mike dyer | 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 »

Closing for Inventory on 11/19 + Chili Champions + Marketing for Entrepreneurs

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Shaun

We will be closed for inventory on TUESDAY 11/19.

Fitness classes will still be running at the shop:
6 PM: HIIT
7 PM: Pound

Entrepreneurship Event: MARKETING!

Tuesday, December 10 from 6-8:30 PM

Attention all Go-Getters! This one is for you!

Men and women of all ages, join us at Hometown Bicycles for a fun, engaging and informative program aimed at business owners, start-ups, and entrepreneurs who want to enter the new year with a solid marketing plan.

A panel of experts will present information on print marketing, graphic design and how to truly capture the spirit of your business, web/online presence, and general promotion and marketing must-knows! There will be time for a Q&A session following the speakers, plus refreshments, takeaways, and time to chat with like-minded folks in our community.

So that we can fully focus on YOU, we will be closing the shop early for this event.

SIGN UP HERE!

Our 4th Annual Chili Cookoff was a saucy, spicy, succulent good time!

What a terrific turnout on Saturday 11/9 — thank you all for coming out to join our kickoff fat bike friendly ride, share your fantastic chili recipes with us, provide an inquisitive audience for Guinness World Records contender Bill St. Onge, and for choosing our Chili Cookoff winners!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE…

OVERALL WINNER: Ann & Miles Janicki’s Chili Cornbread Casserole

MILD WINNER: Ann & Miles Janicki’s Chili Cornbread Casserole

MEDIUM WINNER: Gary Kulhanek’s Happy Tongue Gourmet Chili

SPICY WINNER: Mike Dyer’s Dirty Brat Chili

Many thanks to Miles Janicki for capturing some of these fun images!

Save the date for next year’s Chili Cookoff:
Saturday, November 14, 2020, one week post-Iceman!

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: Ann and Miles Janicki, 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, Bill St. Onge, Brighton, chili cook off, closed for inventory, cycling, cyclists, entrepreneurship event, fat bike friendly mountain bike ride, Fat Bike Friendly Shop Ride, fat bikes, fat tire bikes, fitness classes, Gary Kulhanek, group rides, Guinness Book of World Records, HIIT, Hometown Bicycles, Hometown Bikes, Hometownies, Leslie Barrett, livingston county, marketing for entrepreneurs, Martha Soraruf, Michigan, mike dyer, Pound, shop rides, Team Hometown Bicycles | Leave a comment »

Hometown is up for Best Bike Shop! Get those voting fingers ready…

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Shaun

We Ate, We Rode & We Painted Settlers Park Orange!

Pictured: Team Hometown Bicycles member Jim Thompson and his son
It was picture perfect June sunshiny weather for Family Day at Settlers Park this past weekend. Over 50 people hit the trails!

Thank you to Team Hometown Bicycles Sponsor, Kevin Brennan with Michigan Financial Planning, for this fun collaboration! His team grilled up hot dogs and talked up financial health, while Hometown led guided rides and shared demo bike knowledge with visitors.

Team Hometown showed up in their kits and colored the park orange… we sure appreciate your presence and willingness to take newbies on rides! You always make us proud.

We even got to witness Shaun and Dawn on a tandem. For those who missed it, check out the video evidence below…

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 begins on Tuesday, June 18th at 11 AM and 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!

Summertime: Hometown Happenings in the Community!

Brighton Optimist Club Fishing Derby –

Hundreds of kids and families attended the fishing derby sponsored by the Brighton Optimist Club on Saturday, June 8th at the Mill Pond in downtown Brighton.

Team Hometown Bicycles member Robin Fry was there on our decorated red, white & blue bike to talk up how you and your kids can ride with us in the 4th of July Parade! Thanks, Robin!!

Brighton Optimist Club Bike Decorating Contest & Parade – Thursday, July 4 at 8 AM

Decorate your bike at home, or bring your bike and decorations to Hometown between Saturday 6/29 and Wednesday 7/3. You can bring your bike with you on the 4th of July, or decorate it and leave it at our shop to be delivered for you to the contest site on the 4th! Judging starts at 9:15 AM with awards immediately following. And then it’s Parade time at 10 AM!

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!

Read all about it and SIGN UP HERE!

Team Hometown has been BUSY!
**Check out their recent adventures**

Mike Dyer (left), Scooter Gates (below), and Keith Cowgar (immediately below) had an epic Bikepacking adventure this past weekend… and we mean EPIC. They covered nearly 90 miles in three days in the High Country Pathway!

Mike says, “Would I bikepack again? Absolutely! Would I ride this trail again? Absolutely not!”

What is designed to be a hiking trail makes for a most challenging biking trail; it would even be tough for hiking. Our Team’s advice? If you decide to ride this trail, you MUST bring more water than you think (and a way to filter more), 100% Deet, a detailed map and a downloaded GPS file. Trust our experts on this one!

On Sunday, June 2nd, Gary Kulhanek and Kristi Mackenzie participated in the Tour de l’Île, a biking classic, where thousands of cyclists fill the streets of Montréal with their positive energy and infectious enthusiasm, creating an unforgettable urban festival.

Gary said it was a great time except for the rain!

Avid Hometownie and Hometown Crew member Les Cook’s brother, Dr. Mark Cook, is currently doing a ride across Wisconsin. Just a group of friends on a fun-filled journey! Check out their adventure below…

Top: Mark, second from left

Middle: Mark, in yellow

Bottom: Some local fauna in Wisconsin… yikes!

Congratulations to Erik Frazier (below left) and John Harrington (below center) for their first place podiums in this past weekend’s Island Lake Challenge! And kudos also go to Marilyn Reichenbach (below right) for her third place win… way to go!

Hometownies, do you have news about races, rides or other adventures to include for consideration in future Hometown e-newsletters? Send your stories and photos to events@myhometownbicycles. We love to show off our Team and customers!

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 & Thursdays 9:30 AM
$8 drop in or “10 classes for $60” punch card – With Leslie Barrett | Click to learn more

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

intenSati | Sundays 10 AM – June 9 and 23
$10 drop in – With Dawn Gaden | Click to learn more