Insurance

[azziria]

Since his car accident last week (when we discovered that our insurance didn't cover a replacement hire car while ours was being fixed), DH has been trying to find a better insurance deal for us, both for the cars and for our house contents insurance. One of the things he's discovered is that it's very difficult to find an insurance company who'll cover the tandem (the solo bikes are fine). The attitude he's come across from all the big insurance companies is that we're totally mad to be riding something that expensive anywhere where we might want to get off it, lock it and leave it. But we want to use it - what's the point of having it if we can't ride it anywhere other than for short spins around the block where we won't need to stop to do any sightseeing, have lunch etc? So our next approach will have to be to insure it (expensively) through a specialist cycle insurance company.

The daft thing is that, although it's more expensive than the solos, I'm sure that the tandem is actually less likely than them to get stolen - after all, such things only appeal to a very specialist market, and your random opportunistic bike thief wouldn't easily be able to get rid of it. Personally, I'm more concerned with being able to afford to replace it if we total it...!

Comments

[melancthe.livejournal.com]

I'm shocked to hear that insurance is so expensive for a tandem. How common are they around there, anyway? I don't think I've ever actually seen a tandem on the roads here.

[azziria.livejournal.com]

They seem to be getting more common over here -I'm sure I see more now than when we first bought the first tandem. I know lots of people with them, but then that's probably more indicative of the sort of slightly oddball people I know rather than the number of tandems around!

[melancthe.livejournal.com]

I suppose not being in the centre of a large city is also a bonus for tandems. Jo'burg drivers are so dodgy that such a bike would probably be squished quickly!

How difficult are they to ride? Does it take a lot of practice?

[azziria.livejournal.com]

The hard thing is learning how to start off. Other than that they're quite easy (easier when slightly drunk, although I probably shouldn't be saying that!).

Re dodgy drivers: it's only when I cycle in another town that I realise how cycle-savvy the drivers in Cambridge actually are (I suppose there are so many bikes in Cambridge that anyone who drives there a lot gets used to them).

[melancthe.livejournal.com]

It worries me that you know the slightly drunk side of tandems ... ;)

We rarely see bikes here, other than serious cyclists out for a Sunday morning ride (wearing lycra cycling gear - mmm). Are bikes a popular method of getting around there?

[azziria.livejournal.com]

Cambridge is well known for its bicycles - loads of students here (and the colleges don't allow students to bring cars, because the parking is so limited - the downside of living in historical buildings!) and its very flat, so people are fairly happy to cycle.