THIS SATURDAY: You’re Invited to Hometown’s 7th Birthday Bash

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Shaun

IT’S OUR BIGGEST, FAMILY-FRIENDLIEST, HOMETOWNIEST EVENT TO DATE
This Saturday, April 15th marks 7 incredible years of Hometown adventures and growth, from propping a sandwich board with a crudely painted “Shaun’s Bike Shop” in front of our original, tiny service shop, to throwing a community-sized 7th birthday bash at our roller-rink-sized bicycle adventure center. Through it all, you’ve been right along with us for the ride, and this weekend’s celebration is in honor of what your loyalty has created!

Here’s what’s on the party roster…

ALL DAY – A chance to make your mark on Hometown Bicycles! All customers who make a purchase the day of the event – and going forward – will be immortalized by signing their name on our “I Support Hometown Bicycles!” support pillars!

ALL DAY – Fantastic deals!

ALL DAY – Unveiling the 10 bicycles that Hometown Bicycles is donating to this year’s 10th Anniversary Tour de Livingston to raise money and awareness for Livingston County United Way.

9:00 AM – Doors open. Early bird door prizes, including some especially cool swag from Team Sponsor, Pro-Motion Physical Therapy!

11:00 AM – Easter Egg Hunt on the front lawn for kids up through 5th grade – with candy, stickers, and toy surprises in abundance! (No cost to participate!)

11:30 AM – Easter Egg Hunt in the shop for adults of all ages – with candy, stickers, and some awesome surprise deals for diligent hunters! (No cost to participate!)

NOON – Lunch on the grill (it’s free!) and lawn games, courtesy of Team Sponsor Hamburg Fitness Center & Camp.

2:00 PM – Family-friendly, casual road ride from the shop. This is a relaxed, ride-your-own-pace sort of slow roll with good friends and great conversation!

4:00 PM – Announcing the winner of our Jr. Hometownie T-Shirt Design Contest. Be sure to check out all the amazing entries that will be hanging in our Community Room!

5:00 PM – All good things must come to an end, but we’ll be here bright and early on Monday morning to help you get to your Happy Place! Happy Easter, Hometownies!!

Bring everyone you know, bring your bike, and definitely bring your sense of fun! This is going to be one for the record books!!

BONUS BIRTHDAY BASH NOTES:

WE’LL BE IN THE NEWS! We’re honored to have Livingston Daily Press & Argus running a story on Hometown Bicycles and our family-friendly birthday event in this week’s paper. Thanks, Livingston Daily! Hometownies, stay on the lookout for our story!

ADDITIONAL EVENT PARKING: Our friends across the road at American Spirit Centre have generously offered us the use of their parking lot this Saturday for overflow event parking. If you do use their lot, please respect our veterans, and leave the front parking spaces for those who served our Country. Thank you!

JR. HOMETOWNIE T-SHIRT CONTEST DEADLINE EXTENDED

Creativity takes time – we get that! Upon popular request, we’re extending our deadline for the Jr. Hometownie T-Shirt Design Contest to April 14.

CHECK OUT THE CONTEST DETAILS HERE!

The winner will be announced at Hometown’s April 15th Birthday Bash, and their winning design will grace a limited edition run of Jr. Hometownie t-shirts! They’ll receive a complimentary Jr. Hometownie t-shirt, and will be featured in our weekly newsletter and website. ALL participants get an official Hometown sticker, and will be mentioned on our website.

(Photo at left: Jr. Hometownie artist, Abby, brought her family along to drop off her colorful Contest entry!)

(From left: Rex Blair, Brian Forhan, Joe VanGordon, Deb Godmer, Jim Cleer, Mark Lang, & Linc Werhly)

TEAM HOMETOWN GIVES LOVE TO THE LOWELL 50

Seven of our intrepid Team members biked the challenging, but scenic dirt roads of The Lowell 50 Classic Gravel Road Race (see above photo). It was a challenging field, but the Team dubbed it a fantastic race – definitely one to do again.

A “whoop-whoop!” goes out to Team member, Joe Ostervik, who took the jersey on the road at the first race in the Waterford Hills Road Racing Spring Training Series.

(Photos courtesy and used with the permission of Tiger Cub Scout Pack 365)

CUB SCOUT BIKE SAFETY MERIT BADGE – COMPLETED!

Tiger Cub Scout Pack 365 contacted us with a mission – to earn their Rolling Tigers Bicycle Safety Merit Badge with the help of Hometown. We LOVE investing in the future of cycling, and these kids are exactly that… cycling’s energetic future!

Congrats on earning your Badge, Pack 365. You made this experience FUN!

FEELING SAFER BY THE MINUTE – MCMBA BIKE PATROL

National Mountain Bike Patrol Training is no cakewalk – nor should it be… it’s about saving lives, preserving trails, and promoting the sport – and we saw a group of volunteer heroes put through their paces at last weekend’s intensive class here at Hometown. Happily, we had both the classroom and the on-site trails to accommodate!

Our congratulations and thanks to the men and women who have stepped up to keep us and our trails safe! If you’re interested in learning more about Bike Patrol, CLICK HERE.

Family Friendly Road Ride – THIS SATURDAY

SATURDAY, APRIL 15TH – 2:00 P.M. – MEET UP AT HOMETOWN BICYCLES
This is the ride that’s a part of our big Hometown Bicycles Birthday Bash! Easy pace and limited miles, this ride is about socializing and enjoying the Spring weather. A great ride for the whole family!

Our regular group rides will start up again after Easter. Stay tuned! Be sure to FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK for ride confirmation and details.

When in doubt,
pedal it out.

– Anonymous

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: American Spirit Centre, bash, Bicycle Safety, bicycle shop, bicycles, Bike Patrol, bike shop, bikes, birthday, Brian Forhan, candy, classic gravel road race, Community Room, cycling, cyclists, deadline, deals, Deb Godmer, donation, door prizes, early bird, easter egg hunt, family friendly, group ride, Hamburg Fitness Center and Camp, Happy Easter, happy place, heroes, Hometown Bicycles, Hometownies, in the news, Jim Cleer, joe ostervik, Joe Van Gordon, Jr. Hometownie, lawn games, Linc Werhly, Livingston County United Way, Livingston Daily Press and Argus, Mark Lang, MCMBA, merit badge, National Mountain Bike Patrol, newspaper, overflow parking, Pack 365, parking, party, Pro-Motion Physical Therapy, Rex Blair, road ride, Rolling Tigers, Shaun Bhajan, Shaun's bike shop, shop ride, Spring Training Series, stickers, t-shirt design contest, Team Hometown Bicycles, team sponsor, The Lowell 50, Tiger Cub Scouts, Tour de Livingston, veterans, volunteers, Waterford Hills Road Racing, winner | Leave a comment »

Easter Egg Hunt at Hometown, Tri Training, and Bike Patrol

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Shaun

APRIL 15: Hometown’s 7th Birthday

EASTER EGG HUNT, DOOR PRIZES, DEALS, FAMILY RIDE, FOOD & COMPETITION
We’ve had some exceptional events in our time, but a 7th birthday for Hometown Bicycles… now THAT deserves something on the scale of momentous!

Details are coming in next week’s newsletter, but some highlights you can expect for this Saturday, April 15th event include door prizes, an Easter Egg Hunt for kids AND adults, food, a family road ride, announcement of the Jr. Hometownie T-Shirt Contest Winner (see below), deals, the unveiling of the 10 BICYCLES WE ARE DONATING to this year’s 10th Anniversary Tour de Livingston, and a chance to make your mark (literally) on Hometown!!

Did some of that sound mysterious? Good! Come see what all the excitement’s about. A birthday party just isn’t the same without family, and that means we want YOU there!

REMINDER: JR. HOMETOWNIE T-SHIRT CONTEST

Remember, Hometownies, have your preschool – 5th grader paint or sketch up a fun and colorful t-shirt design (no larger than 8″ x 8″), that includes the following:

A hand-drawn or hand-painted Hometown logo
The words: “I’m a Jr. Hometownie!” (Mom and Dad can help, if needed)
Any other bicycle-related art that your young Hometownie is inspired to create!

Bring in their entry by Monday, April 10th to proudly display in our Community Room for the rest of the month!

The winner will be announced at our April 15th event, and their winning design will grace a limited edition run of Jr. Hometownie t-shirts! They’ll receive a complimentary Jr. Hometownie t-shirt, and will be featured in our weekly newsletter and website. ALL participants get an official Hometown sticker, and will be acknowledged on our website.

(Cute kiddie graphic above courtesy www.clipartfest.com)

BULLDOG PRIDE AT HOMETOWN BICYCLES

At Hometown, we’re big on activities that involve fitness, family, and the great outdoors, so you can imagine how geeked we are to be Sponsors of the 2017 Brighton Bulldogs Travel Baseball Team. Last night, they met in our Community Room to prep for a stellar season, and impressed the socks off of us with their energetic camaraderie and good manners… plus, they were genuinely kind to Liam, which wins them bonus brownie points in this mama’s book! Stay tuned for a list of their games.

So, now we’ve hosted Bulldogs Baseball, Lacrosse, Football, and Art in our Community Room – yep, we’re definitely feeling Bulldog Pride! Have a Team, Troop, or other group that needs a meet-up spot? Email events@myhometownbicycles.com for Community Room reservations – it’s free for non-profits!

(Photo © and courtesy Hamburg Fitness Center & Camp)

HOMETOWN ♥s HAMBURG FITNESS TRIATHLON CLUB

We know our tri-geared Hometownies are getting the “brick” bug as the months creep toward triathlon season. That’s why we’re teaming up with Team Hometown Sponsor Hamburg Fitness Center & Camp to take their much-loved Triathlon Club to the next level of awesome!

We’re chipping in gift certificates for motivation, transition training to maximize your swim-to-bike/bike-to-run efficiency, and Hometown’s own Amy Gluck will be imparting expert advice from her Ironman background.

TRI Club Memberships are available for non-members (810-231-4169 for details). You can also join Run Club with Pro Triathlete and Personal Trainer Ryan Rau (call 734-476-4444). I speak from personal experience when I say that his run input can be a game changer!

Join Hometown and your fellow triathletes at the Club’s first informational meeting on April 11th, 6PM at Hamburg Fitness Center & Camp.

(Photo © and courtesy Randy Kessler and Motor City Mountain Biking Association)

BE A HERO: BIKE PATROL TRAINING AT HOMETOWN

It takes a first class sort of person to step up and actively seek ways to support fellow cyclists and, as it so happens, that’s exactly what Hometownies are… first class! So, if you’ve got it in you to give back to the cycling community, here’s an opportunity happening right here at Hometown THIS SATURDAY, April 8th (limited space, so register now!):

Like to Ride? Like to help people? The National Mountain Bike Patrol may be for you…

The mission of the Mountain Bike Patrol boils down to:
• Assist in medical and mechanical emergencies
• Educate trail users of proper etiquette
• Inform land managers, land owners, trail coordinators

For detailed requirements and/or to register for training, contact Randy at bikepatrol@mcmba.org.

(Team member Joe [left] and Service Lead Andrew [right] set up and eat up at the Sportsman’s Banquet)

SHAUN LEARNS TAXIDERMY

Well, not quite – but he sure learned a lot about it from fellow sponsor and skilled artist Tom Stombaugh of Anything That Moves Taxidermy at Brighton Nazarene Church Sportsman’s Banquet.

Our fellas dined on venison, oggled weaponry, talked taxidermy and bikes, and (I personally suspect) grunted like Tim Allen. It was definitely one of the more unique events in which Hometown has participated. Shout out to “The Naz” for this manly opportunity!

(Photo courtesy Jacob Henriksen)

Exploring Trails Mountain Bike Ride – THIS SUNDAY

SUNDAY, APRIL 9TH – 4:30 P.M. – MEET UP AT HOMETOWN BICYCLES
Our Fat Bike Friendly Shop Rides have come to a close for the season to make way for our Spring shop ride, Exploring Trails. This is a NO-DROP, beginner friendly mountain bike trail ride – FAT BIKES WELCOME! – which will encourage riders to visit new trails as their skill level increases. If Poto is your goal, this is the weekly ride to get you there by the end of the season! Save 1.5 hours of your day to cover 12 – 16 miles of trail.

Weather dependent – we don’t want to mess up the trails if they’re mucky! Be sure to FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK for ride confirmation and details.

CRAZY HARE-BRAINED TOUR – APRIL 15TH

What a great name! Hometown is thrilled to be supporting this Michigan cycling event. Hosted by Hometown Winter Clinic Series guest speaker, Bike Tour Vacations, LLC…

“The Crazy Hare-brained Tour is a fundraiser to help cover touring expenses for 3 Northern Michigan University students as they cycle 1,400 miles around Lake Superior in May.

Our event is up to 40 miles of 100% traffic-free trail riding for road bikes, and up to 30 miles of 100% traffic-free dirt riding for mountain bikes. All ages are welcome, 9 a.m. at Atchison Park in New Hudson.”

Winning raffle tickets will be drawn at event sponsor Draught Horse Brew Pub around 1PM.

SPRING SNOWMAN 5K

Spring Snowman 5K Run/Walk is hosted by the Eric Hartwell Foundation, a remarkable organization created by the Hartwell Family (a particularly awesome group of Hometownies) to raise money to “directly support children, diagnosed with Leukemia and other blood disorders, being treated at C.S. Mott’s Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan.” Participants have a chance to win a Jamis bike, donated by Hometown Bicycles. Great cause. Great cross-training. Great prize.

GREAT TIME TO REGISTER, DON’T YOU THINK??

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – ISLAND LAKE BIKE DEMO DAY

The MCMBA has put a call out for Demo Day volunteers for this wonderfully popular Spring cyclists’ event. (Hometown will be there!) Running May 6th at the ILRA Spring Mill Pond, you can volunteer for everything from setup and registration, to parking and grilling. They write:

The Island Lake Spring Bike Demo Day is now in it’s 12th year. This is the second year the event is put on free of charge by the MCMBA. It’s a great chance to talk face to face with people who live the life: building, riding, and maintaining the bikes you want to own. Take a few out for a test ride on the roads and trails at Island Lake, finding the perfect bike or bikes for you.

CLICK HERE to throw your hat into the volunteer ring!