fat bike demo | Hometown Bicycles

Your Novemberfest Invite

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Shaun

YOU’RE INVITED! NOVEMBER 11TH, NOON-6PM… to The 2nd Annual Hometown Bicycles Anniversary Party, Post-Iceman Fat Bike Friendly Mountain Bike Ride, Fat Bike Demo, Fall Sale, and Chili Cook-off (whew!!), which we’ve affectionately nicknamed “Novemberfest!”

Building off of the fun from last year’s shindig, this November 11th (noon-6pm) event celebrates YOUR role in Hometown’s move to this big, beautiful, bicycle adventure center just over 2 years ago, along with 2017 Iceman adventures, fat bike season, and your culinary skills! Highlights will include:

A super-fabulous Fat Bike Demo (12-5pm)
Discounted Fat Bike Pre-Ordering (12-5pm)
Fat Bike Friendly Mountain Bike Ride (3:30pm from shop)
In-store Sales & Specials (12-5pm)
Chili Cook-Off with People’s Choice judging! (Judging begins at 5pm. This year, there will be a trophy for the winner!!)

Click the links above for details and to sign yourself up for the Fat Bike Friendly Mountain Bike Ride or to enter the Chili Cook-off (no charge for either). And while you have your phone in hand, please add Novemberfest to your calendar! We’re so excited to celebrate with you!

(Photos courtesy Richard Lim Photography. Thanks for the awesome family photo, Richard!)

A TOUR TO REMEMBER

Ten years, Hometownies – October 8th marked ten, glorious years that the Howell Rotary’s Tour de Livingston has been raising funds and awareness for our Community through the Livingston County United Way.

The weather was exquisite, the course was beautiful, the riders were stoked, and the volunteers were wonderful. There’s a wonderful collection of event photos available on Tour de Livingston’s Facebook page – take a look! THANK YOU, Howell Rotarians and LCUW – both for allowing Hometown to be an ongoing part of such a worthwhile event, and for building a community of riders who love and support the Community they ride in.

LOVIN’ OUR LADIES NIGHT CLASSES

Following on the heels of an OUTRAGEOUSLY successful Ladies Night Out at Hometown Bicycles (SO much fun, ladies!!), we’ve transformed our weekly, Tuesday Women’s Ride into a weekly, Tuesday Women’s fitness activity “sampler.” Our gals have already beaten the stress out with cardio drumming, enjoyed a spectacular fall color trail hike, found Zen with beginner’s yoga and, just last week, learned the finer points of female-specific bike fitting. Up next on the docket is a strengthening combo of beginner friendly (seriously… any age, any skill level!) acrobatics and strength/circuit/flexibility training with Yoga Nature’s AcroFit class at 6:30pm, Tuesday 10/24, NO CHARGE!

Have you been a part of the fun yet, women Hometownies?? This is the PERFECT opportunity to try a wide variety of off-bike fitness activities on for size! Find a class HERE, and register ahead!

HOMETOWN PARTNERS WITH AAA

Well, here’s a fun bit of trivia for you – AAA, the famous Auto Club that saves stranded motorists and provides top notch travel info, is now offering CYCLISTS’ Roadside Assistance, and guess who they picked as your local go-to bike resource… that would be us!!

Hometown Bicycles is now your Authorized AAA Repair Shop, which means AAA members who run into a problem on their ride and require emergency bike repair can now have those bikes repaired here at a discount. It’s just one more way for us to help get you to Your Happy Place.

THIS SATURDAY: WOLF LAKE 5K

Have you been to Hamburg Fitness Center’s Annual Wolf Lake 5K? It’s coming up this weekend! Run, walk, or mosey, you’re in for the best of fall colors, family fun, and Halloween spirit in this charming, seasonal, trail race. Think crosstraining, Hometownies!

Hometown’s been a proud sponsor for years now, and five lucky participants will win gift certificates to our shop! Register now at http://hamburgfitness.net/wolf-lake-5k/ or at the event. Race starts at 4pm this Saturday, October 21st!

AMY’S BLOG: 10/18/17

Every week, Hometown’s Amy Gluck – former All-American IRONMAN triathlete, survivor of a horrific accident, and now ferociously determined to return to IRONMAN – shares a piece of her ongoing story. Today, you’ll enjoy the story of Amy’s triumph over 30+ mph winds at the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon:

… Boy, was I was happy to hit the halfway point on Belle Isle! The wind is always awful on Belle Isle, but this year, it was stifling! It tried to push me back a few times, and was torturous to run against – 30+ mph winds, with white caps on the Detroit River. I kept thinking how glad I was that this was not a triathlon! I was relieved to hit the 6.5 mile mark, counting down the miles to the finish… READ ON

Amy’s full blogs are posted HERE on our website.

CRANDALL FIDGET SPINNERS AT HOMETOWN

If we hear a chuckle on the sales floor, it’s a toss up whether it’s Liam entertaining our customers, or our customers locating Jason Crandall’s clever, bike chain take on the fidget spinner fad! With holidays in the wings, you’ll want to check these babies out as first rate stocking stuffers and present toppers. Here’s a note from the creator:

Hi, my name is Jason Crandall, and I make the fidget spinners at Hometown Bicycles. I live in Howell with my wife and 2 boys. I first started making the spinners for my oldest boy who has sensory issues. Fidget spinners help kids with ADHS, ADD, and sensory problems to focus by calming them.

HOMETOWN BICYCLES SHOP RIDES

Hometown weekly and pop-up shop rides are still going strong! FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK to find out what’s coming up (including an Iceman Training Ride!) and for to-the-minute ride updates.

Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.

– Unknown

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: AAA, acrofit, Amy Gluck, amy's blog, anniversary, authorized AAA repair shop, auto club, bicycle shop, bicycles, bike rides, bike shop, bikes, chili cookoff, cycling, cyclist roadside assistance, cyclists, Dawn Bhajan, detroit free press, fall sale, fat bike, fat bike demo, fat bike friendly mountain bike ride, fidget spinners, financing, freep, group rides, Hamburg Fitness Center and Camp, Hometown Bicycles, Hometownie, Howell Rotary, Iceman Cometh, Jason Crandall, Livingston County United Way, Novemberfest, pre orders, race, richard lim photography, Shaun Bhajan, shop rides, synchrony, Team Hometown Bicycles, Tour de Livingston, wolf lake 5K, womens fitness classes, Yoga Nature | Leave a comment »

What a ‘Best Event Ever!’ Looks Like + Cycling in the Dark

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Shaun

HOMETOWN’S FALL EXTRAVAGANZA REALLY TOOK THE CAKE…

One of our party-goers called last Saturday’s shindig “Hometown’s best event yet!”, and in terms of fun-for-the-whole-family, this-is-what-Hometown-Bicycles-is-all-about entertainment, we’d have to agree! Here’s a scrapbook-style look back at an event that has more than earned its place as an annual shop tradition…

ABOVE: Fitness classes brought insane levels of energy to the shop floor! Top left – party peeps eased into the festivities via dynamic yoga with Ashley Knuth of Tocca Massage & Yoga. Next up, our floor was ROCKIN’ to a Hometown favorite – Cardio Drumming with Martha Soraruf. Artist Peggy Kerwan (middle) and sponsor Sandy of Beauchamp Water Treatment & Supply (right) jumped in on the action, like the total rockstars that they are. Zumba had everyone swinging to lively Latin rhythms, courtesy of Rael’e Buddenborg of Hamburg Fitness Center (bottom left).

ABOVE: Our art fair may have been mini, but it was truly MIGHTY, thanks to the INCREDIBLE artistic talent of Hometown artists (left to right) Peggy Kerwan, Lauren Patrell of LPbyLP, Mickie of Nana’s Knits, and Sarah Burke. We love you, art peeps!

Sarah, we would like to add, braved the chilly winds to work her spray paint magic (bottom right) outside during our event. She’s an enterprising, artistic, high school student whose work we will soon be carrying at the shop. This gal is going far!

ABOVE: Kids had a blast crafting their own Christmas ornaments out of painted bicycle gears in our first-ever kids’ craft class. Expect to see a lot more of these classes here at Hometown!

ABOVE: A few of our sponsors also got in on the action! Jenny Schild of Body Within Personal Training (top left) and Vinnie Baylerian of Pro-Motion Physical Therapy (top right) ran a no-charge, “Ask the Expert” session in our entryway, while Sandy of Beauchamp Water Treatment & Supply kept everyone hydrated and in good humor with her vivacious personality. Thank you, super sponsors!

ABOVE: We could hardly get the bikes prepped fast enough for our wildly popular fat bike demo. Demo-ers pounded through the newly named Liam’s Loop trail behind our shop (top), and then again in Island Lake.

ABOVE: And speaking of riding Island Lake, our event also drew an enormous crowd for the Fat Bike Friendly Mountain Bike Ride with Shaun.

ABOVE: The cherry on top for the riders and their families was coming back to a 15-entry Chili Cook-Off event of delicious proportions. Congrats to Terry and her Surprise Chili for the People’s Choice win! We had no idea so many of our Hometownies could rock the crock(pot)!!

THANK YOU!! We can’t wait until next year’s Fall Extravaganza!

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HOMETOWN SHOP RIDES

Happily, cold weather and early nights do NOT signal the end of cycling season! Here are a couple shop rides you won’t want to miss this week:

Friday Night Lights – November 18th, 7:00 p.m.
Meet at the shop by 6:45 for an intermediately-paced night jaunt through Island Lake. Be sure your lights are charged, and bring a back-up, if you have one!

Fatbike Friendly Ride – Saturday, November 12th, 10:00 a.m.
Join the Hometown crew as they explore the Milford area mountain bike trails on fat and mountain bikes. NO DROP RIDE. ~ 12-14 miles. Please dress for the weather. Meet at Milford trailhead, located on Peters Rd. between GM/Commerce Rd., on the West side. Park in the lot closest to Peters Rd. (if you see baseball fields to your left, you’re there)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Rifle Season runs November 15-30. Please consider exploring non-hunting parks during the day and those with hunting after dark. It’s only two weeks – let’s stay safe!

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2017 SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

See the amazing companies below? They’re our 2015/16 sponsors, and some of the coolest people and businesses we know. As 2017 approaches, we’ll be opening up additional opportunities to take on a Team Sponsor role. Stay tuned for details in an upcoming email!

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: Ashley, ask the expert, Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply, bicycle gear ornaments, bicycle ride, bicycle shop, bike ride, bike shop, Body Within Personal Training, Brighton, Cardio Drumming, chili cook off, Christmas, cycling, cyclists, Fall Extravaganza, families, fat bike, fat bike demo, fatbike, group ride, hamburg fitness center, Hometown Bicycles, Hometownies, Island Lake, Jenny Schild, kids crafts, Knuth, Lauren Patrell, Liam's Loop, LPbyLP, Martha Soraruf, Michigan, mountain bike, mountain bike ride, mountain biking, Nana's Knits, party, Peggy Kerwan, people's choice, Pro-Motion Physical Therapy, Rael'e Buddenborg, Sarah Burke, shop ride, Tocca Massage and Yoga, Vinnie Baylerian, yoga, zumba | Leave a comment »

It’s PARTY Time! Shaun’s ride, beer, art, family fun and chili

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Shaun

TOMORROW (11/12) IS THE HOMETOWN EVENT OF THE SEASON, AND YOU’RE INVITED!

Here it is, Hometownies – the very first event of its kind, and we invite YOU AND YOUR FAMILY to be a part of it!

SATURDAY, NOV 12, NOON-6PM

Here’s how it’s going down…

Shop opens at noon and closes around 6pm, instead of our regular 9-5 weekend hours.
Our Schedule of Events (below) is filled with hourly fun and entertainment. Where online pre-registration is offered, please take advantage of it, so that we can make your experience an 11!
Overflow parking is available at the American Spirit Centre across the street – back lot. (Thank you, neighbors!)
Ride with Shaun on the Fat Bike Friendly Mountain Bike Ride, and compete with Shaun in the Chili Cook Off!
Bring family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances, heck – even strangers… this event is for EVERYONE!

FAT BIKE DEMO: All Day!
Our Jamis and Framed fat bikes will be out in full force at this event, and available for you to test ride and fall in love with (yes, we’re that confident!). NO CHARGE.

INDOOR ART FAIR: Noon – 5:00 pm
Hometown artists Peggy Kerwan, Lauren Patrell and her Nana, and newcomer Sarah Burke will be setting up art displays at our first ever mini indoor art fair here at the shop. Weather permitting, Sarah will also be holding an outdoor demonstration of her incredible spray paint art skills. You’ve seen their bicycle art – here’s a chance to enjoy more of their creativity… and maybe take care of some Christmas shopping in the process! (Artists prefer cash or check, so please come prepared!)

“ASK THE EXPERTS”: Noon – 1:30 pm
Hit a cycling plateau? Nagging knee pain on your rides? Body Within Personal Training‘s, Jenny Schild, and Pro-Motion Physical Therapy‘s, Vinnie Baylerian, PT, DPT are generously volunteering their fitness/nutrition and common cycling injury/bike fit expertise at our event. This is a RARE OPPORTUNITY for one-stop, NO CHARGE, professional input on how to be a better, stronger cyclist… take advantage of it!

POWER YOGA WITH TOCCA MASSAGE & YOGA: 12:15 pm
Enjoy a stimulating, stretch-and-strengthen, Vinyasa yoga session in our Community Room with powerhouse, Ashley Knuth of Tocca Massage & Yoga. $5 to instructor
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR YOGA

CARDIO DRUMMING WITH MARTHA SORARUF: 1:45 pm
Join in on Martha’s crazy-popular Cardio Drumming class (Liam’s favorite!), which will be pumping up the volume in our Community Room at this event. NO CHARGE!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR CARDIO DRUMMING

ZUMBA WITH HAMBURG FITNESS CENTER: 3:00 pm
Fiesty, Latin rhythms and everyone-friendly coreography will have you burning calories in this high energy class, hosted by Hamburg Fitness in our Community Room. NO CHARGE!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR ZUMBA

KIDS’ CRAFT CLASS – BIKE GEAR ORNAMENTS: 4:15 pm
Bring along your young ‘uns of all ages to create a unique, bicycle gear Christmas ornament with gears, glitter, and other crafty goodies provided by Hometown Bicycles. Parents, please come, too! This is a parent-child project you’ll treasure for years to come. A nominal $4 per child covers materials and instruction.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE KID’S CRAFT CLASS

FAT BIKE FRIENDLY GROUP TRAIL RIDE: Leaves at 3:30pm
RIDE WITH SHAUN!! Join your bike guru, and leave from our shop parking lot at 3:30pm for the Yellow and Blue trails of picturesque, autumn-tinged Island Lake. NO DROP, all levels welcome!

CHILI COOK-OFF: Judging begins when the riders return!
Put your best chili forward for a chance to win prizes and bragging rights at Hometown’s first annual culinary cook-off! Entries must be delivered by 4:15pm, and hungry cyclists and party-goers will be the judges for this people’s choice competition. Winner takes home a $25 Hometown Bicycles Gift Certificate PLUS one of the first Hometown t-shirts ever made available to the public!!
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS & TO ENTER THE CHILI COOK-OFF

So much fun to be had – why not do it all?! See you tomorrow, Hometownies!

HELPFUL HINT: Hometown now offers financing through…

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: American Spirit Centre, art fair, Ashley Knuth, bicycle shop, bicycles, bike shop, bikes, Body Within Personal Training, Cardio Drumming, chili cook off, Christmas shopping, event, family, fat bike, fat bike demo, financing, group ride, hamburg fitness center, Hometown Bicycles, Jenny Schild, Lauren Patrell, Marth Soraruf, mountain bike, party, Peggy Kerwan, Pro-Motion Physical Therapy, Sarah Burke, schedule of events, Shaun Bhajan, shop ride, Synchrony Financial, Tocca Massage and Yoga, trail ride, Vinnie Baylerian, yoga, zumba | Leave a comment »

Iceman Glory, Bicycle Blue Book, and Party Sign-Ups

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Shaun

THE WEATHER, THE COURSE, THE COMPANY… ALL AWESOME!
Congratulations, Iceman Cometh riders! Another goal achieved, another adventure had, another story to be told (and we hope that you WILL tell it, at our November 12, post-Iceman party – details below!)

For the first time in years, Iceman riders enjoyed a day of clear sky and sunshine. Our Team sure appreciated it… along with the delicious chili and good will served up in the Hometown tent (thank you, Jean and crew!) Ride times were rockin’, good times were a-rollin’… what can we say, but “can’t wait ’til next year!” Iceman or bust, baby!

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WE INTERRUPT YOUR READING FOR THIS VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE…

Hometown’s 1st Annual Fall Extravaganza event is

THIS SATURDAY (11/12)
FROM NOON – 6PM

Event details and crazy-fun class sign-ups are below, so be sure to read to the end!

NOW, BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSLETTER…

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POST-ICEMAN TUNE-UP SPECIAL

Hometown Bicycles Iceman Effed My Bike Tune-Up Coupon

It’s all about respect… you rode ’em hard at Iceman – don’t put your bikes away “wet”! That trusty two-wheeler that just took you for the ride of your life will live to race another day with proper care and maintenance. Take advantage of our “Iceman Effed My Bike!” Tune-Up Coupon, where you’ll get $20 toward bikes and accessories with the purchase of a post-Iceman tune-up.

Print this blog and bring it with you. We’ll treat your bicycle like the rockstar that it is!

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HOMETOWN NOW OFFERS FINANCING
ON ALL BICYCLES!

Think of this as one more obstacle REMOVED from you getting fit, having fun, making memories, and riding off into the sunset. Dreams can absolutely be affordable… stop in and ask us about our stellar financing program!

(Pssst! Save your rainy day fund for a rainy day. Those fat bikes you’ll be falling in love with at our November 12 fat bike demo have just become that much more affordable!)

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EVER WONDER WHAT YOUR BIKE’S WORTH?

We know that, sentimentally speaking, your bicycle’s value is truly incalculable, but if you ever DO decide to sell, how do you determine what it’s worth?Answer: BicycleBlueBook.com. Did you know that Hometown Bicycles is an Authorized Bicycle Blue Book Trade-In Partner? That’s just a fancy way of saying that we can help you figure out what your bike is worth. Who knows, your dream Jamis bike may be significantly closer than you think! (Like, maybe even at this Saturday’s fat bike demo… *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*…)

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THIS SATURDAY’S EVENT SCHEDULE & CLASS SIGN-UP FOR

We’re just days away from this fantastic, autumn, family and fat bike extravaganza… time to get yourself registered for some of the cool classes, and to plan your order of enjoyment, so that you don’t miss one, single, crazy-fun activity!

INDOOR ART FAIR: Noon – 5:00 pm
Hometown artists Deborah Kashdan, Peggy Kerwan, Lauren Patrell and her Nana, and newcomer Sarah Burke will be setting up art displays at our first ever mini indoor art fair here at the shop. Weather permitting, Sarah will also be holding an outdoor demonstration of her incredible spray paint art skills. You’ve seen their bicycle art – here’s a chance to enjoy more of their creativity… and maybe take care of some Christmas shopping in the process! (Artists prefer cash or check, so please come prepared!)

“ASK THE EXPERTS”: Noon – 1:30 pm
Hit a cycling plateau? Nagging knee pain on your rides? Body Within Personal Training‘s, Jenny Schild, and Pro-Motion Physical Therapy‘s, Vinnie Baylerian, PT, DPT are generously volunteering their fitness/nutrition and common cycling injury/bike fit expertise at our event. This is a RARE OPPORTUNITY for one-stop, NO CHARGE, professional input on how to be a better, stronger cyclist… take advantage of it!

CARDIO DRUMMING WITH MARTHA SORARUF: 1:45 pm
Join in on Martha’s crazy-popular Cardio Drumming class (Liam’s favorite!), which will be pumping up the volume in our Community Room at next Saturday’s event.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR CARDIO DRUMMING

KIDS’ CRAFT CLASS – BIKE GEAR ORNAMENTS: 4:15 pm
Bring along your young ‘uns of all ages to create a unique, bicycle gear Christmas ornament with gears, glitter, and other crafty goodies provided by Hometown Bicycles. Parents, please come, too! This is a parent-child project you’ll treasure for years to come. A nominal $4 per child covers materials and instruction.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE KID’S CRAFT CLASS

So much fun to be had – why not do it all?! CALL US IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. And please tell your friends, bring your family, and spread the word. It’s an event for everyone!