Was riding home tonight, lashing rain and did not spot a very large pothole until to late and have ended up denting one of my rims…. the big question though, is can I claim from the council (if indeed it is the council) for a new rim?

cheers

I believe it depends on whether the council knew that the pothole was there or not and whether they have evidence that they conduct regular inspections of the road.

not sure whether you can, but I personally wouldn’t bother – council money should go to better use than compensating you for a relatively minor annoyance

brakes – you pay them to maintain the roads, if they choose to save cash and spend it elsewhere then thats the risk they take, not your responsibility. Having had nearly 700 quids worth of damage done by potholes over the last couple of years I see no reason not to expect a little more sense.

I read recently that some councils spend more on compensation than on upkeep. This is clearly a mad situation and avoiding the American litigious culture is surely a ‘Good Thing’

I know what you mean and it’s a contentious issue – I guess you’ll never have a clear line of sight as to where the money would go if it weren’t used to compensate you
I just think that looking for compensation for material damage (as opposed to injury or resulting losses associated with injury) is a bit selfish

Indeed…… surely you should just look where your going!?? Trying to gain compensation for what was partly your fault will only take funds away from the council to actually fix the problem. You wouldn’t try to get compensation from mother nature if you dinged a rim on a tree root?!
Use your eyes and biking skills to avoid urban hazards as you would when out on the trail…..

report it, and get it fixed.

Indeed…… surely you should just look where your going!??

I take it you don’t actually commute on a bike.

Yeh I do, everyday for the last 2 and abit years, through the city, along a canal path then on an A road….

With all the snow and rain you cant see all of the potholes. I hit one about a month ago along a busy road and went over the bars and was knocked unconcious. Between the crash damage to my bike and paramedics cutting off my kit the cost to me to replace everything and sick days was almost £1000. Damn right i’m claiming.
The whole couincil aware thing to some extent is a bit misleading, if you think it’s worth pursuing then do.

Thanks to everyone on here who gave me advice as well.

Stompy, it was pissing down with rain and the pothole was covered in 2 inches of water.

If you couldn’t see it in bad weather then it is a hazard.

I know it’s council funds but if it was me I’d me claiming damages to my bike.

If it was a motorcyclist they would sue too.

If it was bike damage then a repair should be paid for.

Anyone saying no, ok you’re Mum or Dad came off their bike in bad weather due to hole being filled in by rain-maybe they should look where they are going? -yeah the same swearing back at you.

It’s easy to judge when we don’t know the full facts and it hasn’t happened to us.

If you can afford the fix do it yourself or ask bike compensation repair.

Feel sorry for you sexpest being knocked out etc but being cut open from your clothing by the medics and your username then I think you secretly enjoyed the groping by the female medics and the polaroids taken… 😉

The council have a duty of care to miantian the roads. They have people inspecting the roads throughout the year.
If they are negligent you need to consider approaching them firstly because of the poor road condition and secondly for making good the damage.
I’d have a chat with your local Citizen’s Advice office (Google and Yellow Pages) and seek their advice. They are impartial and excellent in every case I have ever spoken with them about.
Tim

I hit a pot hole the other day that wasn’t there the day before. Fortunalty for me it just took out my tubes and i managed to stop safley. I reported thia to our council that day and 2 days later it was fixed as it is a busy road. If you commute in the dark it is not always easy to see potholes that have suddenly appeared in the road.

Same thing happened to me in the car 10 years ago. Massive pothole dented 2 alloys and burst both tyres. Too right i claimed! No way i was lashing out £300 for them when i couldn’t avoid the damn thing. Took lots of pictures and a showed a ruler in the hole for size and depth etc and they coughed up.
If your bike has been damaged then why shouldnt you claim for the replacement / repair of your wheel?