FOR RIDERS, START TIME: 2:45 for a 3 pm Roll-out for a 6 mile ride to the Memorial tree/Ghost Bike from Green Oak Village Place (JcPenney)
DISTANCE: 6 Mile or 12 Mile (Your choice) Slow roll
RIDE TO or MEET AT THE MEMORIAL TREE/GHOST BIKE (Entrance to Kent lake beach in Island lake State Park) 3:45 for words from the family and a moment of silence.
WALKERS Meet at the Memorial tree/Ghost bike 3:45 Memorial walk will follow moment of silence
This event is a fundraiser supporting safe mobility in Livingston County. You can show your support by
Purchasing an EVENT T-SHIRT at Hometown Bicycles (100% of the sale goes to the Horal Family Foundation)
Cyclists and mobility participants, please join the Daniel J. Horal Family Foundation on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 3 PM for the 4th Annual Do It For Dan (DIFD) Memorial Ride.This week marks the three year anniversary of Dan’s tragic death. He set out on the afternoon of April 24th to enjoy a bicycle ride in Island Lake State Park. A ride he enjoyed doing several days a week. Nobody expected the tragedy that would follow. Time has passed, but the memories do not fade.
Please join us this Sunday for the 4th annual Do It For Dan Memorial Ride. Covid has impacted the group ride format for the past couple of years, but this year we’re riding together! We are meeting in the JC Penney Green Oak Mall parking lot at 3:00 pm. We will enter Island Lake State Park from there and ride as a group. As always, there will be a gathering (water break) at “the tree”.
We are making great progress in the fight to end distracted driving and make safety for bicyclists, runners, walkers, etc. a top priority. Please show your support in whatever way you can. Gone but not forgotten… do it for Dan!
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.Go-Liv-Co
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 FREEChild 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.
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.
Hometown’s 2022 Game Plan! We’re already almost a month into the new year. Hard to believe, isn’t it? The winter days drag on a bit, but the months sure go by quickly. Spring cycling season will be here before we know it. And we can’t wait!
We have given a lot of thought to what we’d like Hometown and our local cycling community to accomplish in 2022. First and foremost, Hometown Bicycles will celebrate 12 years in business! Our baby is now almost a teenager. Over the years, we have pivoted and adapted — trying new things and letting go of old ways — and through it all, we have stayed committed to our four pillars: what’s best for the customer, what’s best for the company, what’s best for the community, and what’s best for the industry.
Recent years have brought exceptional challenges to overcome. No one anticipated a pandemic and all of the resulting byproducts — everything from supply chain issues to the cancellation of multiple shop and community rides, races, and events. This year, we hope to bring Hometown back to what you know and love. A vibrant place; your Happy Place.
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the exciting things we have in the works!
Hometown Shop Rides: Our new ride schedule will debut this spring
Revamped Service Shop: To better meet the needs of our customers and crew
Clinics & Classes: A year-round schedule with a variety of topics
More Community Partnerships: Something we have always believed in, but look for new (and improved) partnerships between Hometown and like-minded businesses and organizations
We’re excited for the opportunity to continue to grow and to serve our awesome community in 2022. Let’s make this a fabulous year!
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.
We’re winding down for the year, Homies. Each December, we close the shop for a period of time to enjoy the holidays and to allow our crew to spend time with their families and friends. Be sure to stop in over the next few days for your last-minute service needs, to drop off your bikes for winter storage, and to get gift certificates for the cyclists in your life.
The shop will close at 5 PM on Thursday, December 23rd, and will re-open at 10 AM on Friday, January 7th.
Stay tuned next week for a letter from Santa, er, Shaun, with his 2021 recap and well wishes for a Merry Christmas!
THANK YOU, Cycling Community!
Look what you did to make this year’s Toys for Tots drive a success! With a bit of friendly competition among mountain bikers, road riders, and e-bikers, Hometown was able to make a collective donation of 109 toys for children in need. Thank you. We appreciate you!
Here are the rankings:
Mountain bikers: 69
Road riders: 29
E-bikers: 11
A special shout out to Hometown crew member Mike Newman and his wife Marybeth for making this toy drive an annual tradition at the shop.
FREE Winter Storage! Don’t forget! Through February 28, we’re offering free storage with the purchase of a tune-up. If you’re interested in winter storage without the tune-up, we offer it for $10/month.
We all know how busy the service shop gets come March. It’s no surprise. After being cooped up all winter, everyone is stir crazy and can’t WAIT to get out there and ride as soon as the spring weather allows.
We can’t stress this enough: Bring your bike in for a tune-up over the winter!
Also, with shortages and delays, this allows time for us to receive needed parts for your repairs during months you won’t be using your bike. This will save you the trouble of coming in for service during peak season when our turnaround time is longer. Instead of being frustrated this spring, take advantage of this plan-ahead option and be the first one hitting the trails on March 1st! Get those bikes in before our holiday break!
Women’s Personal Protection Course
Join us for a female-only self-defense class (for ages 12+). We ran this class in the fall and had a great turnout, so we’re going to make it a regularly scheduled event!
Monday, January 24 7-8:30 PM The H.U.B. Incubator at Hometown Bicycles
Instructors from Keep and Bear LLC will cover multiple facets of protection including situational awareness, instinctual responses, and nonphysical applications. From there, physical force applications are instructed including striking, force multipliers (hand weapons), and using them to assist in strikes and escapes from common grabs and other grapples. Don and Berge are engaging and informative instructors; attendees will feel comfortable and confident with the material presented. Ladies, we hope you will join us for this important class.
