Get Bike Specific Insurance and Be Careful Driving Into Parking Garages

I recently learned some valuable lessons the hard way, and I'd like to share them to potentially save others from similar headaches.

I drive a low-riding sedan and have never had to worry about height clearance before. Recently, I was on a road trip with my bike attached to my sunroof using a Seasucker Komodo rack (suction cups). One of my hotels had a parking garage with less than 6'6" clearance. While driving in at low speed, my bike struck the concrete garage structure.

I'm not sure whether to give Seasucker 5 stars or 1 star. Their four suction cups on the Komodo held so strongly that the impact actually ripped out my sunroof. The bike and metal bike rack caused so much damage to my car's roof that I'm currently fighting with insurance to prevent them from totaling my car.

Surprisingly, the bike stayed in the rack. After having two bike shops inspect it, I learned I was lucky that most of the bike is salvageable. My titanium frame cracked in two spots, and my computer mount, stem, seat post, and seat were damaged. Otherwise its just maintenance like truing wheels and running new hydraulic lines to the brakes.

I believe my computer mount struck the concrete first and took most of the force. Once the mount and bolts failed, the force transferred through the titanium, causing the two fractures. When the mount ripped out the sunroof, the bike must have momentarily hopped, skipping any damage to the fork, bars, or shifters and impacting the seat post and seat.

Lessons learned:

1) Never trust a bike on the roof of your car. If you encounter a parking garage or similar structure, remove the bike even if you think you have clearance. My life would be much easier now if I had taken off the bike after checking in and before entering that garage. I even considered doing it, but since I drive a small sedan, I've never had to worry about clearance before that thought got lost.

2) Auto insurance may not cover property damage to your bike and bike rack if the rack isn't a permanent fixture on your car. Initially, it seemed like they would cover the bike, but they rejected the claim because the suction cup rack wasn't permanent. They directed me to file a claim with my homeowners/renters insurance instead. While I love Seasucker and think their racks work well, this gives me pause when considering what kind of rack to buy next and ensuring any insurance I have properly covers the auto, property, and bike. So if you think you are covered, I encourage you to go read your policy and know what is and isn't covered.

3) Renters insurance is trying to deny coverage, claiming that because the bike was being transported on a vehicle, it should be covered by auto insurance. Honestly, I don't expect them to pay out on this. They might try to classify it as an accident, which they don't cover, but I'm still trying to fight them on it.

Given all this, if you're concerned about protecting your bike, consider getting a specific policy for it. My insurance company offers valuable personal property protection for specific items. There are also bike-specific insurance providers. I can't help but think that if I had such coverage for my bike, I'd be in a much different position now and not facing significant out-of-pocket expenses to repair/replace it.

Images here if anyone wants to view the damage.