PedalSure and BackPedal both cover bike theft — but they protect different things. PedalSure is built around the rider: injury, liability, loss-of-earnings if a crash keeps you off work. BackPedal is built around the bike: a covert tracker, and a team that goes and gets it back. So the real question isn't which policy is better. It's what you're actually insuring — you, or the machine.
PedalSure has backed UK cyclists since 2014 and covers 50,000+ riders. But with 66,960 bikes reported stolen in England and Wales in 2023/24, theft is where the two part company. Here's how they compare on cover, claims, price — and what happens the day your bike disappears.
What Does PedalSure Cover?
PedalSure offers one comprehensive policy rather than tiers. According to its website, cover includes:
- Theft and accidental damage, at home and away
- Personal injury and public liability — including loss-of-earnings payments if you cannot work after a crash
- Sportives and races, plus up to 60 days of overseas and in-transit cover
- Accessories and personal possessions carried on the bike
Claims are assessed within 24 hours, family cover comes as standard, and a price match promise means PedalSure will match any cheaper like-for-like quote. Policies are arranged with Dukes House Insurance, a Guernsey-registered insurer regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission.
It's rider-focused cover with real breadth. What it doesn't include is any way of getting a stolen bike back.
The BackPedal Difference: Getting Your Stolen Bike Back
Here's the axis that matters: PedalSure protects you. BackPedal protects the bike.
Every BackPedal subscription ships with a covert GPS tracker, fitted out of sight on the frame. Report a theft and a dedicated recovery team moves on it — bringing the bike home in 79.7% of cases, usually within around 48 hours. More than 1,000 bikes recovered so far.
No recovery? The payout kicks in like any standard policy, underwritten by FCA-regulated Sundays Insurance. Bike first; cheque as backstop. Full process on the bike recovery service page.
Worth knowing: consumer tracker fitting currently covers London zones 1–4, expanding through 2026.
Want it line by line? See our PedalSure comparison page, or get a quote for your bike and price up recovery-first cover in minutes.
PedalSure vs BackPedal: Side by Side
After a theft
PedalSure assesses your claim within 24 hours and pays out — fast, by industry standards. BackPedal dispatches a recovery team first, so in roughly four out of five thefts the original bike comes home, with no excess to pay on a successful recovery.
Rider cover vs bike recovery
PedalSure's strength is the rider: injury, liability and loss-of-earnings cover sit alongside theft protection. BackPedal's strength is the bike: tracker hardware, a recovery team and a payout safety net. Which matters more depends on how — and where — you ride.
Underwriting
PedalSure policies are arranged with Dukes House Insurance, regulated in Guernsey by the GFSC. BackPedal's cover is underwritten by Sundays Insurance, regulated by the UK's FCA.
Who Should Choose PedalSure?
PedalSure makes sense if you:
- Want personal injury, liability and loss-of-earnings cover bundled with your bike policy
- Race or ride sportives regularly and need event cover as standard
- Are price-driven — the price match promise rewards shopping around
With 50,000+ riders and over a decade in the market, it's an established, credible choice for payout-based cover.
Who Should Choose a PedalSure Alternative?
A PedalSure alternative built around recovery fits better if you:
- Commute and park in city theft hotspots — stations, street racks, city centres
- Ride one valuable bike or ebike where the bike itself, not its cash value, is the point
- Want theft handled proactively — tracking and retrieval, not just a settlement
Ebike riders should also weigh battery cover: BackPedal offers dedicated ebike insurance with the same tracker and recovery service included.
PedalSure FAQs
Does PedalSure offer a bike recovery service?
No. PedalSure provides payout-based cover — theft, damage, injury and liability — but its website lists no tracking hardware or recovery service. BackPedal includes a covert GPS tracker and professional recovery team with every policy, recovering 79.7% of stolen bikes.
How quickly does PedalSure handle claims?
PedalSure says it assesses claims within 24 hours and can set up cover in under 60 seconds — quick by industry standards. The outcome, though, is a payout. BackPedal aims to return the actual bike, typically within around 48 hours of a theft.
What makes BackPedal different from PedalSure?
The recovery model. Both cover theft, but BackPedal fits a covert GPS tracker to every insured bike and sends a recovery team after stolen ones — with a 79.7% success rate across more than 1,000 recoveries. If recovery fails, an FCA-underwritten insurance policy still applies.
Does BackPedal insure ebikes?
Yes. BackPedal offers dedicated ebike cover with the covert tracker and recovery service included, plus a payout fallback if a bike cannot be recovered. Tracker fitting is currently available in London zones 1–4, with expansion planned during 2026.
The Verdict
Choose on what you want protected. If it's the rider — injuries, liability, lost earnings — PedalSure is a well-rounded, competitively priced option. If it's the bike itself, BackPedal's tracker-and-recovery model gets stolen bikes back in nearly four out of five cases, with a regulated payout behind it.
Get a quote for your bike and see what recovery-first cover would cost you.