bicycle shop | Hometown Bicycles

Winter Cycling Clinics continue and Fitness Classes are BACK!

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Shaun

We have two clinics coming up before the end of the month and you’re invited!

These are socially-distanced gatherings in our Community Room where each person in attendance has his/her own table. Masks are required. We’re keeping it safe while enjoying an hour or two out of the house on Saturday evenings after shop hours. Attendance is limited to SEVEN people, so grab your spots early!

Saturday 2/20 from 5-6 PM
“TRY” Clinic
The theme is TRY! For those new to the idea of completing a triathlon. Not for the well-versed competitors, but for the beginner who’s maybe still sitting on their couch, wanting to work toward this bucket list goal.

To sign up for this FREE event, click HERE.

Saturday 2/27 from 5-6 PM
Tech Talk: Q&A with our Master Mechanics
This is YOUR opportunity to bring questions to our master mechanics, Tyler and Mason. For one hour, they will share their knowledge and provide answers to your most pressing mechanical questions. Target audience: Intermediate riders who have a decent working knowledge of their bike(s), and bicycle parts and components.

To register for this event, click HERE.
Cost: $12

Support Local! And get a Hometown perk!

We hope our local restaurants are doing well since re-opening earlier this month. Help us help them.

For the month of February, we’ll be running the following promotion:

Go to a local family-owned restaurant. We’re talking about those places with owners that live in and support our local community!
Bring your restaurant receipt to the shop and pose for a photo.
Receive a $5 credit to your Hometown account.

It’s that simple!

**Limit of 4 credits for the month of February, one per week. Together we CAN make a difference.

Save the Date!

3rd Annual Do It For Dan Ride
Island Lake Recreation Area
Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 3 PM

For updates and to support the Daniel J. Horal Family Foundation, click HERE.

Fitness Classes are BACK!

Zumba with Leslie Barrett
Mondays at 6 PM

$8 drop-in; 10-class punch cards are available.
Pre-registration is required. Contact michiganzumbagirl@outlook.com for more info or visit her Facebook page.

Cardio Drumming with Martha Soraruf
Wednesdays at 6 PM

$5 drop-in
Bring your own equipment; there is no equipment rental at this time.
Pre-registration is required. Visit PURE Fitness and Nutrition for more info.

Coming next week: Girl Scout Cookies!

Stay tuned for our special Girl Scout cookies deal for you, our Hometownies! Details in next week’s e-newsletter.

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: best bicycle repair, best bicycle service, Best Bicycle Shop, bicycle, bicycle care, bicycle clinics, bicycle mechanic, bicycle repair, bicycle service, bicycle shop, bicycles, bike care, Cardio Drumming, Dan Horal, Do It for Dan Memorial Ride, Girl Scout cookies, Girl Scouts, Leslie Barrett, Martha Soraruf, PURE Fitness and Nutrition, triathlon, winter cycling, winter cycling gear clinic, zumba, Zumba with Leslie Barrett | Leave a comment »

Toys for Tots

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Shaun

As you’re doing your Black Friday shopping, please keep in mind that Hometown Bicycles is a collection site for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Due to Covid-19, they are expecting much greater need in Livingston County this year. For only $10, you can help bring joy to a child who may not receive gifts otherwise.

We like to make it a challenge because we know cyclists thrive on competition! We have four drop-off bins: Road Riders, Mountain Bikers, Gravel Grinders, and a one-size-fits-the-rest-of-us, All Bikes Matter. Who’s going to take the title this holiday season?

Gifts should be new, unwrapped, and for children up to age 16. Some ideas for the tweens and teens include bath and body products, soccer balls, backpacks, hair dryers, and books.

If you prefer not to shop but still want to participate, you may drop off cash in an envelope addressed to Leslie Barrett, Events Coordinator — she will shop for you and place the donations in your designated bin!

Thank you for making our toy drive successful — your generosity will surely make some local kids happy this Christmas.

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: bicycle, bicycle shop, bike, bike shop, Brighton MI, Christmas, cycling, donation, Hometown Bicycles, livingston county, mountain bike, Toys for Tots | Leave a comment »

The Power of Possibilities: Thank you, Lake Trust!

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Shaun

How cool is this?!
It’s not every day you see yourself larger than life while cruising down the highway. Imagine our surprise to discover Shaun and Dawn hovering high above I-96 at Dorr Road!

We have a challenge for our Hometownies!

Take a selfie with the billboard (you can access it from Dorr Road, near the Humane Society)
Post it on social media, tagging Hometown Bicycles and Lake Trust Credit Union
Stop by the shop to show off your selfie and get a FREE tube!

What a HUGE (literally!) honor — THANK YOU, Lake Trust Credit Union!

Winter Tune-Up with a Bonus! FREE WINTER STORAGE!

Avoid the spring rush and waiting, waiting, waiting for your bike to be serviced when everyone else is doing the same — be the early bird who gets the proverbial worm. How?

Bring your bike in anytime between now and December 23rd for a tune-up and we will store it at the shop until spring! This means your bike will be all set to roll come those early days of cycling weather in March. No wait, no hassle… just freedom to get out there and ride.

We have room to store up to 220 bikes, so take advantage of this opportunity while space permits. For $25, we can even deliver your bicycle to your door this spring!

Gift Certificate Trade-Up!

We are so grateful to our Hometown community for supporting our shop during what has been a tough year. We’ve received an outpouring of encouragement and generosity to keep us Hometown Strong. People still ask what they can do to support the shop as we enter the off-season, and with the holidays coming up, we have the perfect answer to that question — gift certificates!

As you know, we like to give too. We are offering a Gift Certificate Trade-Up program this holiday season, through December 23rd.

Here’s how it works:
Buy a gift certificate…
Get an accessory certificate on us!

The accessory certificate is for 10% of the gift certificate you purchase. For example — you buy a $200 gift certificate and we give you a $20 certificate to use on accessories. The cyclist in your life is sure to love it!

From the Les Cook Chronicles: Iceman NO Cometh 2020

For those of us who trail ride and for anybody that does anything else for that matter, 2020 is messed up. When the outdoor events started to be canceled, you knew things were bad. But we held out HOPE for the Bells Beer Iceman Cometh Challenge 2020. After all, this is the oldest point-to-point Mountain Bike race in the country from Kalkaska to Traverse City and this would mark year 31. Our hopes were dashed when it was canceled because of the dreaded Covid-19.

Then the rumors began to stir our hearts with hope. We could still ride the course informally, and the Iceman No Cometh 2020 was born. So we planned our trip and it was a blast. They sent out an app with this year’s course that could be downloaded into a Garmin and you could ride at your leisure. Anyone who has ridden the Iceman knows that the year after the worst years is the best year to ride.

This year was no exception. It was 70 degrees, I wore my summer kit, the trail was perfect, and it was fast. A lot of people showed up starting from many different locations. It was never crowded but I’ll guess that between 500 and 600 people participated. My brother and I enjoyed the perfect weather and trail condition. My Jamis Portal performed flawlessly. For the first time, I was able to climb ALL the hills, regularly hit downhill speeds of 30 mph, and got through all the sandpits. The new piece of singletrack is a real hoot when you can ride it instead of march single file through the mud. Of course, this may have been because there weren’t 5000 other people in the way. I can’t wait until next year and hope all of you out there can come to enjoy one of the best weekends in mountain biking. — Les Cook

Brown Bag Lunch Series

The first-ever county-wide Livingston County Trails Plan was completed and released in late June 2020. Join in this virtual Brown Bag to learn about the various components of the plan. Following the presentation, local park providers and municipal leaders will discuss the desired trail implementation strategies of their park system or municipality.

Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Time: 12:00-1:15 PM
Via Zoom with meeting number 399 700 0062 and password LCBOC

Congratulations to Running Lab! After 10 years in downtown Brighton, they are moving — but not far — just across the street!

Click HERE to check out the plans for their new store, opening in Spring 2021. Looks amazing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. We wish you all a safe holiday filled with turkey, football, naps, family, and all good things. You may even get out there for a bike ride!

We will re-open on Black Friday, our usual hours of 10 AM-5 PM.

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: bicycle, bicycle gifts, bicycle repair, bicycle shop, bicycle tune up, bicycles, bicycling, Hometown Bicycles, Iceman Cometh Challenge, Iceman No Cometh Challenge, Lake Trust Credit Union, Leslie Cook, Running Lab, Thanksgiving, Winter Bicycle Storage | Leave a comment »

Business as Usual? (mostly)

Posted on June 7, 2020 by Shaun

Business as usual? Our slightly new normal…

We’re excited to welcome our Hometownies back into the shop. It’s June, it’s gorgeous cycling weather, and we have missed you!

After winter – and what certainly feels like a “second winter” – we are pleased to announce that customers are now able to enter our retail and service shops, effective immediately. Yay for some good news!

Here are some things to know as we move forward:

SHOP HOURS

For the remainder of 2020, our hours are Thursday – Monday from 10 AM – 5 PM. We are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

NEW BIKE SALES

For NEW bike sales, please call the shop at (810) 225-2441 to schedule an appointment. Inventory is getting low, all across the country, but we do have some bikes in stock. However, so as not to waste your time or get your hopes up, we prefer that you call in advance for us to assess your needs and ensure we have matching inventory to offer. Appointments allow us to best serve you, which is our main goal!

SERVICE

Our parking lot still has a queuing area. If you are a service customer, please use the middle entry door. If you are a retail customer for parts or accessories, come in the main front door. And if you prefer we come to you, follow the signage to park in the designated area and call the shop at (810) 225-2441 for assistance. We understand that some of our customers are in high risk groups.

UPDATED PHONE AND TEXTING SYSTEM