliable.

 

We had a break in at our house a few weeks ago. Basically everything stolen belonged to me, including my bike, but because even though we have been living together for 5 years, they didn't want to pay as I wasn't technically her spouse according to them because we aren't legally married and the policy is in her name. Even though they cover guest items and domestic workers items you aren't seen as a 'spouse' or family member according to them. Anyway I challenged them and they backed down and paid. Absolute nonsense, would not recommend.

Edited April 13 by Sandro

[Bub Marley]

On 4/13/2025 at 11:16 AM, Sandro said:

We had a break in at our house a few weeks ago. Basically everything stolen belonged to me, including my bike, but because even though we have been living together for 5 years, they didn't want to pay as I wasn't technically her spouse according to them because we aren't legally married and the policy is in her name. Even though they cover guest items and domestic workers items you aren't seen as a 'spouse' or family member according to them. Anyway I challenged them and they backed down and paid. Absolute nonsense, would not recommend.

You need to prove insurable interest. Generally speaking husband and wife have an automatic interest so that’s fine. You’d probably have to see how a spouse is defined from a legal perspective in South Africa. I know there have been plenty of court rulings where they’ve overturned insurance decisions based on the definition of what a spouse is.

[Ray Toerien]

On 4/10/2025 at 12:31 PM, Remington said:

Both our mountain bikes are insured with Santam. They are both specified items but looking around at bike specialist insurers.

The reason is everytime I want to submit a claim for any household or vehicle issue I get the impression my broker is trying to discourage me or makes up excuses when a claim is rejected .We very rarely claim  for anything and then its been for small amounts

I did ask my broker last year what happens if our bikes are stolen. The answer I got, you dont want that happening to you. So I dont have trust that they are going to honour a payout should that situation ever arise.

What has been other peoples experience in dealing with a  bike claim payout with insurers and Santam in general and is there a recommended insurer who is reliable.

 

Santam Switch is the best! No hassle, extremely affordable. Insure in minutes!

[betaboy]

1 hour ago, Bub Marley said:

You need to prove insurable interest. Generally speaking husband and wife have an automatic interest so that’s fine. You’d probably have to see how a spouse is defined from a legal perspective in South Africa. I know there have been plenty of court rulings where they’ve overturned insurance decisions based on the definition of what a spouse is.

Spouse can be defined in various manners, some have an evening spouse which only operates certain hours. Some have a holiday spouse. Then you get the rock solid ball & chain. I claimed to know nothing about these matters. LOL.

[Sandro]

3 hours ago, Bub Marley said:

You need to prove insurable interest. Generally speaking husband and wife have an automatic interest so that’s fine. You’d probably have to see how a spouse is defined from a legal perspective in South Africa. I know there have been plenty of court rulings where they’ve overturned insurance decisions based on the definition of what a spouse is.

They didn't define 'spouse' in their policy which is what most insurers do. If they insure guests and staff items then they can insure people living together long term, especially if the content cover is more than enough. Just looking for a way to repudiate the claim but fortunately it didn't work.

[Bub Marley]

58 minutes ago, Sandro said:

They didn't define 'spouse' in their policy which is what most insurers do. If they insure guests and staff items then they can insure people living together long term, especially if the content cover is more than enough. Just looking for a way to repudiate the claim but fortunately it didn't work.

The guests and staff extension are just that, an extension. It’s a small amount that you just get included. Comparing that extension to someone living there permanently who has an interest in the actual goods being insured is completely different. 

 

If I was your broker and you told me that you are living with someone but your goods are insured under her policy, I would have made sure to either add you as a co-insured on the policy so that your name is actually reflected on the document or issued a completely new policy for you if you were not married. I think you are lucky tbh that they haven’t defined “spouse” otherwise they’d have a legitimate reason. It’s not as simple as just saying they are looking for a way to repudiate. From their perspective, it’s almost like the insured is trying to claim from someone else’s policy because he doesn’t have his own cover. Im obviously not saying you did that but, you’d be surprised at the lengths people will go to. End of the day, it was upto you to prove insurable interest and you clearly did that. In future, make sure both your names are listed on the policy to prevent this happening again. That’s my advice to you.