Cycle Insurance cover options | What coverage can you get from an ALA policy?

Whether you’re a touring cyclist, a commuter, a mountain biker or BMXer, you want to be sure you have the right bicycle cover for your needs. This article explores the different cover options available at ALA that are tailored to you and your bike. Bicycle theft, damage and Worldwide Cover are standard, while Accessory Cover, Hire Replacement, Public Liability, Personal Accident, and Legal Cover are low-cost optional extras. You will also learn how Worldwide Cover extends any bicycle insurance overseas for 30 days at no extra cost.

Bicycle theft cover

More and more people are joining the cycling revolution, and there is safety in numbers, but bike theft is unfortunately common in cities, particularly London, Cambridge and Oxford. Any cyclist wanting to protect their investment should consider having bicycle insurance in case of theft, especially if you have an expensive bike.

With an ALA Cycle Insurance policy, if your bike is stolen and your claim is successful, we will pay

A) the cost of replacing your bicycle new-for-old if you bought your bike brand new and it was less than three years old when stolen; or

B) the cost of a like-for-like replacement if you bought your bike second-hand or it is more
than three years old at the time of the theft.

There are some requirements to ensure your policy is valid, such as ensuring you lock it with a Sold Secure lock and keeping it in a secure location overnight. We cannot cover bike theft if you leave your bicycle at work, by a station or on a vehicle cycle rack overnight .

Read our complete guide on bike theft cover.

Malicious and Accidental damage cover

You can never predict when you might get into a bike accident or whether someone will vandalise your parked bike, but you can choose to have protection in place just in case something happens to your bike . ALA Cycle Insurance will pay you the cost of repairs on your bicycle. We will pay for a replacement if your bike has been damaged beyond repair.

Your policy requires you to take reasonable care to avoid accidental or malicious damage. Be sure not to leave your bike anywhere other than your home or locked inside a garage or garden shed overnight.

We also can’t cover any damage to your bike if:

• The damage occurred while in the care of someone outside of the immediate family

• The tyres have been damaged, but the rest of the bicycle is fine

• If the bicycle is still in good working order

• If the bike has been damaged in transit and is covered by the transport provider

Read our complete guide on bike damage cover

Bike accessory cover

Most of us have some cycle accessories; if these are damaged or stolen, they can be costly to replace. If you have valuable cycle accessories, you might want to consider adding Accessory Cover to your bike insurance policy.

Accessory Cover can reimburse you for your lost bicycle accessories. This cycle cover is available for up to £300 or up to £500, and this covers any accessories whose value doesn’t exceed your coverage limit.

Read more about Accessory Cover here

Replacement Cycle Hire

Suppose you use your bike daily as your primary mode of transport. If your bike were damaged or stolen, you would be without transportation. With Cycle Hire Replacement cover, you can hire a bike temporarily while your bike gets repaired, or we finalise your replacement claim.

So that you won’t get stuck when you’re cycle touring or commuting, you can carry on as usual instead of paying for alternative transport such as taxis, cars (fuel and parking) or rental vehicles.

If you add this cover to your policy when making a claim , don’t forget you will need to provide a VAT receipt from a registered rental company to get reimbursed for rental costs. Your bicycle claim must be approved before making arrangements for a replacement bike.

Read more about Cycle Hire cover here

Public Liability insurance

Should the worst happen, you get into a bike accident, and a third party is involved, you don’t want to be left with the costs of a public liability case against you. Public Liability insurance from ALA covers these costs up to £1m or £2m.

Personal accident compensation

With over 16,000 cycling accidents in the UK every year. Having the proper protection in place can bring peace of mind should the worst happen . Personal Accident cover will settle with the policyholder or their family if you are involved in a cycling accident that has caused a permanent disability or death.

You can choose coverage up to £10,000 (level 1) or £25,000 (level 2), but the amount you can receive will also depend on your injury type, as explained in the table below:

Read more about Personal accident compensation here

Legal Expenses

Not only do we cover bike theft and accidental damage, but if you are involved in an accident and need legal support, you might benefit from our Legal Cover.

Legal Cover includes access to a legal advice helpline and legal defence for a cycling-related case. You can also use this service to pursue uninsured losses such as possessions or injury compensation. For instance, you have suffered an injury not covered under personal injury compensation. Alternatively, if you need to pursue other losses, it will be beneficial to have your legal expenses covered.

We offer a blanket cover limit of £25,000 which will go towards your legal expenses; for more information on this cover option, read our guide on Legal Cover for cyclists .

Worldwide Cover

As standard, we extend your bicycle insurance cover overseas for no additional cost. This means you and your family (on multi-bike insurance) can go on a cycling holiday and rest assured that you’re covered for 30 days. Travel insurance usually excludes cycling holidays and can cover your luggage, flights and healthcare. Choosing an ALA policy can protect your cycling activities more comprehensively than travel insurance. If something happens on holiday, claim within 48 hours of returning to the UK, and your regular coverage applies.

Read our comprehensive guide on Worldwide Cover here