Beeton's takes great care of customers

All financial services and no play makes Short Take a dull day.

Sunday, I left home and headed toward Goat Island for a tour. My bike chain chattered and skipped off the rear cassette just south of College Avenue.

By DeVeaux Woods, it did it again. I had 20 minutes to be to the arch on Goat Island for a tour so I turned around and headed home.

If you live here and don’t have an Empire Pass, buy one. For $80, you can enter any state park, including Lot 1, by the Maid of the Mist and Lot 2 on Goat Island as well as Letchworth, Golden Hill and anywhere else.

I drove to Lot 2 and met my guests, no harm, no foul, one bike ride short of a perfect day.

Mid-day Monday I racked the bike on the Jetta Sportwagen and brought it to Beeton’s Cyclery.

Beeton’s is a Falls’ institution, split between bikes, safes and being a locksmith.

I wheeled in and was 3rd in line.

Jeff took my bike from me and cleared a repair stand in the open space at the rear of the shop. I expected to drop it and come back tomorrow, $60 lighter.

He put it on the stand while I waited, analyzed the issue and solved the problem – a minor derailleur adjustment and the elimination of clotted grease on the spur.

As I waited, two young boys wheeled in a new Huffy on a box on a wagon. Another customer brought in a bike with a flat. A homeless-looking guy with a small bike was looking for air.

All walked away happy, though the boys were a tad disappointed because they might have to wait for Wednesday for the new bike to be assembled.

As Jeff wheeled my bike away, all better.

“What do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I like Tom’s. I like Bert’s. Beeton’s, however, is on a different level. More than 100 years old for a reason. They have a full line of Jamis Bikes, some Dash e-bikes and a love for community that lasts. Please support them. Now if I could just get some wings at the Orchard Grill.

Oh and hey: I made it through two more applications. If you bought term life insurance in the last 4 to 7 years, and are still as healthy as you were then, let me know. You can be in a better place easily with either more death benefit or a lower premium.

If small business matters, message me, stop by Beeton’s or visit https://beetonsbikes.com/