This question is for anyone who flies abroad from Taiwan with their bicycle, and who gets it insured.
I’m a British citizen living here in Taiwan with an APRC and I’m thinking of taking my bicycle with me for some bike touring back home when I fly there for a visit later this year. I’m a bit confused by the insurance options. There are, to my knowledge, no companies in Taiwan providing that kind of coverage.
Who do you use?
if ur based in taiwan, ur gonna have to get those standard global medical insurances where you can buy one at the airport counters. these are more commonly called travel insurances. dont use the keyword bike because its way too niche. otherwise, just get one back home.
Also as an APRC holder Taiwan resident, I purchase travel insurance from Fubon in Taipei - it’s cheaper than purchasing at the airport (which I did once).
Sorry, but I can’t make sense of what you’re saying. ‘don’t use the keyword bike because it’s way too niche’?
Yes, but does that include bicycle insurance?
Bicycle insurance is largely pointless especially if your bike is worth less than £5k, but if you have insured it then I’d say it’s worth too much to you to bring to the UK for the ride here. It’s too risky.
If something happens to it, you’re literally better off buying another bike because bicycle insurance won’t pay out in most situations especially if it is stolen. In the UK if it is stolen it’s not even really worth reporting it.
My advice would be to leave your bike at home, buy/rent a cheap Specialized Allez or something, do your trip, sell it at the end, fly home. Or not do the trip at all.
This also eliminates the very high chance of it getting lost or generally broken at the airport.
Bike rent in the UK would be extortionate, thank you. The hassle of flying my own bike there is still quite a bit less than the hassle of tracking down a secondhand bike at my destination and then trying to sell it. “Or not do the trip at all” is extremely helpful.
Your answer is here 
Going the n+1 route would be a good option. Used market in western countries are a bit better than Taiwan and you should be able to find a top tier carbon frame rim brake bike for a good deal nowadays. Just make sure wherever you’re staying, there’s room for it and it won’t be damaged in storage while you’re not around.
Good luck with the decision!
If I’m really stumped, I might consider buying a bike I can fly with that’s not too expensive for a touring bike. But it’s frustrating because my current, actual bike was meant to be my touring bike. I’d still like to take it with me: I don’t want to have to try to buy whatever happens to be available at a destination. or deal with trying to sell it instead of focusing on, you know, my trip.
Well, first off, why would you want to bother with insurance? It isn’t necessary. Mainly because, when you fly with your bicycle, the single biggest risk factor remains the flight itself. Usually, you won’t have to worry about the airline “losing” your oversize baggage. They may damage the bicycle, however.
From personal experience: I have traveled extensively around Asia by airline with my bicycle, and have never experienced any serious issues. I just put my bike in an empty box and assemble it at the airport on arrival, very easy.
I’ve read stories, or seen video, of bikes crushed by luggage and badly damaged at some point during a flight, or boxes being opened up for inspection and then not properly closed, also leading to damage. That’s why I was thinking insurance. The bike isn’t the most expensive, compared to fancy carbon bikes (mine is titanium), but it’s still just about the most expensive single item I’ve bought that isn’t an apartment.
But: you clearly have a lot of experience flying with a bike, so you clearly know what you’re talking about. Especially if you’ve never had serious issues. I plan to put an airtag in the bike at minimum.
That’s fair, but then your trip is entirely in the hands of Heathrow baggage handlers. That’s a significant gamble.
“Would you look after the kids for me this weekend, Mr Lecter?”
You can also fly via Schipol and avoid Heathrow, which is what I prefer to do anyway.
Anyway, it is easy to pack up a bike in a box and you can wad it with plastic or styro, it is no big deal. Just go for it and forget wasting your time worrying over insurance. In the past, I flew from Taiwan to Switzerland and Ukraine, and before that to China, via Hong Kong, to Kashgar and Kunming; more recently, from Cambodia to Sri Lanka, South Korea, Nepal and Indonesia. Never any problems. At all.