Hobby and sports equipment insurance through Turien & Co

Damage during use is the heart of it, and at the same time the biggest restriction

A policy that covers only fire, theft and water damage does not help you with the damage you cause most often: a fall from your racing bicycle, a hit against the boards, an instrument that falls off its stand. Look in the conditions for the wording about damage during the activity. If it is missing, the policy is in effect theft cover and nothing more.

Competition, training and organised events

Many conditions distinguish between recreational use and taking part in competitions or leagues. If you ride criteriums, enter tournaments or sail regattas, that participation may be excluded or may call for a separate endorsement. Tell us how you practise the sport, not only what equipment you have; that determines whether the declared description matches what you actually do.

Leaving items in the car is the most common ground for refusal

Theft from a parked car is almost always subject to conditions: stored out of sight, signs of forced entry, sometimes a restriction to daytime or to a short break in a journey. A bicycle carrier on the back usually does not count as a locked space. Keep proofs of purchase and frame numbers, because without identification of the stolen item a claim often gets no further than an argument about value.

What is not covered

The following are generally outside the cover: wear and tear, metal fatigue and design faults; damage consisting only of scratches or paint damage without loss of function; the loss of loose parts such as a shoe, a pin or a cap; hiring out or commercial use of the equipment; and damage from inadequate maintenance, for example a diving cylinder that has not been tested. Electric drive systems and batteries also often have an arrangement of their own.

Theft & loss

New for old