freep | Hometown Bicycles

SHOP OF THE YEAR! + A Message from Shaun & Dawn

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Shaun

(Above: Shaun and Dawn Bhajan, pictured with an incredible group of fellow LMB Awards Shop of the Year Finalists, at the Detroit Velodrome. That’s a lot of awesome in one place!)

Hometownies,

Shop of the Year.

Shop. Of. The. Year.

YOUR BIKE SHOP has just been awarded League of Michigan Bicyclists’ 2019 Shop of the Year. And if you don’t already understand your role in bringing this about, please read on…

We all know Hometown is more than just a shop. In fact, sometimes you know that even better than we do, and we are eternally grateful that you never let us forget it! Hometown is a community, a philosophy, and a movement. Our Crew, our Team and, most definitely, our customers are both the core of, and the messengers for, that culture.

Your involvement, your patronage, your loyalty, and your referrals have expanded the scope and reach of EVERYTHING Hometown has ever created, including the impact we so enjoy making in both our local community and the cycling community at large.

Most recently, that impact included one of our proudest achievements – the creation of the annual Do It for Dan Memorial Ride, honoring a beloved, local rider who was struck and killed by a motorist while cycling at Island Lake. Over 550 of you turned that Ride into a powerful message to motorists and cyclists everywhere to always stay alert and to share the road safely.

It’s also worth mentioning that this award says “SHOP of the Year,” not “BIKE SHOP OWNERS of the Year” or “SHOP INDIVIDUAL of the Year”. And, of course, what is a “shop”? It’s the amplified total of all the individuals who support it.

Shop of the Year, Hometownies. What a win for us all!

With love and appreciation,

Shaun & Dawn

4th Annual Chili Cook-Off: Great Bowls of Fire!

Saturday, November 9th from 4-7 PM

It’s almost time for Iceman… do you know what that means?

It’s time to get your recipes simmering for our 4th Annual Chili Cook-Off! Our annual tradition is always the weekend following Iceman, and we are stoked to consume copious amounts of chili!

Enter your mild, medium or spicy deliciousness to win awards and perhaps even take home the very special –and kinda gaudy, but that’s what makes it fabulous — traveling trophy. And you get a whole year to share the bragging rights of being the 2019 Hometown Bicycles “Great Bowls of Fire” Chili Cook-Off WINNER!

Stir up your favorite recipe and drop it off at the shop by 4 PM. People’s Choice judging will begin at 5 PM, and the winner will be announced by 7 PM. Be sure to bring your garnishes and serving utensils, and your recipe ingredients written on an index card for allergy-conscious diners.

When you sign up, don’t let us know what kind of chili you’re bringing. It needs to be a surprise! We are all about unbiased voting, folks!

Enter your chili HERE!

FAT BIKE PRE-RIDE! Prior to the chili eatin’, Team Hometown Co-Captain Mike Dyer will be leading a Fat Bike Ride, so stay tuned for details. That way, you can burn off a ton of calories before you add them all back!

Our Team Totally Rocks… How Cool is THIS?

On Sunday, October 20th, several Team Hometown members kicked off the Detroit Free Press Marathon as lead cyclists!

Known lovingly as the “Freep”, this epic event has been going strong since 1978. Runners from all over the world have traveled to Detroit to take part — and it has become an event that encompasses people from all walks of life, not just elite runners.

We couldn’t be more proud of these guys for representing Hometown in this amazing way.

Pictured above (left to right): John Wyatt, Ron Szumski, Tom Hermann, Dennis Doherty, Doug Lapp, and Team Hometown Co-Captain and Mobile Rhythm Entertainment Sponsor Joe Ostervik.

Kudos to John Harrington for his first place podium at Custer’s Last Stand on Saturday, October 5th in Augusta, MI.

This all-volunteer benefit event is sponsored by the Join the Fight of Battle Creek, in collaboration with the YWCA of Kalamazoo, to raise awareness of human trafficking and other types of domestic violence. Way to go, John!

Entrepreneurship Event: MARKETING!

Who: Anyone interested in learning about Marketing! Business owners, entrepreneurs, start-up endeavors,

students… come one, come all… men and women, all ages!

What: Informative and FUN evening on a hot topic!

Tues, December 10 from 6-8:30 PM

Where: Hometown Bicycles! We will be closing the shop early to focus on this event!

Why: Because your Hometown ladies, Dawn and Leslie, really love supporting entrepreneurs!

Coming in a future email: Our fantastic lineup of speakers and the link to sign up! Keep your eyes peeled!

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: best bicycle repair, best bicycle service, best bike repair, best bike service, bicycle repair, bicycle service, bicycle shop, bicycles, bike repair, bike rides, bike service, bike shop, bikes, Brighton, chili cook off, Custers Last Stand Against Human Trafficking, cycling, cyclists, Dennis Doherty, Detroit Free Press Marathon, DJ Joe Ostervik, Do It for Dan Memorial Ride, Doug Lapp, entrepreneurship event, fat bikes, fat tire bikes, freep, Great Bowls of Fire, group rides, Hometown Bicycles, Hometown Bikes, Hometownies, Iceman Cometh Challenge, John Harrington, John Wyatt, League of Michigan Bicyclists, Leslie Barrett, livingston county, LMB Awards 2019, marketing for entrepreneurs, Michigan, Mobile Rhythm Entertainment, Ron Szumski, Shaun and Dawn Bhajan, Shop of the Year, shop rides, Team Hometown Bicycles, Tom Hermann | Leave a comment »

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 »

Tour video, name our trail, and being chased by runners

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Shaun

WE’RE TOUR DE LIVINGSTON ADDICTS… AND PROUD TO ADMIT IT!!

Year after year, our favorite community ride runs on first-class, feel-good mojo, and this year was no exception. The weather was grand, the scenery glorious, and the people – volunteers, riders, sponsors – made it all about camaraderie, achievement, and good will.

We can’t even begin to describe how proud we are to be associated with this event, and send a big Hometown hug to Howell Rotary for always making us so much a part of Tour de Livingston.

Photo fiends, be sure to check out our Facebook page and Tour de Livingston’s Facebook page for pictorial Tour eye candy!

(BAM!! Look at this awesome Team Hometown Bicycles representation at the Tour de Livingston, most of whom biked the 100-mile route. We ♥ you Team peeps!)

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NEXT UP… ICEMAN COMETH CHALLENGE

With Tour de Livingston behind us, our focus is shifting to another major cycling event that keeps our customers training hard and our shop hopping with pre-event preparations… Iceman Cometh Challenge. This famous, Michigan mountain bike race hits the Kalkaska trails on November 5th. Are YOU ready? Good. Is your BIKE ready? Leave that to us!

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ONE GOOD DONATION DESERVES ANOTHER

(Brighton Mayor Jim Muzzin (left) and Brighton Fire Chief O’Brian (right) with the Jamis cruiser. Photo courtesy Brighton Area Fire Dept.)

Here’s a bit of retrospective “feel good” to supplement those morning Wheaties… back in mid-September, the Brighton Area Fire Department ran its annual 9/11 Memorial 5K with our annually donated Hometown Bicycles Jamis cruiser as the fundraiser raffle prize.

Brighton Mayor, Jim Muzzin, was the lucky winner… and this community-spirited head honcho re-donated his win BACK to the Fire Department to raise additional dollars for the 9/11 Memorial fund! We tip our helmets to your generosity, Mayor Muzzin!

Special kudos goes to Team Hometown Bicycles’ Olga N. for leading off the race on her bicycle!

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NAME THAT TRAIL!

The feisty little trail we cut into the woods behind our shop has been tried and tested, and is ready for action! Ride it.* Reflect. Then send us your best trail name. You could be the one to win eternal Hometown bragging rights for finding that perfect moniker!

*Helmet and waiver required – please take a moment to complete one in the shop before your tires hit Hometown dirt.

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TEAM NEWS: HOMETOWN’S “RUNNING” THE FREEP!

The world-renowned Detroit Free Press Full & Half Marathon – known affectionately as the “Freep” – is historically led off by cyclists… and guess who’s been invited to join the party!! Hometown Bicycles!!!

Team Hometown Bicycles’ Jim Cleer and Joe Ostervik will be among the select cyclists to pace off racers at this enormous, October 16th event. Help us keep an eye out for them in the media coverage!

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FATTEN UP THIS WINTER – PREORDERS PENDING

We’re a fast sprint away from fat bike preorder season…

Just wanted to get your winter-rockin’, trail-crushin’, fatty-lovin’ adrenaline pumping!

You’re welcome…

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SPIN AND YOGA INSTRUCTORS WANTED

We’ve got big things planned for this winter’s indoor fitness activities… BIG plans. If you’re spin and/or yoga instruction certified, you could be a part of the action. Send your qualifications to Dawn at office@myhometownbicycles.com.