Are the bikes covered in case of a fall/crash/accident?
Can I ask you more about the rent. Is bike covered in case of a fall/crash/accident? In real world this happens from time to time. I am sure this bike is worth a few quid, just Mavic Axiums alone probably cost 200-300. I would hate to scratch the bike and the be anxious about the consequences. Have you got a a solution?
Hello,
The bike is not insured for those kinds of accidents, no. You need to pay a security deposit of €150 to rent the bike. The idea of that is that you will take a lot more care of the bike if you have just payed close to €300.
If you crash and cause damage yourself, in theory you would lose the deposit. If you read the fine print, most places will charge you for the full replacement value of the bike.
In the case of a serious accident, I imagine the biggest cost to you would be the hospital medical bill, not the bike. I think the UK has a reciprocal health arrangement with Spain (I am unsure of other countries?). If you are worried, you should definitely get yourself travel insurance and make sure that sporting activities in particular ‘cycling’ are covered in their policy.
Remember to take care on the roads, especially on the descents. Trucks & buses commonly go to the other side of the road around corners (they have to because sometimes there is no space for them to make the turn) so don’t ride close to the central road marking unless you can see there are no vehicles coming. I check the bikes personally each time they are rented so they are in mechanically A1 condition. Steering + brakes, gears, wheels and tyres.
The biggest risk to us is theft, not crash damage. To minimise the chances of the bike being stolen, you should not leave the bike anywhere outside of your hotel unattended. Bikes usually get stolen when they are locked up outside, especially at night but it can happen any time. Preferably lock it up inside your apartment when not in use, or else the hotel storage room.
I overlook a lot of minor damage such as small scratches and other unintentional breakages. I also don’t charge for punctured innertubes, but one thing I will charge for in future are road tyres that have been skidded because they cost around 20 Euros each to replace. I had one kid competely ruin a tyre and he hadn’t even travelled more than 50 metres down the road!
Another example: just last week someone broke a MTB seatpost on a ride. How can I charge the man 15€ for a replacement seatpost when technically he could sue me if he hurt himself?! Especially when I saw how the seatpost broke (I used to be a Materials Scientist in Australia).
Thanks for your concern. I see you too are a Doctor. I’m guessing in the medical field, because most people don’t stop twice to think about this sort of thing.
Well I hope that essay I’ve just written doesn’t discourage you from renting a bike with us…
Les.
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