In mid-1968, Huffman released the Flaming Stack chain guard, which was designed to look like the distinctive side exhaust pipe covers on the Corvette sports car. Later that same year, Huffman released a new Slingshot model with 16″ front dragster wheel, and 20″ rear. The new 1969 models where the last year for the three-bar Rail frame style. In 1970, Huffman deleted their three-bar frame and went to a two-bar Rail frame, eventually adding additional two-tone fade paint jobs along with Persons striped seats. So if your bike was stolen from your home and you have homeowner’s or renter’s insurance with a low deductible, go ahead and file an insurance claim as soon as you’ve filed a police report.
There’s an additional premium for this coverage—State Farm quoted us $300 annually for $5,000 worth of coverage—but there’s generally no deductible. Plus, your gear is insured wherever it is, so if your bike gets stolen outside of your home, that theft would be covered huffy trail runner by personal property insurance. While our homeowner’s insurance policy wouldn’t cover our stolen bike, we learned that many insurance companies offer supplemental coverage for personal property (or “personal articles policy”), which includes sports equipment.
In 1966, Huffman introduced a new long-wheelbase bicycle frame called the Rail. The new frame was approximately 4″ to 5″ longer than previous models. The new frame became Huffman’s base model until 1968. In 1968, in an effort to market a children’s bicycle with an automotive theme, Huffman designers added a car-type steering wheel in place of handlebars to the Rail frame, which became the Huffy Wheel. Generally, both homeowner’s insurance and renter’s insurance cover the theft of personal property, but that’s not a guarantee that you’ll be able to recoup the value of your stolen bicycle. Our homeowner’s insurance (through State Farm) covers theft of personal property, but our annual claim deductible is $3,800—about $800 more than the Santa Cruz Tallboy was worth brand new.
Be sure to have your bike’s manufacturer, exact model name, model year, and serial number on hand, along with other helpful details like frame color, specifications, etc. If you bought your bike new from a shop, you can get most of this info from your sales receipt. If you no longer have the sales receipt, call the shop where you purchased your bike to see if they still have a record of the sale; if they do, that record will include the details of your bike. I would (and have) recommend your site to others I was quite satisfied with the quality of the information received, the professional with whom I interacted, and the quick response time. Thanks, and be sure that I’ll be back whenever I need a question answered in a hurry.
Some insurers also have a sub-limit for bikes, e.g. $1,500. We know of only one lucky friend who was able to recover a stolen bicycle after pedaling around his neighborhood and just happening upon the thief riding his easily-recognizable custom bike. After confronting the thief on on the spot (a risky approach that police advice against), the thief abandoned the bike and ran for it. Like I said, this friend was one of the lucky few. Often, expensive bikes are stolen for the purpose of making a quick buck. Bike thieves might try to sell your stolen bike on popular online marketplaces like Facebook, Criagslist, or eBay.
Most of our friends have had a bike (or two) stolen from a public bike rack in town, off the back of their car, out of their vehicle’s trunk, or even lifted right out of their garage. My husband and I counted ourselves lucky, until we recently, involuntarily joined the ranks of the sad and pissed-off bike-less. Explore the ideal new ride in our huffy cruiser range of kids’ bikes, electric bikes, ride-ons, and more! Whether you’re shopping for the family princess or the local superhero, we’ve got you covered with Disney and Marvel bikes. First turn in all the way the adjustment on the lever. Then squeeze the rear brake levers together and see if you can get the screw in the hole it came from.