Hometown Bicycles

How to Have Fun

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Shaun

NOTE: WE WILL BE CLOSED ON
THE 4TH OF JULY

We asked our customers whether we should be open this holiday, and the majority spoke – with gusto! Have a spectacular 4th with your families and bicycles, and we look forward to seeing you again on Friday!

STEP 1: Leave September 14, 2013 open on your calendars.
STEP 2: Follow our Facebook to find out when registration opens.
STEP 3: Sign up, race, and bring anyone with a pulse to cheer you on!

Our event team is hard at work preparing for the first ever Hometown Race. In keeping with our culture, this Mountain Bike Marathon is first and foremost about family and fun… but there will also be some crazy awesome prizes for our top winners!

Registration opens soon. Keep up with the latest race news on our Facebook page!

A BIG OL’ FEATHER IN OUR HELMET

You did it again!!! All of us here are blown away by your loyalty and support… out of 41 bicycle shops, you voted us right into First Place as the Detroit A-List’s BEST Bike Shop! Wow!!

This recognition stands for so much more than just a “feather in our helmet”. It’s confirmation that you believe in what we stand for. It’s verification that we ARE sharing our enthusiasm for cycling. It’s a sure sign that we’re on the right track…

THANK YOU!

FEATURE PHOTO: A SUNDAY MORNING CYCLE

Recognize this scene? Locals will be nodding their heads because this is downtown Howell, host to last weekend’s Tour de Livingston Kick-Off Ride. For those of you who don’t know, Hometown Bicycles “HEARTS” Tour de Livingston in a BIG way. It’s a ride that represents everything we hold dear – fun, family, friendship, achievement, cycling your buns off…

To support this blow-your-cycling-socks-off event, Hometown is doing something very, VERY dramatic…

WE’RE CHANGING OUR WEEKEND HOURS, SO THAT WE CAN RIDE WITH YOU!

As you know, we opened late last Sunday, so that all of our staff could participate in the Tour de Livingston Kick-Off Ride. What a ride…

It was such a great set-up, that we’ve decided to ride the same course every weekend up to the event itself on October 13th.

What does this mean? We aspire to be more than “just a bike shop” – we want to ride with you, “geek out” with you, and live the cycling lifestyle with you. That’s why our store hours are changing – so that we can spend some quality saddle time with YOU!

New Store Hours (beginning this Saturday):
______________________________________________

MON-FRI 7AM – 7PM

SHOP RIDES: Unchanged
View our rides calendar.

SATURDAY 7AM – 5PM

SAT NIGHT SHOP RIDE: Intro to Cycling
NO-DROP ride for all levels. 12-15 miles. Casual pace.
LEAVES AT 5:30PM from the shop.*

SUNDAY 11AM – 5PM

SUN MORNING SHOP RIDE: Tour de Livingston Training Ride
NO-DROP ride for all levels. 15 or 30 miles (your choice). Casual pace.
30 MILE LEAVES AT 7:00AM from the Courthouse in Howell.*
15 MILE LEAVES AT 8:00AM from the Courthouse in Howell.*

SUN NIGHT SHOP RIDE: Intro to Mountain Biking
NO-DROP ride for all levels. 15ish miles. Casual pace.
LEAVES AT 5:30PM from the shop.*

* Rides are subject to weather conditions. ALWAYS check our Facebook page or call ahead to confirm rides.

Note: We will be closed on the Fourth of July

“Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments.”
– Rose Kennedy

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A Hometown Heart-to-Heart

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Shaun

THREE YEARS AGO, we launched Hometown Bicycles – not just a store, but a concept. And now it’s time to check in on how we’re doing.

We believe in the sport of cycling down to our very core, so we never wanted to be just another bike retailer – they’re a dime a dozen. Our goal was and is to be the people’s bike shop – a place you visit because you genuinely love being here.

And some wonderful things have occurred as a result! We got engaged, and then married. A year later, our shop quadrupled in size, and we introduced retail. And a year after that, we got a fish tank (icing on the cake).

BUT THE FUN DIDN’T STOP THERE. We won Best Bike Shop in Southeast Michigan thanks to you, our loyal customers. Then one of the world’s largest bicycle parts distributors, QBP, honored us with the Best Retailer Award. Our shop was recently featured in the Livingston Daily Press & Argus. Organizations of every kind have invited us to participate in their events.

And you’ve given us the greatest reward of all – the opportunity to repair well over 5,000 of your treasured bicycles, so that we could get you back in the saddle and loving your ride.

ALONG THE WAY, we’ve championed the many, many people who ride because they WANT to, not because they HAVE to. In return, you’ve given us purpose and joy:

• Tom and Sarah Spangler, who make regular weekend field trips to Hometown just to say “hi”
• Gary Batherson, who shares his trials and triumphs with Hometown in a way that humbles and enriches us
• Kenny Johnson, a true blue Hometownie, who reliably spends his lunch (… and breakfast… and dinner) hours at our store
• Don Wood (a.k.a Woody), who in the midst of riding the Ididerot, sent us a photo of our Hometown sticker in Alaska ‘cuz he was thinking about us
• Megan Holt, who brings us delicious, home-baked cookies with waist-enlarging frequency
• Mike Shaw, who revs us up about our shop every time he makes the haul from Livonia because he truly believes in Hometown

These kinds of relationships are the core of our culture, and we appreciate every last one.

WITH THE RISE OF OUR SUCCESS, there’s been a similar rise in customer volume. And though we give our all, sometimes we’re concerned that the true Hometown experience gets lost in the rush of the day. So, we all sit back after closing time, and talk about the customers who came in, and whether we made an actual connection.

Our number one fear is becoming “just another bike shop.” We want to always stay connected with you, the people who believe in us.

TO SUPPORT THAT GOAL, we do cool things, like run daily shop rides, feature customers and their accomplishments on Facebook, and work hard to make this your “happy place.” In addition, we’ll be launching a new, family-friendly, mountain bike race series this fall (stay tuned). Also, don’t be surprised if you get a call from us asking how you like your bike socks, or how you’re recent tune-up is working out; we care about your experience, and genuinely want to know!

Expect more events, more communication, and more activities in the coming days. And, if you’re feelin’ it, we would love for you to share your own Hometown experience with us. Include a photo. Show us you’re riding and loving it! We’ll feature your stories in our emails, on our website, and on Facebook.

Thanks so much for always fueling our enthusiasm!

Shaun & Dawn Bhajan

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Demo Day Video

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Shaun

Awesome demo. Awesome bikes. Awesome food. Awesome rides.

And an awesome video that says it all, created by awesome Hometown crew member and crazy-amazing videographer, Devin Neumann.

Special thanks to Jamis for the opportunity, Promess Inc. for the location, Steve S. for the sustenance, our crew for their hard work and, most especially, all of the awesome customers who came out to support and be a part of our demo.

Get out and ride!