Escaping the cold, wet and damaged roads of the UK for warmer climates, smoother roads, longer trails and an overall more pleasant cycling experience is something we all look forward to. Although travelling with your bike should be a straightforward and safe affair, it would be fair to say that baggage handlers don’t have the best track record when it comes to treating oversized luggage or bikes with the utmost respect. In this article, we take a look at the types of bike box which are approved for use on Yellow Jersey bicycle insurance policies

Where do I start?

Here at Yellow Jersey, we are happy to cover your bicycle whilst it is in the hands of an airline. The insurance is designed to cover damage to the bike and loss whilst travelling. Additionally, our Ultimate insurance will cover damage to the box itself.

To ensure your bicycle is insured, our policy wording clearly states that the bicycle must be stored within a bike box made of plastic, carbon fibre or metal.

For clarity, our policy defines a bike box as:

Approved boxes

Provided your box meets the description of our policy wording, you’re covered. Our Ultimate insurance even gives free bike box cover up to £1000 to cover damaged boxes. Make sure you keep your receipt/hire ticket to prove ownership of the box.

 

Examples of boxes we cover

 

Bike Box Alan-Hard plastic:

 

Buxumbox-Aluminium:

 

Do you have any other approved boxes?

We understand that bike boxes are not cheap, however there are some alternatives on the market. Although our policy does not cover bike bags, we do have a small list of  approved bags which utilise an internal metal mounting structure. The main difference with these bags is that we would only cover damage to the bike but not the bag itself:

-Thule Round Trip – 3204662

-Evoc Road Bike Bag Pro – 100409100

-Scicon Aerocomfort 3.0 ROAD BIKE TRAVEL BAG

-Scicon Aerocomfort MTB BIKE TRAVEL BAG – MY19

-Scicon Aerocomfort 2.0

-Scicon AeroComfort Plus

If the bike bag you use is not on this list, we would not cover your bike or bag for damage. We cannot insure bicycles within soft bike bags or cardboard boxes. Remember, we would not cover damage to a bike bag regardless if it is on our list or not.

What If my bike box gets damaged?

It’s an inevitability when travelling, that your luggage is going to suffer some minor scrapes and scuffs. This is entirely normal. Like any other insurance policy, Yellow Jersey bicycle insurance will not cover superficial damage to your bike box. If however the box sustains more significant structural damage, our Ultimate insurance will cover repair or replacement to the box up to the value of £1000

Top tips

-Have no room for a bike box – Why not hire one?

-Pop an Airtag in with the bike, should it not be loaded onto the plane, locating the bike will be easier.

-When arriving at an airport, open up your bike box and inspect for damage. If damage is discovered, report to the airline immediately.

-Why not upgrade to Yellow Jersey Ultimate insurance? Your bike box is then covered for free.

-We always recommend keeping your pedals and shoes with your hand luggage. Should your bike be delayed, you can hire a bike and use your own shoes and pedals.

-If you need to dismantle your bike for travel, mark your seat post and bars with electrical tape so you know exactly where to put them when rebuilding.

Travelling abroad? As well as bicycle insurance which covers your bike and bike box for damage, Yellow Jersey also provide cycling travel insurance which covers emergency medical expenses, trip cancellation, trip abandonment, repatriation along with a whole host of other benefits. This can be bought as a single trip or annual multi trip policy. If you need any assistance, we’re super easy to get through to-Just give us a call on 0333 003 0046 or  contact us on support@yellowjersey.co.uk