Without overcomplicating this with the story of what happened, my bike will need some addressing. Various parts on it are damaged: rear mech, both shifters, potentially the steerer tube and any un-seeable damage in the carbon frame. I will take it to the shop here in town tomorrow to have them give it a once over and inspect for damage but unsure of how to proceed as I am relocating to France for the foreseeable future in ONE week.
Do I fix the bike myself and have insurance reimburse me? Wait for insurance to cut me the check and then fix it? Anyone dealt with this before?
Are you trying to hold the driver who hit you responsible? Going to be hard to that from abroad but, tbh, it’s way harder to do that than it should be even if you stick around. (When I reported a driver who hit me, with the license plate, cops DGAF and did nothing).
I don’t know anything about your finances or your love for that particular bike but from what little you’ve written it does sound like an opportunity to buy a new bike after your arrival.
Are you trying to hold the driver who hit you responsible? Going to be hard to that from abroad but, tbh, it’s way harder to do that than it should be even if you stick around. (When I reported a driver who hit me, with the license plate, cops DGAF and did nothing).
I don’t know anything about your finances or your love for that particular bike but from what little you’ve written it does sound like an opportunity to buy a new bike after your arrival.
Sorry, I should be more clear. I have filed a police report and will get the drivers insurance information once the police report is submitted. Luckily he stayed at the scene and gave the police his information. I am wondering whether or not it is wise to fix the bike prior to getting in touch with the insurance or wait until I’ve made contact with them…likely after I arrive in Europe
I am wondering whether or not it is wise to fix the bike prior to getting in touch with the insurance or wait until I’ve made contact with them…likely after I arrive in Europe
Either way, first step is getting it into the shop and getting an estimate.
Consult an attorney. The insurance company will try to get you to admit some fault (doesn’t matter what the police report says), if they take any responsibility for their client they will low ball you on the offer, and sometimes they will outright just refuse to pay. Pay for an hour with an attorney before speaking to anyone.
I’ll just throw out an alternative perspective. You’re about to set out on a major life event, and there’s a question of how much you want to complicate things further with this. Reality is that no way is the insurance company going to be able to go through their processes, approve repair and then the bike shop fix it before you go.
So in practical terms two options, and even then the first option of your bike shop fixing it and you paying and taking the fixed bike to eurpoe with you is assuming they have parts in stock/workshop time. The second option is that you get the shop to do a quote, leave the bike in the US and if the bike is repariable then arrange for it to be couriered to you later. Or if not, then you get any payout and buy in europe and save the hassle shipping.
I moved from UK to NZ 14 years ago, and I know what it was like with all the life admin at that time. Not sure what your bike is or how old, but regardless, it’s worth thinking big picture of the opportunity cost of investing too much into this. Not sure about where you are or if there is someone, but may be worth trying to nominate and give someone the power to act on your behalf to sort this for you.
I’ll just throw out an alternative perspective. You’re about to set out on a major life event, and there’s a question of how much you want to complicate things further with this. Reality is that no way is the insurance company going to be able to go through their processes, approve repair and then the bike shop fix it before you go.
So in practical terms two options, and even then the first option of your bike shop fixing it and you paying and taking the fixed bike to eurpoe with you is assuming they have parts in stock/workshop time. The second option is that you get the shop to do a quote, leave the bike in the US and if the bike is repariable then arrange for it to be couriered to you later. Or if not, then you get any payout and buy in europe and save the hassle shipping.
I moved from UK to NZ 14 years ago, and I know what it was like with all the life admin at that time. Not sure what your bike is or how old, but regardless, it’s worth thinking big picture of the opportunity cost of investing too much into this. Not sure about where you are or if there is someone, but may be worth trying to nominate and give someone the power to act on your behalf to sort this for you.
Yeah, very reasonable take. I have a gravel bike I will be bringing but need to get the road bike sorted out. I will likely leave it stateside and deal with it from abroad. It’s a 2022 Trek Emonda with Ultegra Di2 in pretty much mint condition. Very unfortunate to have this happen a week before departure. I appreciate your perspective.
Bring your bike to the local shop for a quote for damages. Don’t forget you should replace your helmet as well, so include that in the quote.
I immediately had my bike repaired and submitted claim to the drivers insurance company and was quickly reimbursed. The attorney explained to me insurance companies don’t want to be tied up in court if it’s a small claim, it would cost them more in labor than it’s worth.
Also in my case the driver was at fault and I only suffered minor injuries.
Bring your bike to the local shop for a quote for damages. Don’t forget you should replace your helmet as well, so include that in the quote.
I immediately had my bike repaired and submitted claim to the drivers insurance company and was quickly reimbursed. The attorney explained to me insurance companies don’t want to be tied up in court if it’s a small claim, it would cost them more in labor than it’s worth.
Also in my case the driver was at fault and I only suffered minor injuries.
Took the bike into the shop today. He doesn’t THINK the frame is damaged but only did the dubious “tap test” to test the carbon. How can I go about getting this bike completely paid for by insurance? The entire drivetrain and bars + fork will need to be replaced at a minimum but I don’t feel comfortable riding a bike that is potentially compromised.
Without overcomplicating this with the story of what happened, my bike will need some addressing. Various parts on it are damaged: rear mech, both shifters, potentially the steerer tube and any un-seeable damage in the carbon frame. I will take it to the shop here in town tomorrow to have them give it a once over and inspect for damage but unsure of how to proceed as I am relocating to France for the foreseeable future in ONE week.
Do I fix the bike myself and have insurance reimburse me? Wait for insurance to cut me the check and then fix it? Anyone dealt with this before?
The more important question might be who is his insurance provider?
I was once hit by someone who had State Farm and I sent them a quote for review and I had the money in my account before I had even decided if I was going to bother with the repairs or not.
But I’ve also been hit by someone who had the lowest of low insurance providers and it was beyond miserable trying to get a penny out of them even though the police found the driver at fault.
With that much work needed I’d probably leave the bike behind in hopes of a payout to put towards a new bike.
Congrats on making it out alive and without injury. I work in insurance, and am an expat like yourself.
I went through this with a crappy insurer after getting hit by a semi. The insurer I dealt with rejected the helmet, asking why I couldn’t reuse it. But what they did not refuse, was the invoice for the bike repairs stating the cost of repair exceeds the price of the bike.
I’m really confused what people miss about the point of insurance, and indemnity. So I’ll explain it. The purpose of indemnity is to make you whole, or to restore you to pre incident status.
Whatever shop you go to needs to price out what a full bike repair will cost to get you back to 100% off the pre accident state. Do they know 100% that your bike is fine? That the steerer is not damaged? That the frame is not damaged? No? Then they need to price out what an NDT scan would cost. You need several things to get your bike paid by the reinsurer. The original receipts proving what you paid, and an invoice for a full repair. Bar an itemized receipt including NDT costs, the bike shop needs to price out a frame and fork replacement plus everything else - down to the smallest scratch which would need to get replaced!
You haven’t mentioned what bike you ride or how much it cost. If it’s an old Klunker, you won’t recover much and most insurers will refuse to make “you whole” due to depreciation. Relocation is a huge pain in the ass. No one is going to throw money at you, I promise - you must weigh the cost against the headache of trying to recover the value.
Congrats on making it out alive and without injury. I work in insurance, and am an expat like yourself.
I went through this with a crappy insurer after getting hit by a semi. The insurer I dealt with rejected the helmet, asking why I couldn’t reuse it. But what they did not refuse, was the invoice for the bike repairs stating the cost of repair exceeds the price of the bike.
I’m really confused what people miss about the point of insurance, and indemnity. So I’ll explain it. The purpose of indemnity is to make you whole, or to restore you to pre incident status.
Whatever shop you go to needs to price out what a full bike repair will cost to get you back to 100% off the pre accident state. Do they know 100% that your bike is fine? That the steerer is not damaged? That the frame is not damaged? No? Then they need to price out what an NDT scan would cost. You need several things to get your bike paid by the reinsurer. The original receipts proving what you paid, and an invoice for a full repair. Bar an itemized receipt including NDT costs, the bike shop needs to price out a frame and fork replacement plus everything else - down to the smallest scratch which would need to get replaced!
You haven’t mentioned what bike you ride or how much it cost. If it’s an old Klunker, you won’t recover much and most insurers will refuse to make “you whole” due to depreciation. Relocation is a huge pain in the ass. No one is going to throw money at you, I promise - you must weigh the cost against the headache of trying to recover the value.
I ride a 2022 Trek Emonda with Ultegra Di2. The insurance adjuster called me today and it seems they are going to put up a fight despite the police report stating their client caused the accident due to a violation of vehicle code xxxx. Any advice there?
Ouch - not cool on their part and that bikes expensive enough where it’s worth fighting for. I would get a quote ASAP. If you don’t have legal insurance, you might want to think about getting a lawyer, or small claims court, though small claims court might require your presence. Once you have a repair quote, you won’t have to worry about being in country.
If it were me, I would submit an invoice to the insurance adjuster asap. If they refuse to cover you, warm them you will get a lawyer involved. If they still refuse, involve a lawyer. Often times they just write a letter to the insurer telling them to stop f*ing around. If possible communicate only via email to keep a trail. Email also makes it much easier to communicate in different time zones.