Three weeks after writing my bike off in a pretty nasty crash, I finally have a replacement bike. The process with Laka has been a long way below my expectations and at times shambolic. Last year, I had a claim for a broken shifter which was dealt with brilliantly, and saw a mechanic dispatched to my house within 48hrs and the bike being back on the road with an absolute minimum of fuss. Very impressed. The business model is great, cheaper than similar insurance I’ve had in the past, and they seem like nice people on the whole. However, replacing a broken bike turned into a nightmare. I won’t go into all the detail on here, but given the all round glowing reviews online, I thought best to update my original review to account for both experiences. The full original review is also below for balance. Given the prominence of speed on Laka’s website, the length of time this has taken has been the most frustrating thing by far. I ride a lot, and time off the bike is not good for several reasons, and when I needed a replacement bike fast, Laka failed to deliver. I’ve been sent links to replacement bikes which Laka have then retracted due to errors, I’ve been recommended replacement bikes with zero in common with the previous bike, I was offered the opportunity to buy a new bike with my own money and then get reimbursed, which would have been the fastest solution, which was then retracted. Laka did apologise during the process for this string of errors, but it’s really not something you expect when you insure your bike with a specialist company. The insured value of my bike was £2450, however as one component is now reduced from the price I purchased it, they only honoured £2150 of the value, leaving me £300 out of pocket to get a like for like replacement which is incredibly frustrating. Particularly with Laka making it crystal clear through their policy that you should not underinsure any gear and that they don’t apply depreciation. If a like for like replacement was available then it’s great that we could save money on the claim, but as it wasn’t, which isn’t exactly something I can do anything about, I feel strongly they should have honoured the insured value. If you’re unlucky enough to write your bike off when it’s in a 50% off sale somewhere, good luck to you managing to get full value from your replacement. I also had to chase a week later for the balance payment which I was owed and for a refund on the mechanic costs I paid at the request of Laka the day after the crash. Several other reviews mention instant payment, so no idea why mine took so long or why it took me chasing them for it to be paid. One good thing, they did lend me a temporary replacement bike via havebike which has been a godsend for keeping up some fitness on the turbo, but how it has taken 3 weeks to get back on the road I simply don’t understand and despite asking for an explanation from Laka I really don’t feel like this has been dealt with properly, which is a shame as there is definitely a lot to like about the company and their ethos. Original review from March 2019. Brilliant service. Reported some damage to my bike via Live Chat on Tuesday. Wednesday a mechanic calls to book a time to come and make the repair. Friday bang on time at 5pm he's there with the parts at my home, 5.30pm all fixed and like new. No excess, no taking to bike shops for quotes, no waiting around, no attempt to repair with a second rate solution.

I am so so happy with Laka! My beautiful bike got absolutely dismantled for parts when I left it outside for a couple of hours in London over New Years Eve. They paid out within a couple of days and had a great and easy to use service throughout. Genuinely couldnt recommend them enough!!! Thanks Laka.

Best bike insurance company out there. Their team are friendly and understanding to your situation and the claims process is so painless and easy to complete. I'm so glad I've been with them for the past 2 years, this is exactly how insurance should be like. I recently made a claim and it was sorted within 2 days. No questions asked or further delays. I've recommended them to many of my friends and family and would highly recommend you to sign up if you're considering! Be sure to look out for a referral link so you get credit towards your cover if you sign up

Laka have been very responsive and supportive when I had to claim recently. A car pulled out on me which gave me a badly fractured collarbone requiring surgery and damaging my nearly new bike and accessories. They are friendly and professional and processed my claim as soon as I was able to get the bike assessed by a bike mechanic. I've just ordered my replacement bike and accessories and I'm looking forward to getting back the road with their help. They also include legal cover for personal injury claims. I wish all insurance was like this! I'm SO glad I chose Laka so my accident damage was covered and the business model they choose feels ethical and supportive of passionate cyclists. A big thanks to Luke, Ollie and Tom who always responded quickly.

Service was absolutely first-class. Insurance is the kind of thing you never want to use or need but when you have a bad accident and you just want to get riding again and get your bike restored you'll be grateful. Tom and the team at Laka made it absolutely painless. Prompt service and fantastic response, you can tell this is a service run for cyclists, can't recommend highly enough 👍

The team at Laka has been incredibly helpful and friendly. When my bike got stolen, they were very quick to help me get a replacement. Highly recommended.

Outstanding customer service- I had a nasty bike accident and these wonderful people made a rotten situation slightly more bearable with their efficiency and excellent service. Highly recommended. Thank you Anna for all your help. If you are looking for the best bike insurance you've found it with laka.

Great customer service. I had my bike stolen from flat and Laka were quick to credit me with the cash value of my insurance policy. I followed the process of taking a video and writing a report of te bike theft, and my claim was quickly settled

Laka is amazing ! I bought a new bike which I got insured with Laka right away. As unluky that I can be, I go my back wheel stolen 48h later. Calvin from Laka guided me through the process of this issue and help me to solve it.

Fantastic experience with Laka. My bike was stolen during a coffee stop. Made a claim the same day. Tom processed it quickly and Sascha went over and above to find me a like for like replacement, in fact did such a great job I think the new BMC is definitely an upgrade on the BMC I had stolen.

The service of this company is above any online experience I have ever received. Friendly, compassionate, professional and highly knowledgeable. The whole process was easy and the wait times minimal. My bike was replaced within a week of it being stolen. I can not recommend them enough!

I've been a customer of Laka since 2019 and can not be more amazed with the service. 2 days ago I had an incident, heavily damaging my bike and today I already have new parts on the way. HUGE thanks to the Laka team and most recently, Ollie and Nick from the Claims team who compassionately and swiftly dealt with my claim in the most professional claims experience I've had with ANY insurance. Thank you and keep it up, Laka!

I’ve experienced a stolen bike twice now, however this second time I was luckily insured with Laka. The claim process was quick and easy and I had the pleasure of dealing with Nick and Anna from the Laka Support team in a matter of days. They were incredibly helpful and I am now waiting on the delivery of my new bike! All sorted in the space of a week! Thanks Laka - you’re super!

Laka are my insurance angels! My bike was recently attacked in broad daylight - handlebars with Shimano 105 levers lifted and the thieves also had a go at my frame, damaging it beyond repair, writing off by beloved bike. Laka were so quick to respond and flexible and accommodating, allowing me to deal directly with my local giant store. I had a brand new replacement bike 2 days later! My representative, Sascha, was wonderful. Thank you for making what could have been a horrible and stressful experience as pain free and pleasant as possible! :)

Amazing policy and fantastic claims service. I had an accident and my bike was badly damaged, I was advised to take the bike to be inspected and was provided with a repair quote which I sent to the team at Laka who authorised the work to be undertaken and even managed to source some of the parts I required. You only know how good your insurer is until you have to make a claim and Laka have proven to be amazing. Great communication throughout and hassle free. Thanks again to Ollie and Sascha who handled my claim

I cannot speak highly enough of Laka. I purchased a bike earlier in the month and 8 days later it was stolen. Within 48hrs a replacment bike and accessories were ordered and my travel expenses were reimbursed. One week to the day I was back on the road like it never happened. Easy to sign up, pain-free claim process, fluent communication. All-round top tier insurance providers, second to none.

I was a customer of Laka for 2 years prior to my bike being stolen. The claim was painless and email communication has been a complete breeze. I'm really impressed with the speed of processing and how helpful everyone has been via email. Will be updating my policy with my replacement bike and recommending to everyone. Thanks to all the team who've helped me

Incredible service and price. Had my lights stolen from my bike and within two days Laka had arranged for the exact same set to be delivered to me. You cannot fault that. Customer service team are incredibly polite and responsive, no dreaded insurance process at all! They make it too easy. Highly recommend

Sadly my electric bike got stolen. However despite being fairly skeptical of insurances I did have it insured. Overall I am pretty shocked with just how great that insurance has been! They were just incredibly helpful, genuine and prompt in working with me to get a replacement bike, they covered the cost of the bike (an exact copy of it just arrived today), my lock and even the lime bike I rented to get home the day mine got stolen. Maybe it's because they are closer to a collective than a normal insurance company but I have never had anything close to as positive an experience when filing a claim on something like this. Hard to recommend enough.

What can I say! They are simply fantastic. I submitted a claim (large!) and within 48 hours the money was in my bank. Their claim process is so simple and easy, with their website so easy to follow. A brilliant example to every other insurance company as to how to do it. Email correspondence is personal and very fast response times. I thoroughly recommend Laka.

I cannot rave about Laka enough! I’ve made two claims - the first was last December when I was hit by a truck. My front wheel needed to be replaced, Laka sent me the money for this claim within 48hours and also advised me on a legal advisor who were able to chase the company who owned the truck and get me compensation. Last month the same bike got stolen, and Laka has replaced it with a completely new one. This is honestly the best insurance I have ever paid for and would highly recommend to anyone who owns a bike. I have previously had other bikes stolen in East London over the last few years, and wish I had Laka insurance earlier!

I rented my bike from Peddle my wheel and take an insurance from Laka. It is extremely important to have insurance for your bike! I just rented my bike for just over a month then it got stolen at my home, which is a secure building! I locked my bike with locks but still someone just broke the material wire and took it. Thomas who handled my claim is super helpful! Always gave me instant reply. He gave me all the assistant I needed. Highly recommend people who have a bike to get an insurance from Laka.

I've been a member of Laka on and off for years. Practically since the company started. Recently my bike got pinched, and having read all of Laka's self promotion and great reviews I thought my claim would be settled in days. Only it's been over 3 weeks now. Don't get me wrong, they have been communicating with me throughout but it's incredibly frustrating when they email you asking for one thing, which you send, and then they wait a few more days before asking for something else, which you send, and then another few days receive another request. What more do you guys want from me??

I had a minor accident on my bike which resulting in my back wheel needing replacing. Ollie and Laka have been fantastic. I can't praise enough how good, smooth and simple the process has been. I was tempted to cancel the insurance a while back but I'm so happy I didn't. Compared to other insurers this has got to best service I've had.

I had a bad accident on my bike. Laka team was extremely quick and prompt to respond within 24 hours. I found them extremely professional and understanding. Will definitely recommend them to any cyclist who wants a peace of mind and hassle-free insurance for their bike.

I've been with Laka for almost 3 years and made my first claim a few weeks ago when I was knocked off my bike and my front wheel was written off. Nick was really helpful with my claim and I had a new wheel fitted within a week. The whole process was quick and easy and I'm glad to have the peace of mind that my bikes are covered by Laka. Can't recommend them highly enough!