£1249 to spend on Wheelies Hardtail - or £980 elsewhere...

cgfw201

Related to post about replacing my damaged Cannondale Slate a couple of days ago...

Insurance company will only offer full value replacement on wheelies.co.uk. Fairly broad selection but nothing like the Slate, so going to switch to a hardtail.

I'll be living in Surrey, so will need to be capable of going down and up some trails, nothing too extreme, longer days out on the north & south downs, general bridleway and off road network riding. Kind of stuff the Slate was perfect for to be honest, but with a bit more downhill thrown in. Would also like space for a frame bag if poss for some bikepacking.

Any suggestions? List on there includes things like
- Orange Clockwork
- Giant Fathom
- Mondraker Chrono
- Genesis Longitude
- Scott Scale 960
- Orbea Laufey
- Kona Unit X
- Bianchi Grizzly 9.3

Or - there's the Canyon Grand Canyon AL SL 9.0 for £999.

Assuming SRAM Eagle 1x12 is the groupset to aim for?

Any tips - or pick the one with the best colour scheme?

jamski

Where's the Canyon for £999? Chances are the spec on that is better than all those listed, but the Canyon site has it at £1500.

cgfw201

jamski wrote:

Where's the Canyon for £999? Chances are the spec on that is better than all those listed, but the Canyon site has it at £1500.

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/mountain-b ... /2034.html

jamski

Purely because it's cheaper, I'd go for the Canyon, spec is comparable. Only thing you're not getting is a dropper, but you don't get one with the Orange either.

cgfw201

Giant Fathom 1 29 2019 is in the lead now i think. Comes with dropper post, sounds pretty racy and decent spec all round.

tom_howard

You are entitled to the full £1249 cash. I’ve heard of plenty of people who have basically written to their insures with a template letter and they’ve been given the full amount. Especially if wheelies don’t sell the bike you had insured.

Which is a good thing, as by most accounts, wheelies are ****

Basically go to them, saying that in order to put you in the position you were before the damage (or theft, for others reading), you want either a like for like bike, or full cash settlement. Also that wheelies isn’t a good option for you, as they don’t offer easy after sales services (as they are miles away) or a fitting service.

cgfw201

Tom Howard wrote:

You are entitled to the full £1249 cash. I’ve heard of plenty of people who have basically written to their insures with a template letter and they’ve been given the full amount. Especially if wheelies don’t sell the bike you had insured.

Which is a good thing, as by most accounts, wheelies are ****

Basically go to them, saying that in order to put you in the position you were before the damage (or theft, for others reading), you want either a like for like bike, or full cash settlement. Also that wheelies isn’t a good option for you, as they don’t offer easy after sales services (as they are miles away) or a fitting service.

I've tried that this week and got absolutely nowhere annoyingly.

larkim

The problem with arguing is that typically the insurance contract you've agreed to will be quite clear about the method of replacement and who gets to choose. It's worth asking, on the basis of don't ask, don't get, but especially when you're not getting an exact like for like model it is broadly entirely reasonable for them to point you to a preferred retailer and say "pick from their stock".

If you want to have a cash settlement guaranteed, you need to find an insurer that works on precisely that basis.

cgfw201

larkim wrote:

The problem with arguing is that typically the insurance contract you've agreed to will be quite clear about the method of replacement and who gets to choose. It's worth asking, on the basis of don't ask, don't get, but especially when you're not getting an exact like for like model it is broadly entirely reasonable for them to point you to a preferred retailer and say "pick from their stock".

If you want to have a cash settlement guaranteed, you need to find an insurer that works on precisely that basis.

yeh im not going to complain as it's actually my home insurance which is paying out. bike insurance company were less than helpful which was both surprising and annoying.