On the eve of Hometown’s 13th anniversary, we’ve been reflecting on what has made Hometown the shop you love – most especially, its Crew. Hometown has employed nearly 120 people since its birth in 2010. Seriously, wow.
And with so many of you having adopted Hometown as an extension of your family, we’d like to bring you a weekly spotlight on the Crew that has made 13 years of being your bike shop possible!
Past, present, and up-and-coming – let’s start things off with the first ever Crewman of Hometown Bicycles…
SHAUN BHAJAN, Owner & Founder
Shaun is originally from Trinidad & Tobago, where his love for cycling first began. Off-bike, he loves cooking nostalgic flavors from the Caribbean, and is a passionate car enthusiast, Trekkie, amateur gardener, and enjoys working with his hands.
His shop, established in 2010 and with the tagline “Go to Your Happy Place”, is best known for catering to ALL cyclists, regardless of bike, style, and skill level.
The Hometown crew pride themselves on having worked on over 35,000 bicycles and counting and, in doing so, have won many awards, including League of Michigan Bicyclists “Bike Shop of the Year” and Channel 4’s Vote 4 the Best “Best Bike Shop in Southeast Michigan”.
Shaun is a highly-respected, master bicycle mechanic, tapped on by local organizations and governing authorities for his over 20 years experience in the cycling industry. He has been deeply involved in Go Liv Co since its inception, including co-founding its locally-renowned Do It For Dan Memorial Ride.
Additionally, he is a member of the Brighton Optimist Club, and belongs to SELCRA’s board in his advisory role of Community Member at Large.
Shaun is more recently the proud founder of The H.U.B. Incubator, a business mentoring and development space, located in the Hometown complex.
Shaun is happily married with two children, Liam and Aria, who are as curious and creative as himself!
SAVE THE DATE!!
Hometown Bicycles
13th Anniversary Open House
Saturday, April 15 • 4pm-7pm
5th Annual Do It For Dan Memorial Ride
Be sure to add this ride to your cycling calendar!. Sunday, May 7th • 3PM • Green Oak Village Place
Looking for your next pedal-powered steed? Check out this seriously cool article from Bike Radar that can help educate you on different types of bikes, for when you start that bike-buying process this Spring.
Need additional help? Swing by the shop and talk to Shaun about your dream cycle! We have tons of resources, both in store and online, and can help you get virtually any bike.
Hometown Bicycles will be open DAILY from now through December 23 from 10 AM – 5 PM.
There are so many festive reasons to stop by!
Toys for Tots — We have collected 97 toys to date! The bins have been unloaded and we’re ready to fill them again. Thank you, cycling community, for your kindness and generosity!
Free Winter Storage with Tune-Up — Be the early bird who, come spring, isn’t waiting on your bike to be ready to roll. Get your tune-up now and store your bike at Hometown until March 1. Win-win!
Gift Certificate Trade-Up — Buy a Hometown Bicycles gift certificate for your favorite cyclist and receive a bonus accessory certificate from us! The accessory certificate is valued at 10% of your gift certificate purchase.
Hometown Ornaments — What a perfect way to support the shop while making your tree the coolest in town! We have custom Christmas tree ornaments in four designs, ranging from $10-$20.
Fun Holiday Gifts — From crazy cute socks to colorful bicycle helmets to the handcrafted, eclectic items sold in our Gifts & Novelties area, you’re sure to find something awesome!
To speed up the process and reduce your wait time, please fill out the above SERVICE REQUEST FORM on your computer (CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE OR CLICK HERE), print it, and bring it with you to the shop. Thank you for helping us keep this wheel rollin’!
Additionally:
1) FOLLOW THE SIGNS: When you come to the shop, you will see signs in the parking lot directing you where to go, depending on whether you’re here for service or retail.
2) SERVICE CUSTOMERS: Please fill out, then print THIS SERVICE REQUEST FORM prior to coming out to the shop, and bring it with you to drop-off.
3) RETAIL CUSTOMERS: Please park against the concrete wall – one of our sales crew will come out and greet you.
4) NEW BIKE CUSTOMERS: If you are interested in purchasing a bicycle, in addition to Step 3 (above), please call ahead and schedule an appointment with Andy: (810) 225-2441, Dial 1.
CABDA (Chicagoland Area Bicycle Dealers Association) is an association that promotes advocacy, best practices, education, and social events for Independent Bicycle Dealers. The CABDA Expo Midwest will take place on February 12-13 in Chicago and our Hometown Leadership Team will be in attendance, learning about tons of cool bicycle stuff! Those lucky dogs! Because so many key staff members will be out of town, please be aware that Hometown will be CLOSED from Tuesday, February 11th through Thursday, February 13th, and will re-open at 10 AM on Friday, February 14th.
Our Winter Clinic Series continues!
Come out to the shop to learn the ins and outs of caring for your bicycle at our informative winter clinic series. For all skill levels!
All clinics are held on Saturday mornings in Hometown’s Community Room. There is NO COST to participate. Clinics are one hour unless otherwise specified.
Bike Fitting Basics: Saturday 2/8 from 11 AM – 12:30 PM Guest speaker, Vinnie Baylerian, PT, DPT of Pro-Motion Physical Therapy, will cover bike fit that maximizes efficiency and minimizes discomfort. Learn about the mechanics of your body, and how it interacts with your bicycle. Vinnie is a certified Level 2 Clinical BikeFit Pro. Sign up HERE!
Bike Maintenance (After the Ride Care): Saturday 2/15 @11:30 AM In this second of a two-part clinic, we’ll talk about how to care for your bicycle AFTER you come back from your ride. We’ll show you what you need and how to use it. Sign up HERE!
Flat Tire Fix: Saturday 2/22 @11:30 AM This clinic covers everyone’s favorite — flat tire fixes! Bring along your wheel for some hands-on practice, or use one of ours. Sign up HERE!
Emergency Bicycle Repairs: Saturday 2/22 @11:30 AM This clinic is hands-on! We’ll cover quick, on-the-go bike fixes to help you avoid a long walk home. Sign up HERE!
Where to Ride in Michigan Potluck: Saturday 3/14 from 5:30-7:30 PM Details coming SOON!
Saturday, February 29 from 6-8 PM
Hometown’s “Winter Sucks” Soup Competition
Who’s fed up with winter? Show of hands! WE ARE! If you’re not fed up, there’s something wrong with you, and you need soup even more than the rest of us!
Whip up your favorite batch of warm-our-bellies soup and come chow down at Hometown Bicycles as we vote on THE most delicious soup in town.
Meet our new Ride Coordinator: Neal Glazebrook (Part One)!
Tell us about your role as Ride Coordinator. What are some of your goals for this year? I am excited to take on this role. Last year, I was asking many questions about rides and events, and sweeping and leading rides even in my first year on Team Hometown. With this role, I now have the direction to act on improvements and adjustments to the Team and processes. I am heavily involved in our community and am looking forward to having the Team as partner in helping our community be a safe place to bike and recreate in.
I want to build our Team and promote our rides and events in new ways. I am, with my operational and marketing backgrounds, going to bring some efficiencies and benefits, and get us set up for a successful path to the future of the Team and Hometown as a whole. I want us to have our old school Hometown feel, have a great inclusive environment, make great friendships, see our Team up on more podiums and in the news. I will work with each one of you to make that happen.
Where is your favorite place to ride? And do you have a favorite ride/race in Michigan? My love is mountain biking, although I will rock out some gravel frequently and touch the tarmac a few times a year. With that in mind, I would have to say my favorite local place to ride right now is Highland Rec. Following “Mudman 2019”, Iceman is my favorite race. I have never had that much fun on a bike!
How did you first get involved with Hometown? What made it feel like a good fit for you? My first interaction was at the Doc May ride in 2016. It was my first ever ride with a group of people and what got me to start to dive deeper into group events. I enjoyed that ride, my interactions with the Team Hometown members on the ride, and with Shaun at the bike corral that day.
I first officially met Shaun and Dawn when I applied for a Service Manager position at Hometown. I was impressed with their shop, but things did not work out for me to take the position. Over the years, we talked off and on about opportunities and they always nudged me to come ride with the shop and join the Team.
I really saw the value of the Team and the community environment they created in 2018 when I participated in Tour de Livingston for my second year. I restored a 1968 Sears & Roebuck 10-speed to ride my first ever century in loving memory of my dogs Milo and Monte who had passed away just a few short months before. Monte’s passing was the first sign that Hometown was the place for me. Out of the blue, a package showed up from Hometown. Dawn and the team had sent us a Christmas ornament that had Monte’s name with a rainbow bridge on the other side. My wife and I were beside ourselves; the compassion shown by Hometown blew us away…
… to be continued in Part Two in our next e-newsletter…
Coffee or tea? I drink TONS of coffee… tons.**
**He’ll fit right in, folks.
Team News!
On January 20th, Paul Wrona(below left) and Cooper Coatsworth(below right) attended the 2020 Tour deTroit MLK Memorial Ride in Detroit. Approximately 50 riders gathered at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center on the campus of Wayne State University to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy.
The ride was a nine-mile loop that included sights of some of Detroit’s historic churches and buildings, the remnants of Joe Louis Arena, Cobo Hall (TCF Center), the amazing waterfront park, warehouse district, and the Dequindre Cut trail.
Join this gathering of like-minded warriors to activate your energy with meditation, mantras, music and movement. Bring a yoga mat, water, and journal. $20 drop-in.
First Sunday of every month from 9:30-11 AM in the Hometown Community Room.
