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55 Curt Burt

Writer's picture: Dave GobleDave Goble

Updated: Feb 20, 2024

Oh dear. No ride today. Well, just a very short one to the bike shop a mile down the road.


Burt's bike shop on Hampton High Street


While cycling I had noticed a slight, rhythmic sort of wobble, getting steadily worse in recent days, (the bike’s been behaving strangely too). Should’ve checked sooner. Found a partially shredded rear tyre wall, though the inner tube was still fully inflated.


Anyway. The bike’s with Burt at the moment. He took me aback when, on brief inspection, he raised a hand and executed the dreaded chin stroke, remarking “It’s a cheap bike”. It turned out to be a precursor to his view I might not be in the market for what he explained could be a Kevlar tyre as a replacement. On seeing my puzzled face he explained the new tyre would probably be more valuable than the bike. I agreed something less extravagant would be more in keeping with my limited cycling aspirations, upon which he said he’d look through a selection of used tyres that still had plenty of life in them.


I resisted the growing urge to tell him he was missing an apostrophe in his shop sign.

Later that day he called me to say I could pick my bike up, having changed my rear tyre with a barely used and inexpensive replacement.


Decent result.


Red arrow: Burts Cycles [sic]


P.S. As well as the missing apostrophe, there was a lost opportunity on Burt’s part for a bit of alliteration: I think Burt’s Bikes has a nicer ring to it. Then again, Curt Burt's works for me!

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