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Personal Property insurance while touring to cover bike...

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Personal Property insurance while touring to cover bike...

Old 08-09-19, 11:35 PM
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Bike Jedi
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Personal Property insurance while touring to cover bike...

I was speaking with a insurance person the other day. I am trying to figure out what to do about personal items that I can't necessarily minimize and carry on a bike, but don't necessarily want to get rid of and start over later again on, mainly my bike tools, bike stand, other tools, and stupid stuff like that. I was asking about renter's insurance to cover things in the event of an emergency and not being able to replace everything easily at all without it as my collection of stuff is growing. I was asking some questions about how to get my bike to fall under the policy in some way "while" touring. I went in great detail about wanting to be on the road full time touring for a while, indefinitely kind of thing, and mostly just worried about losing my bike. If that was to happen it could be a bit devastating to me financially in many ways, and a risk I am aware of and am willing to take. I have read enough about what many of you all talked about insurance stuff in threads over time. I wasn't aware of anything I am about to mention until I was talking to the insurance person about while explaining my own needs. She told me about this other insurance policy.


I don't remember specifically the name she called it, but it was something along the lines of just a general personal property insurance for just about anything you carry on you, anywhere you go, etc... kind of thing. You can list whatever you want under this policy, and the insurance policy covers anything you put under the plan pretty much anywhere you and your stuff go. Based off everything I have read up until speaking with her, there was nothing really out there to cover bikes while touring kind of thing, so I was skeptical that she wasn't clearly understanding what I was saying about a "touring" bike and what that all involves, so I went into even more detail. She said as long as it's listed on the plan, it's covered. That would include doing some more of your expensive electronics on your bike or laptap as well. I am not sure how to break down specific components to have listed versus having the entire bike listed, and how the in's and out's of that would work, but she said it could be done. And the cool thing about it is there is no deductible versus regular renter's insurance. With renter's insurance, the deductible is $500, so that wouldn't cover some of the electronics I would have or carry if it was stolen, but with the personal property insurance plan, it would cover anything listed on the plan. Want to list my saddle or Iphone, I can do it. I don't really care about the smaller stuff and can live with someone walking off with something like that if I had to...but if I ran into a store and came out and my entire rig was stolen, I would not be able to recover easily. I would be stuck wherever I am, trying to start over or get out on a limited budget, which would make it extremely difficult. With an insurance plan like that, I would only be down as long as it takes to get a new bike ordered and delivered. She also mentioned to me that all that is really needed is that they would need me to take it someplace to be appraised for the insurance plan. At that point, she said the plan would probably be about $66 a month for what it would cost me to replace everything if robbed while traveling.


I still hung up questionable as if this could really be pulled off just because if it really was as easy as she said it was, and could be done like I mentioned above, then why haven't you all discovered this and other's talking about it or utilizing it by now? This was a pretty big insurance outfit I contacted no less like State Farm or something like that without having info in front of me to look at. If it really is that simple, then why aren't other folks utilizing it or why isn't it being talked about in the forums?


That sounds like a pretty big deal to me and for folks that are bike packing and/or touring on a more full time basis, why wouldn't they totally take advantage of this? I honestly can't see anything wrong with it, and I also can't see traveling without it now. The policy moves with you anywhere in time and space versus being tied to a local address only.


Are other folks aware of this? Using something like this? Pro's or Con's?


I am just kind of surprised more than anything why this hasn't come up for more people to take advantage of. If I remember correctly too, she said it also covers accidental loss, like accidentally leaving something behind and losing it somewhere too. Sounds like exactly the type of coverage anyone should have while touring then to cover theft/loss/etc... kind of thing. I am more worried about bringing it up, it getting out there over time, and ultimately it being taken advantage of more than being effective and beneficial for folks long term, and then ultimately it being taken away for abuse. I am actually surprised it is as easy as she mentioned on the phone if all that is true.


Thoughts?

Last edited by Bike Jedi; 08-10-19 at 01:52 AM.
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Old 08-10-19, 05:30 AM
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With my ERIE policy ALL my personal property is covered in the event of a loss (stolen) with a $100.00 deductible if I want a $0.00 deductible I would have to have it named on the policy and would cost nearly $400.00 for the $4500.00 of coverage desired So my friendly agent said make a list and photograph everything and save $300.00 a year, have fun, be careful, and send pics.
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Old 08-10-19, 06:18 AM
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About a month ago when I was touring in the Candian Maritimes, I met a Brit that flew to Toronto, he bought a used bike there for something like $250 CAD, he had ridden it to the Nova Scotia campground where I met him, he was on the way to New York where he said he would give away the bike when he flew home to Britain. It was a hybrid that had a cheap suspension fork, he had bought a cheap front low rider rack to clamp onto the fork so he could fit his four pannier setup onto the bike.

He had the solution to your quandary, buy a cheap bike that if it is lost can be replaced at a low cost.

When I was in the Maritimes, more than half of the bikes I saw people touring on were inexpensive hybrids that were not really designed for touring. The touring bikes that were built for touring were in the minority, the high end touring bikes were in a very small minority.

Several years ago I picked up a dysfunctional but good quality early 90s Bridgestone mountain bike at a garage sale for $5 USD. I had to put a lot of work into it to make it a nice riding bike, but that now is my errand bike. I would be bummed if it was stolen, but the rust on it makes it less than desirable, it likely is the least theft prone bike of all the bikes in a bike rack at the grocery store. If I am going somewhere with a higher than average probability of theft (example, university campus), that is the bike I ride. Could you tour on a bike like my Bridgestone? The chainstays are a bit short for heavy panniers on back but otherwise it certainly would be capable of touring.

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Old 08-10-19, 06:23 AM
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A type of policy called "inland marine" would do this. It's a strange name, and a carry-over from many years ago, but I believe most insurance companies still offer it. I use an inland marine policy to insure all my photographic gear and related electronics, whether at home or on location, or travelling. I did have to use it once, and it replaced a camera for me with no hassle. I've got a $100 deductible on mine, and the premium varies depending on how much coverage you buy, but it's relatively inexpensive.
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Old 08-10-19, 06:49 AM
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I've never even thought of insurance on a touring bike. My bike and gear together cost less than my $1000 deductible. Of slightly more concern are the mental anguish of needing to change travel plans, and then the time needed to scrounge together another inexpensive kit.
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Old 08-10-19, 07:15 AM
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If only there was a document that outlined what was covered and any exceptions to that cover, what the terms and conditions are. You'd think someone in the insurance industry would think of something like that.

Here's a thought for you;
How about remembering the name of the company and the product you are asking for advice on.

Here's another; if you want to keep people inclined to help you, try to be more brief, don't assume everyone is out to get you, provide useful info and... try to be more brief. And when someone takes time to answer you, even if you don't like the advice, it's polite to at least acknowledge the effort.
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Old 08-10-19, 07:31 AM
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The inland marine policy I mentioned above is an "all conditions" policy. It covers theft, loss, accidents, damage, pretty much anything.
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Old 08-10-19, 07:41 AM
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https://www.oldmissourimutual.com/pr...rine-policies/

Here is a link to a company (no affiliation, just google search results) that offers inland marine coverage and they specifically list bicycles.
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Old 08-10-19, 07:43 AM
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Originally Posted by riverdrifter
The inland marine policy I mentioned above is an "all conditions" policy. It covers theft, loss, accidents, damage, pretty much anything.
how difficult is it to make a claim? what's the procedure?
let's say you're on the road......hatch, new mexico.........and some of your gear goes missing.

i assume you need to file a police report, and provide a copy to the carrier.
what other documentation is required?
insurance companies are notorious for finding ways to deny payment.
are they paying replacement cost, or depreciated value on a 5-yo camping stove?

how long does it take to receive payment?
do they direct deposit, or hardcopy check to address of record?
how long will you be stuck in hatch?
the green chilis are awesome, but still.....
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Old 08-10-19, 07:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Bike Jedi
...or Con's?
You're basically feeding the Insurance Companies money you could use for touring. Insurance companies make money based on fear. They know the odds, they win, customers lose.

For me part of the reward of touring is being self-reliant and learning that less-is-more. Things are not important and what little you actually need can be replaced. Get over your fear and enjoy your tour.
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Old 08-10-19, 08:05 AM
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Originally Posted by saddlesores
how difficult is it to make a claim? what's the procedure?
let's say you're on the road......hatch, new mexico.........and some of your gear goes missing.

i assume you need to file a police report, and provide a copy to the carrier.
what other documentation is required?
insurance companies are notorious for finding ways to deny payment.
are they paying replacement cost, or depreciated value on a 5-yo camping stove?

how long does it take to receive payment?
do they direct deposit, or hardcopy check to address of record?
how long will you be stuck in hatch?
the green chilis are awesome, but still.....
I agree, the green chillis are awesome!

Those are the kind of questions you would need to discuss with your insurance agent.

In the one instance where I used my policy...
I had an internal camera malfunction while shooting at a remote location. The camera was no longer under warranty, and actually was a discontinued model, but it was listed on my inland marine policy. When I got home I contacted my agent and she had me take the camera to a repair center for an estimate. It took them 3 days to get my estimate, and they submitted it directly to my insurance agent. After that it took about 2 weeks to get a check from insurance. Repairing the camera cost less than an equivalent replacement, so that's what the insurance paid. I think the repair bill was about $450. I had a $100 deductible, so I got a check for $350.
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Old 08-10-19, 08:26 AM
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Some of my cameras and lenses, and my laptop, are considerably more expensive than the one I had repaired. It's worth it to me to pay the small monthly premium to not have to worry about damaging an expensive camera or lens. I don't worry so much about my gear getting wet, etc.

I don't know how this would all apply to bike touring. I just know the option is out there if you want to research it. Based on my premiums, I would guess about $3000 worth of coverage would cost you about $20 month.

I don't know what the most likely peril would be for a touring cyclist. Most of the individual components are both unlikely to fail, and inexpensive. Replacement of a stolen bike could be a possibility. I don't think that happens often though. If it did, I assume your tour would be on hold for a couple weeks, until things were sorted out with insurance. Is that peace of mind worth $20 bucks a month or so? That's something only you can answer.
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Old 08-10-19, 12:09 PM
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I would read the fine print entirely and carefully. There are most likely exclusions and/or limitations. For instance, a lot of policies exclude "extreme sports" and while we may not consider bicycle touring "extreme", a lot of insurance companies do. Also, check to see geographical coverage as many policies originating out of the USA are valid only within the USA, i.e. bike gets stolen in Paris, Texas, it would be covered but not in Paris, France.

Report back your findings and the policy name and company if you find out it really does work. Tailwinds, John
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Old 08-10-19, 01:56 PM
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Originally Posted by TulsaJohn
... and while we may not consider bicycle touring "extreme", a lot of insurance companies do. ...Tailwinds, John
"A lot" of insurance companies consider that riding a bicycle along a public road non-competitively is "extreme"? Really?
I'm going to apply "Hitchens's razor: That which is stated without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
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Old 08-10-19, 02:18 PM
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Originally Posted by TulsaJohn
I would read the fine print entirely and carefully. There are most likely exclusions and/or limitations.
Wonder is thefts by coyotes while camping in the Sonoran dessert are covered.
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Old 08-10-19, 02:19 PM
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Originally Posted by conspiratemus1
"A lot" of insurance companies consider that riding a bicycle along a public road non-competitively is "extreme"? Really?
I'm going to apply "Hitchens's razor: That which is stated without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
Insurance for Bicycle Tours | TravellingTwo: Bicycle Touring Around The World is one source. Others have talked about the same thing on CrazyGuyonaBike.com and even this site. Most are talking health insurance and not property insurance however.

All I am saying is read the policy very carefully before you buy. And perhaps you do some of your own homework before accusing someone of being wrong.
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Old 08-10-19, 07:32 PM
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^Feel bad about this. I didn’t think I accused @TulsaJohn of being wrong, but his point is respectfully taken and I do request that he and the Forum accept my apology for my tone and for the implication.

My surprise at the idea that bike touring could be considered an extreme sport (and therefore excluded from coverage) I suppose comes from my own experience with travel insurance as a resident of Canada. (Buying it, not claiming under it, thank heaven.) Government single-payer health insurance covers lawful residents of Canada for care in Canada only (with only minor exceptions.) For care beyond our borders we’re on our own. The taxpayers don’t subsidize people who can afford to travel. Going abroad without medical insurance, even (especially) slipping across the border to fill up the car in the U.S. (thus evading Canadian carbon taxes) is foolhardy. One hears of Canadians having heart attacks a half-mile from the border post and ending up with bills of half-a-million dollars. So we know our onions on this.

https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/travelin...te_under60.pdf is the certificate of insurance from Royal Bank of Canada's travel insurance product. It's what we've used for all of our foreign trips and since we get it automatically with our VISA credit card, it's always in force and is handy even for travel to other provinces in Canada where certain types of emergency care are covered only for residents of that province -- ambulances, for example. We're both now over 60 but since the "under 60" would likely apply to most bicycle tourists, I'm linking to it because it's a bit simpler. The actual insurance is provided by an insurance company; the bank and VISA are merely the agents. Similar insurance is widely available from the other banks, CAA (AAA in Canada), and other "personal lines" insurance companies. (Spoiler alert: "available only in Canada")

All emergency medical care is included, anywhere in the world, as is the cost of repatriating you (or your body if things don't go well) and your traveling companion, by air ambulance if necessary. If you need emergency surgery, it will be paid for. If the surgery can wait until you fly home and have the government pay for it, the insurance company will expect you to cooperate with their case manager to make this happen.

**The only excluded activities are professional athletic contests (including training for same), rock climbing or mountain climbing where technical gear is required, motor racing (including training/practice), and space tourism. (Hey, someday...) Note that hang-gliding, parapenting, dirt-biking for recreation, and flying as a pilot are NOT exclusions. I have seen one contract that excludes bungee jumping, but this particular one does not. There is no mention of "extreme" sports as a category, likely because it's vague. The ones mentioned specifically are the only excluded activities.

Illness or injury occurring because of criminal activity, chronic alcohol abuse, acute intoxication with alcohol, or any use of illegal drugs are excluded (and this includes abuse of your own prescription drugs or taking drugs prescribed to someone else. Duh.) Drunk driving is not a good idea anywhere. Breaking your neck from falling off your hotel balcony while full of free liquor is not a good idea either. (Happened to a woman from Manitoba recently.) Rebellion, war, riots, and bad things in countries about whom Canada has issued a travel advisory are also iffy.

The rest of the exclusions are mostly various definitions of care that was not an emergency, that you couldn’t have deferred until your return home. If you have a pre-existing condition, emergencies arising from it are likely covered but you’d want to make sure your idea of “stable” jibes with the insurance company’s definition – laid out in the certificate. A Canadian can therefore tour abroad exclusively by bike and be covered for the time contracted for with a simple, generic travel insurance policy. Just stay out of trouble and don’t be foolish (as in booze, drugs, crimes, and riots.)

This coverage is cheap enough to provide as a bundled benefit with enhanced-value credit cards without most of us noticing the annual fee or bothering to shop around.


Two key points about why this works, to stress for non-Canadian readers:

1) You have to be a lawful resident of Canada and covered by your province’s single-payer plan for the entire duration of your trip. This is the crucial back-stop of travel insurance here: the insurer can repatriate you in the secure knowledge that you will be insured by our government when you get home. They don’t have to call around to try to find a hospital and doctor who will accept for on-going care an uninsured person injured or ill abroad, who might not even be legally allowed to re-enter Canada. A minor detail is that while all citizens and legal permanent residents are eligible for single-payer, you have to re-enrol every few years in order to "be" insured. That's how they weed out people who aren't legal residents. And....

2) Government insurance lapses to zilch, nada, once you’ve been out of Canada for 6 months even if you plan to return home eventually. If you’re still abroad after 183 days, you are no longer an insured person under Canadian law – you’re like a person who has emigrated -- and are therefore ipso facto no longer covered by the travel insurance plan either. So, travel coverage is limited to 183 days out of country. Full stop. (The "free" credit-card coverage is limited to 28 days for one trip but you can buy more without much fuss.) For a bike tourist on an extended voyage, this would be a significant hurdle to consider, but it’s all about the time abroad, not the activity s/he’s doing.
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Old 08-10-19, 11:26 PM
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Originally Posted by HobbesOnTour
If only there was a document that outlined what was covered and any exceptions to that cover, what the terms and conditions are. You'd think someone in the insurance industry would think of something like that.

Here's a thought for you;
How about remembering the name of the company and the product you are asking for advice on.

Here's another; if you want to keep people inclined to help you, try to be more brief, don't assume everyone is out to get you, provide useful info and... try to be more brief. And when someone takes time to answer you, even if you don't like the advice, it's polite to at least acknowledge the effort.
I am not really good at people lecturing me how I should live, act, who or what I should be, etc...Ask God (whoops...said the G-Word) about that one. I am straight up to the point, just honest and direct a lot, and don't do well with normal social cues or way others interact with each other. I also don't agree with most people. I don't agree with the way most people treat other people. I am content with who I am in the bigger picture.

I Hope you get to like me over time Hobbes...I like it much better that way I really like when folks are nice to me and I really like being nice to other folks also.

But I also deal with some very very difficult stuff in life at times and I don't have the luxury of beating around the bush, or really care to please every personality that I encounter. It's just easier to stay consistent in who I am and just have to deal with the ones that can't accept me I guess.

As for "everyone out to get me..."
"Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you."
To each his own.

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Old 08-11-19, 05:35 AM
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Just me, but I figure if you can afford to buy insurance to cover your bike and gear while touring you can afford to set aside money to replace your bike and gear if it goes missing. To me that is just part of living within your means. In the long run it will be cheaper, the insurance company is making money after all and with some care you will most likely never file a claim.

Part of that living within your means may involve buying a bike and gear that is at the right price point as opposed to best one you could hope for. Don't lose sight of the notion that good enough actually is good enough. I am not saying you shouldn't have nice gear, but the cost shouldn't become a big burden. Knowing you can afford to replace it all in a pinch gives you a level of freedom that tops the joy of owning the highest end gear possible if you are busting the budget to get that gear.

All of this is especially true for those who are planning to be on the road full time (you are the guy asking about that right?). Frugality would seem to be very much key for someone living on the road, and self insuring in the form of having a cash buffer for the type of coverage you are talking about makes more sense to me than paying an insurance premium.
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Old 08-11-19, 07:01 AM
  #20  
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Some credit cards have an extra benefit of extended warranty and some credit cards have said in their advertisements that it covers loss for almost any reason. I believe that the generic credit card extra coverage is limited to one year after purchase. If you find you have such a credit card, perhaps you should buy your complete kit the day before you start your long tour. And keep all the records of your purchase.

***

Originally Posted by staehpj1
Just me, but I figure if you can afford to buy insurance to cover your bike and gear while touring you can afford to set aside money to replace your bike and gear if it goes missing. To me that is just part of living within your means. In the long run it will be cheaper, the insurance company is making money after all and with some care you will most likely never file a claim.

Part of that living within your means may involve buying a bike and gear that is at the right price point as opposed to best one you could hope for. Don't lose sight of the notion that good enough actually is good enough. I am not saying you shouldn't have nice gear, but the cost shouldn't become a big burden. Knowing you can afford to replace it all in a pinch gives you a level of freedom that tops the joy of owning the highest end gear possible if you are busting the budget to get that gear.

All of this is especially true for those who are planning to be on the road full time (you are the guy asking about that right?). Frugality would seem to be very much key for someone living on the road, and self insuring in the form of having a cash buffer for the type of coverage you are talking about makes more sense to me than paying an insurance premium.
Fully agree.

That is in part why I described the cycle tourist I met at a campsite on my last tour last month in post number 3 above, his plan was to give away the bike when he finished his tour in a few months so the value of his bike to him was solely the benefit of having use of it for a few months.

Furthermore, if you have an insurance policy, that policy can subsidize careless behavior. By that I mean if you go into a restaurant and you think any loss (that exceeds a deductible) will be covered by the insurance company, you may be less careful to lock up your possessions than you would be if you have no insurance policy.
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Old 08-11-19, 09:05 AM
  #21  
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Haven't been on this forum much in the last few months.
If this is some of what I've been missing...
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Old 08-11-19, 10:02 AM
  #22  
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Originally Posted by staehpj1
Just me, but I figure if you can afford to buy insurance to cover your bike and gear while touring you can afford to set aside money to replace your bike and gear if it goes missing. To me that is just part of living within your means. In the long run it will be cheaper, the insurance company is making money after all and with some care you will most likely never file a claim.

Part of that living within your means may involve buying a bike and gear that is at the right price point as opposed to best one you could hope for. Don't lose sight of the notion that good enough actually is good enough. I am not saying you shouldn't have nice gear, but the cost shouldn't become a big burden. Knowing you can afford to replace it all in a pinch gives you a level of freedom that tops the joy of owning the highest end gear possible if you are busting the budget to get that gear.

All of this is especially true for those who are planning to be on the road full time (you are the guy asking about that right?). Frugality would seem to be very much key for someone living on the road, and self insuring in the form of having a cash buffer for the type of coverage you are talking about makes more sense to me than paying an insurance premium.
I agree with that a lot and find the balance between wanting nice stuff and the reality of traveling on the road alone to be interetsing.

People tend to make too much out of having the "perfect" touring bike. Yes, it is fun to build something exactly the way you want (myself included) but that is more often a desire rather than a need. Many people tour successfully with standard fare. There was a favorite poster here for a while who championed the value of expensive custom bikes (though he did not own one himself) over lower quality off the shelf bikes and it was pretty clear his was a daydream wishful thinking POV of touring.

I also think it's fun to own "stuff" but it should not be a total investment of your means to the point that it's loss prevents you from pursuing your objective long term. The reality of solo touring is that usually you need to leave your bike unattended at shops and cafes, sleep with it outside the tent, go bathroom sometime etc... If the fear of theft restricts that because everything is so expensive or one of a kind you lose part of the freedom of bicycle touring. Sure you can think insurance is the answer, and it is for medical or rescue in some regions, but usually they make the money.. because you pay. Once you start to collect the premiums go up, so it is a one or two time solution at best. Eventually you will have to come back to facing the same problem only with far steeper premiums.

I will say, for me personally, touring falls more into the skills camp than the equipment camp. It's about a way of being more than the stuff you possess and paradoxically that is often made better with less..
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Old 08-11-19, 03:14 PM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by Happy Feet
...I will say, for me personally, touring falls more into the skills camp than the equipment camp. It's about a way of being more than the stuff you possess and paradoxically that is often made better with less..

That's the quote to stick up on the fridge.

And you'll sleep better, knowing that loss to theft is a major inconvenience but is not financially ruinous, nor is it the loss of a one-of-a-kind collection of bicycle and gear that you have so much of your soul wrapped up in that you would grieve its loss. (The tandem my wife and I have ridden together for 12 years is in that category.) For that kind of a loss, the monetary "making whole" will still leave you feeling cheated and angry, by and at somebody. The idea that touring bikes (and gear) should be thought of as "risk ships" is a good one. Giving them all away at the end of a trip is even better.
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Old 08-11-19, 03:46 PM
  #24  
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Originally Posted by conspiratemus1
... And you'll sleep better, knowing that loss to theft is a major inconvenience but is not financially ruinous, nor is it the loss of a one-of-a-kind collection of bicycle and gear that you have so much of your soul wrapped up in that you would grieve its loss. For that kind of a loss, the monetary "making whole" will still leave you feeling cheated and angry, by and at somebody.
I really like that sentiment. Of course I would cry a little (and swear a lot) if my bike got stolen but ultimately it would be the loss of tour and inconvenience more than just the money. I am sure that my wife, after some good-natured ribbing, would say "go buy another bike" and I would.

Currently I have two pretty decent touring bikes at my disposal, depending on conditions. Both can get me wherever I want to go in speed or comfort yet both cost less than $1500 each - all in (including bags and racks) because I am not above buying used or new old stock at discount. Sure there are lots of doo dads I might like (such as custom frames, carbon wheels, generator or Rohloff hubs...) but those things have never limited my ability to travel and I would not not tour because I didn't have them.

I think about the high cost of bikes these days, especially road bikes, but do note that they are used in a very different way than touring bikes. The typical roadie around here keeps the bike inside the house, transports it from A to B, rides, has coffee within eyesight of it, and transports it back home. The 5-10K bike really never has a chance to get stolen. You can't live like that on an extended tour.

Far more than gear I envy and covet time. I often say I need two lives for all the things I want to do. I can't complain but being able to just leave without worrying about commitments is way to precious too squander worrying about how fancy your horse is going to be. I like my life but if the stars aligned so that I could take off a summer to travel I would even stoop so low as to do it on a LHT ( inside joke )
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Old 08-11-19, 04:02 PM
  #25  
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Originally Posted by Happy Feet
...Far more than gear I envy and covet time. I often say I need two lives for all the things I want to do. I can't complain but being able to just leave without worrying about commitments is way to precious too squander worrying about how fancy your horse is going to be. I like my life but if the stars aligned so that I could take off a summer to travel I would even stoop so low as to do it on a LHT ( inside joke )
With your sensible approach to spending money and accumulating "things", you might find yourself with a good shot at retiring early (or at least still being strong and healthy when you do retire. Cycling does that for you.) Then you will have that second life for the things you really want to do. For us this includes grandchildren and gardening and piano but also lots and lots of time (and energy) for cycling together (albeit not living-on-the-bike-type touring but that's more preference and temperament than physical ability.) Retirement really is transformative if you've planned for it for many years. (Compound interest grinds slowly,....but it is forever grinding.) It's not like being 25 again....but close.
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