Dawn Bhajan | Hometown Bicycles

A Heartfelt Goodbye + Team Night Memories

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Shaun

A Heartfelt Note from Your Hometown CEO:

Dear Hometownies,

Ten incredible years of sharing memories and adventures with you makes my personal message to you today bittersweet…

As of January 1st, I will be moving on from my CEO position here at Hometown.

Many of you already know Shaun’s and my history. When Shaun first asked for my help with Hometown over 10 years ago, it was at the level of brainstorming, building, and marketing our new venture. As the shop grew and expanded, so did my role. Our kids were born, and became part of the evolution and revolution that was and is our shop. And then, two years ago, I accepted my most challenging company position to date – as Hometown’s CEO.

With your help, we’ve earned Livingston Daily’s 2019 People’s Choice for Best Bike Shop, Vote 4 the Best’s 2019 Best Bike Shop, and League of Michigan Bicyclists 2019 Bike Shop of the Year. All of this tells me that we are on the right track, and we are going places.

Am I proud? YES!!!

I never anticipated being here this long, or in this capacity, but WOW, what a ride. Best 10 years of my life, bar none.

Through my experiences here, I’ve developed opportunities for myself; it’s time for me to take advantage of those opportunities. I’m ready and eager for the next adventure…

In the meantime, I leave Hometown in the very best of hands – Shaun’s, our Crew’s, and yours. The foundation is laid. You all know what Hometown IS; I’d like to ask for your help now in making it what it can BECOME. Limitless potential, my friends… limitless.

I am still Hometown through-and-through, so you’ll still see me here often. Hometown will always be my second home, and I adore my fellow Hometownies. Plus, I happen to love the owner 🙂

Thanks so much for being a part of my story, for being integral to my family’s life, and for the privilege of being your Hometown CEO.

With love and gratitude,

Dawn Bhajan

Merry Christmas, Hometownies!

Your Hometown family wishes you and yours a truly magical Christmas and a New Year filled with hope, joy, laughter… and lots of cycling. Thank you for the most fantastic 2019. Cheers to another year of adventure ahead!

We close at 3 PM on Christmas Eve and reopen at 10 AM on Friday, January 3, 2020. We hope you enjoy this time with the people who mean the most to you.

With love and warmest wishes… Your Hometown Crew

Team Night 2019… and what a night it was!

On Sunday, December 15th, current and prospective Team Hometown Bicycles members gathered at the shop for a fun, informative evening celebrating all things cycling.

Shaun and Dawn shared this year’s success stories and thanked our Team Sponsors — we are so appreciative of their support! Team Awards were shared with our cycling ambassadors who went above and beyond to give to the cycling community. And we are geeked to announce that all of our Team Sponsors and our Team Captains, Joe Ostervikand Mike Dyer, will be continuing into 2020. YAY!

Team Night was a great display of community and camaraderie, support and gratitude, and love for the incredible sport of cycling. Over 30 riders signed on to be part of 2020 Team Hometown Bicycles at the event alone!! What about you? Will you join our friendly group of non-competitive and competitive riders?

Stop by the shop to learn more about our mission, team expectations, and team benefits… and to pick up a membership application. You may also download an application HERE.

For information on online ordering of the Team Kit, click HERE.

Coming Soon: Winter Clinic Series

Beginning January 11, 2020, we will kick off our highly informative and, many times, hands-on Winter Clinic Series!

All clinics will be held on Saturdays at 11:30 AM at Hometown Bicycles. Stay tuned for more details and sign-up information.

Here are the topics for 2020:

Fat Tire Fix
Emergency Repair
Bike Maintenance – Before the Ride
Bike Maintenance – After the Ride
Bike Fitting Basics with Vinnie Baylerian, PT, DPT, Certified Level 2 Clinical BikeFit Pro
Nutrition: Get Healthy, Get Fit
Where to Ride in Michigan

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: 2020 Team Hometown Bicycles, best bicycle repair, best bicycle service, best bike repair, best bike service, bicycle clinics, bicycle repair, bicycle service, bicycle shop, bicycles, bike clinics, bike repair, bike rides, bike service, bike shop, bikes, Brighton, CEO, cycling, cyclists, Dawn Bhajan, DJ Joe Ostervik, fitness classes, group rides, Happy New Year, holiday hours, Hometown Bicycles, Hometown Bikes, Hometownies, livingston county, Merry Christmas, Michigan, mike dyer, shop rides, Team Captains, Team Hometown Bicycles, Team Night, Winter Bike Clinic Series | Leave a comment »

Team Night THIS Sunday 12/15 at 5:30pm!

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Shaun

Want to join Team Hometown Bicycles? Join us at Team Night!
THIS SUNDAY, December 15 from 5:30-7:30 PM

What happens at Team Night?

We honor our 2019 Team Sponsors
We congratulate and celebrate our 2019 Team and Team Captains
We announce 2020 Team Sponsors and Team Captains
We talk about the roles and responsibilities of joining our Team
We distribute awards to very cool people
We EAT, laugh, socialize and share the cycling love

Sign up HERE!

Toys for Tots at Hometown!

Hometown is an official drop-off site for the Toys for Tots drive. Between the Marines and Salvation Army, 800 families in Livingston County have a Christmas they wouldn’t have otherwise, thanks to programs like this and the generosity of supporters like the Hometown community.

Toys are for kids up to age 14, and must be new and unwrapped. No stuffed toys, please.

We’re having a Roadies vs. Mountain Bikers competition — fill the boxes!
(Currently, the MTB-ers are beating the Roadies 39-22. Step it up, Roadies!)

A room full of Entrepreneurs is a beautiful sight!

Over 25 entrepreneurs and small business owners joined us on Tuesday 12/10 for our Marketing Yourself & Your Business forum. Our Community Room was filled with creative-minded go-getters, a combination of Livingston County business owners and newbies ready to bring their dreams to fruition!

A huge thank you to our wonderful panel of speakers:

Susan Pominville, Abovo Visual Communications
Mike Langford, Turtlehut Internet Marketing
Blair Bradford, Sky Zone
Nicole Dietrich, Lake Trust Credit Union

This engaging group shared information on building your brand, internet marketing, putting together a cohesive marketing strategy, the importance of networking & more!

Your Hometown ladies, Dawn and Leslie, are big supporters of entrepreneurship so you better believe our next forum will be coming up in early 2020. Keep your eyes peeled!

Hey, Fatties! Thanks for your support of Global Fat Bike Day!

Team Hometown had a fantastic day riding on Saturday 12/7 — it was the 2019 Global Fat Bike Day. Our shop ride headed to Island Lake Recreation Area, with Team members Gary Kulhanek and Gary Weak serving as ride lead and sweep. They were joined by Team members Jeff Wirth and Dennis Doherty and five newbies who were geeked to head out on their first fat bike ride with Hometown.

Other Team Hometown members headed to Sleepy Hollow State Park: Co-Captain Mike Dyer, Tom Hermann, Erik Frazier, and Andy Showerman with his two sons.

Coming Soon: Winter Clinic Series

Beginning January 11, 2020, we will kick off our highly informative and, many times, hands-on Winter Clinic Series!

All clinics will be held on Saturdays at 11 AM at Hometown Bicycles. Stay tuned for more details and sign-up information.

Here are the topics for 2020:

Fat Tire Fix
Emergency Repair
Bike Maintenance – Before the Ride
Bike Maintenance – After the Ride
Bike Fitting Basics with Vinnie Baylerian, PT, DPT, Certified Level 2 Clinical BikeFit Pro
Nutrition: Get Healthy, Get Fit
Where to Ride in Michigan

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: Abovo Visual Communications, Andy Showerman, best bicycle repair, best bicycle service, best bike repair, best bike service, bicycle clinics, bicycle rentals, bicycle repair, bicycle service, bicycle shop, bicycles, bike clinics, bike rentals, bike repair, bike rides, bike service, bike shop, bikes, Blair Bradford, Brighton, cycling, cyclists, Dawn Bhajan, Dennis Doherty, entrepreneurship event, Erik Frazier, fat bikes, fat tire bikes, fitness classes, Gary Kulhanek, Gary Weak, Global Fat Bike Day ride, group rides, Hometown Bicycles, Hometown Bikes, Hometownies, Island Lake Recreation Area, Jeff Wirth, Lake Trust Credit Union, Leslie Barrett, livingston county, marketing for entrepreneurs, Michigan, mike dyer, Mike Langford, Nicole Dietrich, phone system, Roadies vs. Mountain Bikers, shop rides, Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park, Sleepy Hollow, Susan Pominville, Team Hometown Bicycles, Team Night, Tom Hermann, Toys for Tots, Turtlehut Internet Marketing | Leave a comment »

Ride happy this Labor Day weekend!

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Shaun

Labor Day Hours

Hometown Bicycles will be open on Labor Day
from 9am-3pm!

Enjoy the beautiful weekend with your loved ones and don’t forget to take a bike ride! Stop in to see us for your holiday cycling needs or to rent a bicycle for the weekend!

And in Team News…

The 13th Annual Maybury State Park Time Trial took place on Sunday, August 25th. Brought to you by the MCMBA, this year’s race was Maybury as you’ve never experienced it before — the course included some awesome race day-only singletrack. The mix of fast open sprints and tight, technical singletrack rewarded both cardio AND bike handling skills.

Team Hometown was represented by Co-Captains Mike Dyer and Joe Ostervik, Jacob Henriksen (pictured above left), Dan Tribble (pictured above right), Roger Pelkey and Andrew Showerman (and his two sons). Great job, everyone!

And because he’s just this amazing (and maybe a little bit c-r-a-z-y), Joe Ostervik did another race earlier that day! Two races in one day?! What?!

From Joe himself: “So I was a little crazy!! Did 2 races in the same day!! I was at the Debaets-Devos Race and got a flat in the 3rd lap. Swapped out the tire and got back in the race as they came by, but couldn’t get back up to speed and ended up last. Then I was able to make it to Maybury and missed the cutoff for the sport class. They let me do the beginner race, but technically I am a beginner in the race world because I only do one, maybe two, MTB races a year. Rode angry and got 1st in my age group which is OLD!!”

Girl Power is Alive & Well at Hometown!

Left to right: Dawn Bhajan (CEO of Hometown Bicycles), Martha Soraruf, Leslie Barrett, Jenny Schild and Debra McGaffey

Fun and inspiration was shared by all who attended the latest installment of our Women’s Entrepreneurship Series on Thursday, August 22. Our panelists were dynamic, our audience was engaged, and we all enjoyed a friendly flow of conversation about building a fitness business in today’s market. There’s not much better than this kind of camaraderie among female entrepreneurs! We at Hometown Bicycles LOVE this!

Many, many thanks to our guest speakers: Jenny Schild with Body Within, Leslie Barrett of Zumba with Leslie Barrett, Martha Soraruf of Cardio Drumming Hosted by PURE Fitness & Nutrition: owered by Arbonne, and Debra McGaffey, owner of Ignition Fitness and Beauty From the Inside Out.

A special shout-out to Nicole Dietrich, Business Development Manager with Lake Trust Credit Union, for spending the evening with us. Nicole shared information about Lake Trust’s Micro-Loan Program for Small Businesses and discussed the importance of building a network. Nicole (pictured below) even helped clean up the Incubator after Thursday’s forum — just another way Lake Trust displays their dedication to building community and supporting their partners!

Lake Trust Credit Union has enthusiastically stepped into the role of Hometown’s Incubator Title Sponsor. In this role, they will not only subsidize the first month’s rent for our first 12 Incubator entrepreneurs*, but will also share a wealth of resources and insights at our entrepreneurship events and programs.

Our Incubator is nearing completion and we cannot wait to share it with you!

Stay tuned for our next Entrepreneurship Event, coming soon to Hometown Bicycles!

* Contact Dawn at office@myhometownbicycles.com for details about the Hometown Business Incubator and Lake Trust Credit Union’s amazing Sponsor subsidy.

Countdown to Tour de Livingston!
Sunday, October 6th
There are only FIVE weeks until the 2019 Tour de Livingston! Hard to believe we’re looking toward October already!

This scenic ride provides an opportunity for riders of all levels to enjoy outstanding fall colors during the peak color season in southeast Michigan. This fully supported ride includes hospitality tents, a full breakfast, snacks along the route, and a hearty meal prepared by the chef at Mt. Brighton.

All proceeds from this event help to: bridge the gap for local hardworking families struggling to meet their most basic needs; prepare every child to be ready for success; and build a healthy community for all residents via the Livingston County United Way Basic Needs Programs. Since its start in 2008, the Tour de Livingston has raised over $400,000 to address the community’s most critical needs.

The Tour de Livingston is organized and run by the Howell Rotary Club. Hometown is proud to be the Major Bike Shop Sponsor!

Click HERE to register or raise funds!

FITNESS CLASSES AT HOMETOWN BICYCLES

Cardio Drumming | Wednesdays 6 PM and Saturdays 9:45 AM$5 drop-in / $5 equipment rental – With Martha Soraruf |Click to learn more

Power 30 | Wednesdays 7 PM
$5 drop in – With Martha Soraruf | Click to learn more

Zumba | Mondays 6 PM and Thursdays 9:30 AM – NO CLASS ON LABOR DAY
$8 drop in or “10 classes for $60” punch card – With Leslie Barrett | Click to learn more

Zumba GOLD | Fridays 9:30 AM and Sundays 10:30 AM
$8 drop in or “10 classes for $50” punch card – With Tresa O’Rourke | Click to learn more

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: best bicycle repair, best bicycle service, best bike repair, best bike service, bicycle clinics, bicycle rentals, bicycle repair, bicycle service, bicycle shop, bicycles, bike clinics, bike rentals, bike repair, bike rides, bike service, bike shop, bikes, Brighton, Cardio Drumming, cycling, cyclists, Dan Tribble, Dawn Bhajan, Dawn Gaden, Debra McGaffey, fat bikes, fat tire bikes, fitness classes, group rides, Happy Labor Day, Hometown Bicycles, Hometown Bikes, Hometown Business Incubator, Hometownies, intenSati, Jacob Henriksen, Jenny Schild, Lake Trust Credit Union, Leslie Barrett, livingston county, Martha Soraruf, Michigan, Nicole Dietrich, shop rides, Team Hometown Bicycles, Title Sponsor, Tour de Livingston, Tresa O’Rourke, zumba, Zumba Gold | Leave a comment »

Roll with Hometown in TOMORROW’S 4th of July Parade

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Shaun

Ride with Hometown in the 4th of July Parade!
**Downtown Brighton, THIS Thursday at 8 AM**It’s July, which means sunshine and fireworks and PARADES!

In partnership with Brighton Optimist Club, Hometown Bicycles leads a family-friendly ride down Main Street for all ages! It’s a fantastic red, white and blue display of awesomeness to see so many people on bikes, enjoying this tradition with their children and grandchildren.

DON’T MISS OUT!
Click HERE for all details and to sign up!

Note: Hometown is OPEN 4th of July – 9am-3pm!

You’ll be riding in the Parade with Hometown’s own Shaun, Dawn and kids! Bring YOUR kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews, and join them for a ride down Main Street!

Lake Trust and Hometown Bicycles:
The Partnership That Keeps On Giving!

What can we say about our amazing relationship with Lake Trust Credit Union? When you bring together two businesses who believe in quality customer service and community-building, magic happens!

And we are tickled absolutely pink over the feature they did on Hometown! Special thanks to Abbie Dyer for her thoughtful interview with Shaun and Dawn and beautifully written piece.

Check it out here:
The Ride to Creating a Well-Loved Business at Hometown Bicycles.

We look forward to many more years of collaboration with Lake Trust, changing the world one relationship at a time!

Hometown Bicycles is nominated: Vote 4 the BEST!

Hometown Bicycles has been nominated for the BEST BIKE SHOP in the Click on Detroit Vote 4 the Best Contest!

Please show us your Hometown LOVE by voting for us!

Voting runs through Sunday, July 14 at 11 PM. You can vote often and much… every hour, in fact… we know that’s a heck-of-a-lot of voting, but anything you can do to help is so appreciated!

To vote:

Visit the Click on Detroit website HERE
Choose the Sports & Recreation category
Select Hometown Bicycles

It’s that simple! Add it to your bookmarks to make it even easier.
Let’s rock this, Hometownies!

Visit Hometown at A Taste of Brighton NEXT WEEK!
Friday and Saturday, July 12-13, 10 AM-10 PM

Next weekend, Hometown’s headed downtown for the annual A Taste of Brighton summer festival and we want to see you there! On Friday and Saturday, we’ll give festival-goers a flavor of what makes our shop and our sport so darn special. Our tent will be crankin’ with our Service Crew demo-ing what we’re famous for – the best bike repair in Southeast Michigan!

A Taste of Brighton is one of Michigan’s top-rated festivals. Highlighting the best of what Brighton has to offer, stop by for outdoor shopping, dining, entertainment and more along Brighton’s Main Street! You can also join in a Zumbo demo with our Events Coordinator and Zumba guru, Leslie Barrett!

More details forthcoming in next week’s e-newsletter!