Pre-Season Mountain Biking Seminars start SOON!

It’s March! Cycling season is almost upon us and we’re looking forward to spending it with all of you. To kick things off, we’re having a series of mountain bike seminars to prepare you and your bike for the beautiful days ahead.

Les Cook, Hometown’s General Manager, is facilitating this 4-part series dedicated to Mountain Bike Fitness. Each session is 60 minutes, with plenty of time for discussion and questions. Advance registration is requested; click on the links below to sign-up! Cost: $15 per seminar.

Week 1 (March 9th from 6-7 PM): Fitness of Your Bike

Week 2 (March 16th from 6-7 PM): Fitness of Your Body

Week 3 (March 23rd from 6-7 PM): Fitness of Your Mind

Week 4 (April 6th from 6-7 PM): Technical Skills

Seminars will be held at The H.U.B. Incubator LLC, in the Hometown Bicycles building. Use the 3rd entrance to access The H.U.B. We’re excited for you to see this awesome new business incubator and event space, owned by Leslie Barrett and Shaun Bhajan. More info coming soon!

Help Wanted: Join the Hometown Crew

Creating the magic of Hometown is no small thing — we need a crew of highly organized, creative, and enthusiastic team members. If you are detail-oriented, have excellent verbal and written communication skills, and have a passion for cycling, consider applying for a position with us.

We currently have several career opportunities:

Service Writer: Full-Time
Service Technicians: 4 Full-Time and 2 Part-Time
Bicycle Mechanics: 2 Full-Time
Sales: Full-Time (Thursday-Monday schedule)
Cashiers: 2 Part-Time (evenings and weekends)
Inventory Manager: Full-Time
Rides/Events/Marketing Coordinator: Part-Time

For consideration, send your resume and cover letter to Shaun Bhajan at shaun@myhometownbicycles.com.

Do It For Dan Memorial Ride

Cyclists and mobility participants, please join the Daniel J. Horal Family Foundation and Hometown Bicycles on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 3 PM for the 4th Annual Do It For Dan (DIFD) Memorial Ride. This event is a fundraiser supporting safe mobility in Livingston County.

Tragically, while Dan was biking in Island Lake Recreation on April 24, 2019, he was hit by a distracted driver. He died just days later, and in an instant, Dan’s family and friends’ lives were forever changed.

After Dan’s passing on April 26, 2019, Hometown Bicycles organized a “Do It For Dan” Memorial Ride. The inaugural event was held on May 5, 2019, bringing together over 500 people to complete the ride that Dan was never able to finish. The event focused on creating awareness to share the road between motorists and bicyclists. It also promoted cycling safety and advocacy. Dan was a great believer in giving back and as a great outdoorsman he would be thrilled to see good come from this tragedy.

This year’s ride will start at JC Penney at Green Oak Village Place and proceed to Island Lake. For more information, visit the event page HERE. Donations may be made HERE.

Child Bicycle Safety Checks

Would your neighborhood like to host us for a FREE Child Bicycle & Helmet Safety Check this spring?

Last year, we had a great time helping kids and families throughout Livingston County and want to do it again!

It’s fairly simple — we set up in a quiet, off-the-beaten-path area of your subdivision (cul-de-sacs and neighborhood parks work out well) and do a bike and helmet inspection to ensure everything is safe for your kiddos to ride. Minor adjustments are made, bike tires are filled with air, and so on. We just need HOA-approval and your help spreading the word to your neighbors!

We generally schedule on Saturdays from 10 AM – 2 PM during the months of April and May.

If you’d like your subdivision to be added to our calendar, contact Leslie at events@myhometownbicycles.com.

Fun Facts

1005 West Third Street in Dayton, Ohio is at risk of being demolished. Did you know… this building is of historic cycling significance?

Wilber and Orville Wright ran their first bike shop at the site for six months in 1892. The current building, called the Gem City Ice Cream Building, was built around the building that housed that shop. It remains a stop on a guided historical tour of the district and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Read more about it HERE.

Did you know… that beneath the waters of Kent Lake in Kensington Metropark once existed a town?

The Village of Kensington was settled in 1831. In 1833, the town’s first buildings were constructed: a log house and a sawmill. Town officials believed that the vast amounts of lumber and water power from the Huron River would allow Kensington to grow into a major city center like Detroit.

The village became quite prosperous in its early years. Due to many critical events, there were only four families left in the town by 1905. In 1940, a dam project led to flooding of the Village of Kensington, thus creating Kent Lake and Kensington Metropark, which opened to the public in 1948. The town is now a mostly forgotten place, with the only remaining ruins found at Kensington’s Nature Center. Read the fascinating history HERE.

Go-Liv-Co

Take a moment to like/follow the Go-Liv-Co Facebook page, which is the Livingston County Non-Motorized Advisory Committee. Show your support and become informed about advocacy efforts in our area.

Go-Liv-Co promotes and encourages active mobility in Livingston County via the implementation of Complete Streets and Trails that allow people to safely walk, run, bike or wheel regardless of age or ability.

To learn more and to get involved, contact Craig Wood at cwcraigwood@gmail.com.