sierracyclist

I was riding my mtb back from a friends house on Friday. Not three minutes after completing a much needed rebuild on the fork (from some seriously fun riding in Moab), I get cut off by a car, slam into the fender at about 20-25mph, fly over the hood, and land on the ground. Surprisingly, I escaped rather unharmed except for a few scrapes, wicked wiplash, and a stone embedded in my head (the doctors let me keep it). My fiance was relieved to find out I was OK considering we are getting married next week.

However, my bike did not fair as well. The front wheel took the brunt of the impact and is rather eliptical; the rotor didn't fair any better, the rear der is shot, and the fork appeared to take a bit of impact. Other than that, the bike looks ok, but I would like to have it checked out by a qualified mechanic. I was informed that even though parts appear fine, a large impact can cause fatigue, espeacially in aluminum parts. Does anyone know of a shop in the Twin cities or Milwuakee area with a qualified mechanic who can check out bikes for saftey reasons and give estimates for the other guy's insurance company?

By the way, I'd like to think I held my own -the bike and I managed to inflict a really odd-looking 2" deep dent in the top of the car's fender, ripped out metal at the top of the wheel well, and I managed to pepper the hood with dents on my superman flight.

EnigManiac

Sorry to hear about your accident. I'm glad you're reasonably ok. Remember bikes can be repaired or you can buy a new one, but bodies are much more difficult to repair and impossible to replace.

What you didn't mention was what, if anything, you're going to do about the reckless motorist. Did you call the cops? Has he been charged? I hope you nail him to the wall.

PWRDbyTRD

I got hit and the lamer got away...hope you atleast get this guy.

brokenrobot

When it's an insurance matter - and for safety's sake, even if it weren't - replace the frame; when there was that significant an impact, there's no way I'd trust an aluminum frame. Get estimates for complete replacement bikes.

Glad you weren't seriously hurt!

-chris

sierracyclist

The driver did not get away. He got a ticket for personal injury and improper right turn. The cop found the driver to be at fault for the accident.

larue

glad you are okay and that the driver was properly ticketed. you are going to have the driver pay for the damages to the bike right? his insurance should take care of it the same way if he hit another car, they will have someone check out your bike and total the damage.

genec

Go for a new bike. Period. I got nailed in a similar manner back in the early 80's and the pain and back problems did not show up for a week... Messed up my face a bit though. Didn't wear a helmet then, do now!

The driver's insurance could not believe my bike cost $900 (Trek) back in those days, and wanted "salvage rights." Sheesh. I didn't own a car, the bike was my only transportation.

Point is, it was the other guy's fault, make sure they pay dearly.

max-a-mill

i'd say with the amount of damage you describe the insurance is gonna say your bike is totalled!

go to a bikeshop and get them to give you an estimate of either the costs to repair the bike or get a whole new ride! they'll let you know if the frame is unridable (it will mean more money for them in terms of selling you a whole bike)... don't be afraid to go to a couple shops (one said my old totalled bike was only worth 5-600 while another BETTER shop put a replacement value of my bike at 1300) to find one you agree with.

maybe if the bikeshop guy is nice, and your lucky enough not to have totalled the frame, he will tell you that it would cost more to repair your bike back to it's original condition and give you a nice estimate for the insurance on a new bike. but ALSO they may be able to you get your old bike rolling again on the cheap while your waiting for the insurance check to come!

happened to me last fall and while it sucked, i did get a new bike!

reich17

Progressive Insurance paid for a new bike after an accident that left my front wheel out of true and a few scratches in the paint. They didn't hardly even look at the bike, from my experience replacing the bike is going to be easy. My bike was only a day old at the time though. Determining what to ask for for pain and suffering is the problem I'm having. $700? $7000?

DogBoy

Just so you know, this may have been insurance fraud and is very illegal. The part that makes it illegal is the fraudulent estimate. If the bike was totaled, they couldn't get you rolling "on the cheap." Maybe I'm misunderstanding you (hence the may have been, I'm not accusing you), but I'm thinking that either there was a fraudulent estimate that went to the insurance company or you rode a bike that was cobbled together with chicken wire, chewing gum and duct tape until you got the check. Neither one of these is a good idea if you ask me. If the bike is your only trasport, make the insurance company pay for a rental car or a bus pass while you are without transportation. This is a normal part of PD settlements so they shouldn't balk at it.

So you are prepared for it, the insurance company will say the settlement is only for the Actual Cash Value (ACV) of the bike immediately prior to the crash, and that they will not pay for a replacement or for any repairs costing more than the ACV. Be prepared for that when you talk to them and try to have a rational response that explains your need for a replacement bike. Also, don't discount the cost of bike clothing that was ruined, the rack/fenders/panniers, lights etc. They all add up. Hopefully you are dealing with a reputable insurance company and won't have any problems. Good luck.

max-a-mill

dogboy - let me clarify, i had an old steel schwinn paramount (an arguably classic frame)... the first shop i brought it to said the "replacement value" would be like 5-600 since it was an older bike.

the next shop recognized that even though it was older it was still a nice bike which should be replaced with a nice bike... hence the price discrepancy.

now; that said i used the money to buy a new frame and built a cheap singlespeed which i now use to commute on. with the insurance check money, i had enough money left over to buy my girlfirend a frame as well... this, i don't think is fraud???? they gave me the money to replace my bike with something comperable, but what i do with that money is my business....

for my example, i meant that a bike can be totalled, in that it would cost more to fix into original condition than it would to just buy a new one... but you could still maybe get it back into riding shape, assuming the frame isn't damaged, using cheaper (possibly used) components for the time being so you have something to ride till the insurance settlement comes in (which can take months!).

DogBoy

Okay, no that's not a problem. I thought you were saying that you got a shop guy to say your bike was totaled when it was in fact NOT totaled. That would be a problem.

sierracyclist

Thanks for all of the advice. I met with an insurance rep. He took pictures, asked some ?'s, and commited that the bike looked totaled, but he is the rep for the area and was just collecting info for the guy who is handleing the case a couple hundred miles away, where the driver is from.

I got a replacment estimate of $2,000, so thanks again for the heads up on Acutaul Cash Value.

Just playing the waiting game now.

darkmother

I suggest taking the bike to a shop, speaking to the manager, and making it clear to them that this is an insurance repair issue. That will make it fairly easy for them to come to the conclusion that:

Your bike is a complete write off, and you need a brand new one, with better components. A 3 thousand dollar settlement is nothing for an insurance company. Take em to the cleaners.

DogBoy

...and then we wonder why insurance costs so much!