Hiring out bikes

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Hiring out bikes

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Falstaff

Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 15 9:36 pm Post subject: Hiring out bikes
Anyone tried this ?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46390
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 15 9:48 pm Post subject:
no , if i was hiring out i would want a decent deposit,if i was hiring a bike i would want a safe and easy one that was the right size and the correct type for purpose.

Falstaff

Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 15 5:07 am Post subject:
The deposit thing is one of the stumbling blocks as i see it. I wonder what people would be prepared to leave ? Also the "safety thing" - How do you "idiot proof" a bike ?

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16121

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 15 5:39 am Post subject:
Someone I know was doing this in the New Forest years ago. I don't know how it was worked at all I am afraid, but I do know that they were all painted very bright orange so that they showed up both to other road/track users and if they were dumped or stolen. I think they were for use along the tracks and not really on the road.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 15 5:55 am Post subject:
A few bike hire firms down here & they all seem buoyant. They all use lower to mid price range bikes from one manufacturer for ease of maintenance. & sell them on after two or three seasons. They no doubt get a better deal buying ten or twenty bikes a year from one place & make nearly as much when they sell them on. No Idea how much insurance for such a business would be.

Falstaff

Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 15 8:45 am Post subject:

Hmm I'd thought of it as a very small scale operation using our old mountain bikes and maybe a couple of "smaller sizes"

More to utilise a resource we already have to take a few quid than to make a living, although the way life works, it's good to take opportunities as they arise.

I can see the logic of new ones though - chains stretch, sprockets hook, cables rust and stretch and reducing breakdowns has to be very important - especially when the "mechanic" is me !

I'm not painting them bright orange.

What would one insure against ?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46390
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 15 9:15 am Post subject:
loss/theft etc,legal claims from the public(if they get hurt they will try to blame you) i expect to get the price down to a reasonable level the bikes would need to be newish and well maintained.

Falstaff

Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 15 9:28 am Post subject:

dpack wrote:

loss/theft etc

I'll "self insure" on that one - can't see how insurance would be worth claiming on and in reality you're "insuring" the integrity of your punters - ain't it ?

Quote:

,legal claims from the public(if they get hurt they will try to blame you)

That's the area I'm finding difficult to get my head round - Anyone know of a company that does this sort of stuff ? or had quotes for any other "idiot schemes"

Quote:

i expect to get the price down to a reasonable level the bikes would need to be newish and well maintained.

So what does "Public Liability" insurance cover then ?

derbyshiredowser

Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 980
Location: derbyshire

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 15 11:00 am Post subject:

Quote:

So what does "Public Liability" insurance cover then ?

Everything until something actually happens

Midlandsman

Joined: 22 May 2014
Posts: 116

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 15 11:42 am Post subject:
I think that some 'hold' your credit card details rather than a deposit. HTH

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 15 1:27 pm Post subject:
They would probably put a block on a certain amount on your card.

Falstaff

Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 15 1:39 pm Post subject:

derbyshiredowser wrote:

Quote:

So what does "Public Liability" insurance cover then ?

Everything until something actually happens

Ah - it's a bit like every other "insurance " then.

Everyone who starts a business seems to be advised ad-nausiem to "Get public liability insurance" - Is the a legal requirement or not ?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46390
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 15 5:58 pm Post subject:
afaik it is not a legal obligation in most trades but the consequences of a fair or malicious claim do make it sensible to buy insurance for legal expenses etc etc

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16121

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 15 6:27 am Post subject:

Businesses are usually advised to have public liability insurance because otherwise a large claim could bankrupt them and their partners/owners/directors. You need to decide with your insurance company what cover you need. I would have thought that you will need to decide where the bikes can be used, eg cycle tracks into town/round a national park, side roads only, bridle ways only. I would think for normal road use the insurance would be high as there was a real risk of one of the riders being hurt.

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