See that white sticker that looks a bit rubbed? I’d be adding a bigger one. If you hired it, what does the agreement say? No way is that frame a write off. Couple of blood of touch up, which they ought to have if they have a fleet of hire bikes anyway, and good as new.

100% if you are paying to replace it you get the old one.
Or, as mentioned above, someone in the shop is getting a brand new frame for free, as that one will be touched up and hired out again.

@spooners

Dunno about that. Our hire contracts (not bikes) say if the equipment is damaged then the client is liable for the repair or replacement cost, and the hire cost until it’s fixed. So if you hire something for a week, and drop it on day one, and it takes a month to get the replacement then you pay a weeks hire + months hire (because you have effectively got two items for that week) + the value of the kit.

So I can imagine the hire company is thinking ~£1k for a new frame is a lot cheaper than charging the OP for the repair cost, workshop rate to strip and rebuild it, shipping etc and the hire charge whilst it’s there.

This is my point, your lot clearly had the wisdom to deal with this issue in the T&Cs. If those are silent, then basic legal principles apply. If there is labour cost and downtime involved, then that would need to be proved (were they operating at full capacity?) and claimed on top of the cost of repairing/replacing the frame. And the latter would take account of the actual value of the frame written off (if it was). Plus, if that frame is repairable, it can be repaired without stripping and rebuilding I would think.

I would certainly be paying if I damaged a hire bike. Although the question of whether it requires a new frame replacement is obviously up for debate. Was the frame brand new? – if not then it’s not a new frame replacement. If the shop wants a new frame then I’d be asking for a video of them sawing up the damaged frame at the exact point of damage (to make sure they are destroying that specific frame). Personally I’d ask for an independent frame repairer to look at it before agreeing what needs to be paid.

Unless damage is covered in the rental agreement then I think it’s fair enough that they ask for it to be replaced. That said unless they gave you a brand new bike, that price should reflect the value of the frame you collected not a brand new one.

I trashed road frame by dropping it and the replacement cost of the frame was nowhere near full retail price as the dealer usually gets a substantial discount from the manufacture for crash replacements. It was in the region of 70% of the retail price.

Looks cosmetic, probably fifty quid max to touch up and polish? As others say, an independent assessment of the damage and repair cost would be helpful. Maybe they’re just chancers and seeing if you’re a mug?

I’d expect a hire bike to have some wear and touched up areas or even the odd chip. I would not be surprised if they rehired that frame without any issue. If they’re operating a ‘you broke it then you bought it policy’ then they should be sending you the damaged one.

However, if you have unwittingly contracted to pay for a new frame you may be a good distance up shit creek with only your hands as paddles. On the other hand, even a small claims court action is a lot of work and there’s probably a much more reasonable settlement to be made to avoid that.

What does the contract say?