The extras you need for a great summer of cycling

Advertising feature in association with The Insurance Emporium.

If you’re planning a summer of trips by bike, you’ll want to be well prepared. That may mean buying a new bike, which can be a substantial purchase.

It’s not just your bike that can be expensive; the cost of all the extras you need for safe, comfortable cycling soon adds up. Fortunately, you can insure not just your bike but helmets, bicycle computers, trailers and even cycling clothing with The Insurance Emporium’s new enhanced cycle insurance which offers new for old cover for almost all the essentials you’ll need to enjoy your cycling this summer.

You can insure up to six bikes or e-bikes* with a value of up to £10,000 each on one policy and provide protection for family members as well as yourself.

Here are the items you should consider adding to your cycling shopping list.

Helmet

A cycling helmet is considered an essential by most riders. Even an inexpensive helmet can protect you from serious injury if you have an accident. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry too much about the level of protection that a helmet will offer, as all helmets must pass a battery of safety tests before they are legally allowed to be sold.

Even inexpensive helmets now often include additional safety tech, of which MIPS is the best known, and exceed the mandatory safety standards. You can spend between £50 and £300 on a helmet, with more expensive helmets possibly being lighter, more aerodynamic and cooler.

Lock

A bike lock is an essential, even if you’re just leaving your bike for a cafe stop mid-ride. It’s very easy for an opportunist thief to just walk away with an unlocked bike. Although a less secure lock might deter some thefts, you’ll need a much more substantial lock to ward off a professional bike thief, who will have the tools and knowledge to eventually beat almost any lock.

So it’s worth looking for a lock with a high security rating. Fortunately, in the UK we have an independent body that tests bike locks and rates them for security. Called Sold Secure, it provides a rating from bronze through silver to gold for the majority of bike locks. The very best locks get a diamond rating. 

Take a look at the handy list of locks on The Insurance Emporium’s site to help you to choose a bike lock that will provide the reassurance you need when you lock up your bike. You’ll get a 10 percent discount on your insurance if you use a Sold Secure diamond rated lock to keep your bike safe.

Lights

After dark, there’s a legal requirement to show a front and rear bike light, but it’s a good idea to use lighting on your bike even in daylight. It will increase your visibility to other road users who, even on a sunny day, might be dazzled and find it difficult to see you. When the sun is low in the sky, it can make seeing out of a car more difficult, while travelling from sun to shade can also be problematic.

A set of bike lights is an inexpensive item. Most now use LED lights and rechargeable batteries, so you get good output levels with long run times. They’re also easy to fix to your bike and to remove and carry with you when you leave your bike.

Cycling computer

A cycling computer is a great purchase to increase your cycling enjoyment. It will tell you how far you’ve been and how fast while you’re riding. Almost all include GPS to track where you’ve been and where you’re going and keep a permanent record of your ride for when you get home.

Many do much more, letting you plot out and follow a route on a map, often directing you to less busy roads where other cyclists prefer to ride. You may be able to link up your cycling computer to your phone to provide weather info and let your friends log into an app and track you as you ride.

Why you should consider insurance

Accidents happen and even if you’ve got a great bike lock, your bike or your personal items can be stolen from you. Cycling kit such as helmets can be expensive to replace, even if your bike isn’t lost or damaged.

That’s why The Insurance Emporium includes cover for theft, loss or accidental damage in its award-winning cycle insurance. You get new for old cover for life on your bike or e-bike*, up to £10,000 cover per bike and you can insure up to six bikes or e-bikes* on one policy (maximum sum insured £50,000), as well as protecting members of your family.

The Insurance Emporium’s cover includes cycle computers and GPSs, action cameras and items such as bike trailers. In addition, The Insurance Emporium covers helmets, clothing and other items such as bottle cages, locks and pumps. There’s a depreciation and wear-and-tear adjustment for older items for all of the above.

You can choose your level of cover, with the lowest White Jersey tier offering a range of benefits including up to £50,000 cover for theft, loss and accidental damage and up to £2,000 for bicycle kit. 

Choose the next-up Green Jersey cover and enhancements include kit cover for up to £3,500, while the Polka Dot Jersey tier increases that to £5,000.

All policies include European cover and a varying number of days of worldwide cover, while The Insurance Emporium’s menu of optional benefits provides cover for competitive use, extended public liability and gadgets and mobile phones. There are certain security requirements you must fulfil to be covered, which are explained clearly in The Insurance Emporium’s policy documents.

Visit The Insurance Emporium website to check out their cover options and get a quote online for you, your bike and all your cycling kit. Cover starts from £2.74 a month**. New policyholders can get a 20 percent discount if they use a Sold Secure diamond rated lock and register their bike with Bike Register or Datatag.