WE love what we do, and we hope that YOU love it also. If you do, TELL THE WORLD
It’s Channel 4’s “Vote for the Best” time. We have come close in years past, but this year we want to win and be on TV, and you can help. Click on the following link to vote. Please vote often (YOU CAN VOTE WEEKLY!). If we win, EVERYTHING in the store will be 25% off on “Black Friday”.
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Crank up the creative juices, ‘cuz we’re launching our first annual Hometown Bicycles Pumpkin Carving Contest… RIGHT NOW! Here’s the pumpkin-goop scoop:
Carve the coolest pumpkin to win a $100 gift certificate to spend on ANY in-store product or service at the world’s coolest store… ours!
Any theme is welcome (keep it PG, peeps). Just bring in your pumpkin art any time from now through Halloween. We’ll be displaying them in and around our store. Our customers will vote for their favorite, so the sooner you can enter, the better your chances.
We’ll post the entries on Facebook , and the contest winner this Halloween!
I worked with Rich Jones for years, so it hit close to home to learn about his mother’s battle with breast cancer. But Rich and his family (above, Linda’s in pink) are raring to tackle this, and are hosting the following fund raising event for the Linda McCarthy Jones Treatment Assistance Fund:
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2011 • 5PM TO MIDNIGHT
American Legion Hall | 1430 Southfield Rd. | Lincoln Park, MI
$20/person: This event will include music, dancing, dinner, beverages, karaoke contest, bake sale, 50-50 contest and a bicycle raffle (donated by Hometown). Beer and wine will be available for purchase.
All of us from the shop will be there, so come hang out with us, and help Rich’s mom fight the good fight.
NOW THAT’S OUR KIND OF PROPOSAL! This is Roy. Roy just stopped by our shop on his way to Goshen, Indiana – by bicycle – where he will propose to his unsuspecting future wife. He’s given us permission to spill the secret here, but if you know his fiancé-to-be – SHHH!!!
TRAINER MYTH: If your bicycle becomes detached from your trainer while you’re pedaling, you’ll go flying off into the wall in true Darwin-Award fashion. FALSE!
TRAINER TRUTH: The fact, however, isn’t much prettier than the fiction. If your bicycle seperates from the trainer mid-spin, it will most likely tip over, destroying the wheel and scratching the frame.
TRAINER TIP: To keep you and your bicycle in working order, make sure to ALWAYS use the skewer that’s been supplied with the trainer. If it’s gone missing, stop in and pick up a new one. The number one trainer crash-and-burn scenario comes from using the wrong parts.
If you’re concerned about proper trainer use, stop in any time. We can use your trainer, or one of our trainers at the store, to provide a hands-on demonstration on how to set it up right.
– Bill “Wheelin’ Willie” Sager, Hometownie
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Let’s set the scene… Sunday, October 9th. 8:00am. Mt. Brighton lodge. Nearly 800 cyclists laughing and chatting, grabbing a final breakfast bar and topping off their water bottles. Tour de Livingston time…
We were up extra early packing bikes, gear and tools at the shop (left). James and Amanda manned the Hometown tent at the Tour (Amanda wheeling out a Jamis Hudson Cruiser, right). James, Amanda… you are awesome. Thank you both!
Hometown’s tent was hopping with last minute bicycle repairs and deflated tires. (Shaun, left. James, right.)
We snuck in a little time to build our Bicycle Tug of War. Of course, we had to test it out first… you know… to make sure it was fun enough. It was. (Valiant knights, right. Trusty steeds, left.)
At the Tour, willing volunteers made sure our tug-of-war bikes were working properly (left). Then, let the games begin! Jack watched on to make sure there was no monkey business (right).
Tour directors were launching cyclists in waves for a variety of short and long, road and trail loops (right). We grabbed a quick photo op with our 500 Mile Challenge superstars, Steve and Jill (left). (Read more about their success story below.)
Dawn and I set off a little late, but rarin’ to go on our 100-miles-on-a-tandem-1-day-before-our-1-year-wedding-anniversary adventure! We encountered all kinds of roads…
And all kinds of scenery…
And all kinds of ‘wildlife’ (cows, left – horses, right).
Our favorite rest stop was Dexter Cider Mill (left), where we chowed down on fresh donuts and cider (with zero remorse). Tour planner and coordinator (and the evil mastermind behind the 62-mile loop, Ann Arbor hill climb), Jim Gilligan of Snedicor’s Cleaners, was there to welcome cyclists with refreshments and good cheer (right).
Our last 38 miles benefited big time from the awesome company of Hometownie, Barry Wynn. A flat (left) didn’t stop us for long. Neither did Michigan’s infestation of orange barrels (middle). Most of the ride was smooth sailing (right).
On the final stretch, when we were questioning our sanity, Tour Director Peter Bowen’s creative road markings in front of our shop (left) inspired us to go the distance. Victory was sweet. 100 miles, baby!! That’s definitely something to smile about (right).
So, who’s ready to ride with us next year??
Remember when Shaun challenged two, innocent customers to ride 500 miles in one summer on their new bikes? Since then, Jill and Steven have become local superstars, pedaling all over the county. They conquered their last 38 of the 500 miles at the 2011 Tour de Livingston. Their letter says it all:
“When Shaun asked us to ride 500 miles, our first thought was, he wants us to do what? This challenge was pushing us out of our comfort zone.
But we accepted it, and conquered it. It not only pushed us to ride, but has brought us closer together as a couple.
We traveled to more places that I did not even know existed. There were many Sundays we would go to church with the bikes packed and head off to an unknown destination. We [even] took a bikecation to the west side of the state.
Our vacations and summers will never be the same, now that we have our bikes, and I (Jill) have challenged myself to ride 1,000 miles!
We will always be forever grateful to the staff at Hometown!
Jill & Steven Gautherat
P.S. We are NOT done riding… there are some more beautiful days ahead, we are going to take advantage of them!”
Congratulations, Jill and Steven! You’ve inspired all sorts of people with your determination… including us!!
– Tour de Livingston 2011, TdL Facebook Page
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Seriously, if you haven’t already…
It looks like it’s going to be perfect cycling weather this weekend! Dawn and I will be there riding our tandem. Plus, YOU GET 10% OFF ANYTHING IN THE SHOP when you bring in your registration to Hometown before the 2011 Tour de Livingston.
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up today!!
Cyclists take on Winter in this infamous 27-mile, point-to-point mountain bike race through the Traverse City trails on
SATURDAY, NOV 5TH
VISIT THE ICEMAN WEBSITE
It’s all mud, ice, guts and glory at this mad event, and we know many of you cool cats are taking on the challenge!
Check out CJ’s Monday Iceman Training Ride at right for a chance to hone your cold weather racing skills.
OLYMPIC PHOTOGRAPHY AT HOMETOWN: Thanks to local cyclist and pro photographer, Karen Huckabone of Limiteditions Photography, Hometown’s bicycle fitting room has gone from great to downright gorgeous! It’s worth a special trip just to see her stunning Olympic and Italian photography.
Karen gives us the scoop on her photo series:
“The U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO is headquarters for the U.S.O.C. administration and the training center.
Since 1978, when the U.S.O.C. acquired the ENT Air Force base, the center has accommodated over 10,000 athletes.
I interned at the center in 1983 following graduation from Indiana University. My job as a journalist was to write a story about the athlete visiting and send the story about his experiences back to his hometown newspaper. This is all before computers and instant news, emails, tweets and blogs. The story was written and photo taken, then the information mailed to the local paper of the athlete.
Twenty-eight years later the Olympic Training Center provides training facilities to 557 coaches and athletes every year.”
As the weather cools, the temptation will be to layer up like an Eskimo for your bike rides. Fight the urge!
If you’re warm to start, you’ll be broiling mid-ride. Aim for chilly, and you’ll reach that happy medium.
No need to roast or freeze. We’ve got the right gear for any cycling season. Stop in and check it out!
– Mike Hoffner, 1,000-Miles-in-60-Days Cyclist
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