What Happened at Hometown the Other Night…

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Shaun

(Friendships were forged and fun was TOTALLY had at Hometown’s Ladies Night Out: Spring Edition!)

WHAT HAPPENS AT HOMETOWN, STAYS AT… OH, WAIT!
No it doesn’t! It gets shared with you right now! Ladies Night Out: Spring Edition was just too wonderful to keep to ourselves, anyway…

In our second celebration of Hometownie women, we launched the evening with a stellar, stress-melting yoga session, courtesy of Terry of Hamburg Fitness Center & Camp. Next came a few words from the girl-power advocate who runs this show (me).

Wine was a-flowing from an ambrosial selection of reds and whites, and partnered beautifully with our tableful of gal-geared goodies!

Many of our women picked up quick and simple flat tire fix tips and shifting techniques in a set of mini clinics that ran mid-event. Complimentary chair massages took place just a few steps away, generously offered by wonder-women, Jenn and Sue, of Kor Chiro Studio.

In what’s quickly become one of the largest selections of women’s cyclewear in the area, our women found an abundance of eye-popping deals and colorful fashions to suit every style. And one of the favorite additions to the evening was the playful jewelry and artwork offered and donated as door prizes by kind-to-the-core vendors/artists Peggy Kerwan, Lauren of LPbyLP, Cathy and Rita of Echo Lake Steel, and Melissa of Cool Hedge Creations.

Generous gift donations from Hamburg Fitness Center‘s chief ladies, Deb and Terry, and one of the most vibrant personalities we’ve ever met – Sandy of Beauchamp Water Treatment – cherry-topped the evening for several happy winners.

We welcomed 5 new ladies to our Hometown Team, made friends and cycling buddies, and 200% loved life with some of the most wonderful women we know. What a magical evening! Ladies, you have my personal thanks for supporting my mission to make Hometown one of the female-friendliest bike shops in the region and, of course, for being so awesome!! (Stay tuned for our next big women’s event, coming up in May!)

INVENTORY, TOOLS, FIXTURES & MORE

Moving Vincere operations to Hometown means a BIG BIKE SHOP BLOW-OUT SALE the likes of which you’ve never seen – product, fixtures, tools… anything that’s not nailed down at blow-out pricing. Start moving the seats out of your cars – sale runs THIS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 FROM NOON-4PM, and you’ll be needing the space! First come, first serve!!!
Meet man-of-the-hour, Matt Fitzhorn (and his little dog, too!) parked in front of Vincere Cycles of Milford.

MARCH 1ST: CLINIC POTLUCK PARTY

Hometownies, we’re wrapping up this – our 8th year of winter bike clinics – with the most epic Potluck Party to date… because, this year, there’s something extra to celebrate!

In this clinic, you’ll learn about the best parks, routes, and groups for your Michigan cycling adventures. We’ll also be welcoming back guest speaker Jim Plaunt of Bike Tour Vacations, who’s worked up a special promotion just for Hometownies!

You’ll get our 2018 Spring Shop Ride agenda (spoiler alert – it’s awesome!), and meet the cool people you’ll get to ride them with! PLUS, this March 1st party is your LAST CHANCEto sign up for our all-inclusive, all-about-making-it-fun Team Hometown Bicycles!! (We’re at 85 riders – can you help our Team get to 100??)

Exciting, right? But wait, there’s more! At this event, you’ll have a chance to finally meet the one and only Matt Fitzhorn, whom you’ve been hearing so much about – the new head honcho for your famous Hometown Service Department. You’re right. You absolutely won’t want to miss this:

Where to Ride in Michigan Potluck Party

Thur, March 1st, 7-9pm – The only fee is food!

2018 HOMETOWN WOMEN’S WINTER CLASSES

It’s the final class in our Hometown, women-only, winter class series to keep you going strong over the winter! Women’s rides are next on the agenda, beginning in April – be sure to watch our Facebook page and newsletter for the official announcement! Click the registration link for details and to sign up for the final class:2/27 WOMEN’S PILOXING BARRE with Hamburg Fitness Center & Camp
REGISTER for PILOXING | 6 – 7PM at Hamburg Fitness | $5 (no membership required!)

HOMETOWN BICYCLES SHOP RIDES

Fat Bike Friendly Ride – Intermediate/Advanced
SATURDAY, FEB 24 | 10:00AM (MEET BY 9:45AM) | FROM HOMETOWN BICYCLES
We’re headed back to Island Lake for a loop through the trails. Anticipate 10-16 miles of adventuring. Group A advanced riders will ride fast and pack in the miles. Group B intermediate riders will ride as skills determine. Come dressed for the weather. Check Facebook for Ride confirmation and changes!***Rent a Fat Bike at the shop!***

FITNESS CLASSES AT HOMETOWN BICYCLES

Many of you are familiar with the rockin’ beats and great cardio that take place weekly on our showroom floor. But for those who haven’t yet experienced fitness classes at Hometown, or simply want to get a high-energy start to their New Year’s resolutions, here are a few classes you’ll absolutely want to try!CARDIO DRUMMING | Wednesdays at 6:00PM
$5 drop in / $5 equipment rental – With Martha Soraruf
Click to learn moreZUMBA | Mondays at 6:00PM & Thursdays at 9:30AM
$8 drop in or “10 classes for $50” punch card – With Leslie Barrett
Click to learn more

Making memories with you is my favorite thing to do.

~ Jordy Daniel

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply, bicycle clinics, bicycle repair, bicycle rides, bicycle shop, bicycles, bike clinics, bike repair, bike rides, bike shop, Bike Tour Vacations, bikes, blow out sale, Cardio Drumming, Cathy Nelson, chair massages, Cool Hedge Creations, cycling, cycling team, cyclists, Dawn Bhajan, Deb Godmer, Donna Rinnas, Echo Lake Steel, female friendly bike shop, flat tire fix, group rides, Hamburg Fitness Center and Camp, Hometown Bicycles, Jim Plaunt, Kor Chiro, ladies night out, Lauren Patrell, Leslie Barrett, LPbyLP, Martha Soraruf, Matt Fitzhorn, Melissa Rudberg, Peggy Kerwan, Piloxing Barre, potluck party, Sandy Rachwal, shifting, shop rides, Team Hometown Bicycles, Terry Mushong, Vincere Cycles, wine, winners, womens winter fitness classes, yoga, zumba | Leave a comment »

Vincere Alliance Details & Funds Raised for BHS Cycling

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Shaun

Excellent Cause,
Outstanding Music

HOMETOWNIES, WOW! YOU RAISED $546 FOR BHS CYCLING!!

Last weekend, our shop was rockin’ with the Roll & Rock after hours fundraising concert, starring Hometown’s inimitable “CyloDan” Tribble and his Progressive Blues & Rhythm Band. Toes were tapping, dance floor was hopping, and generosity was abundant.

Half of all cover charges was collected as a donation for the Brighton High School Mountain Bike Team, to which so many of our staff have and do belong. But the good will didn’t stop there – even more of you stopped in early to donate, and also gave extra at the event. Makes us proud to be Hometownies!

In answer to the big question of the night, YES! We WILL do this again. ‘Til then, if you’d like these smooth pipes and brilliant, bluesy instrumentals at your own event, contact Brian for booking info: (330) 806-1710. Thanks, PBR Band – you rock (and roll!)

NEXT TUESDAY! LADIES NIGHT OUT (2/20)Sign up now!

Remember how I told you I’ve been tracking down great deals on amazing women’s apparel… well above are just a few, delicious samples of what you’ll find on super-discount at next Tuesday’s
Ladies Night Out at Hometown Bicycles: Spring Edition on February 20th from 6-9pm. We’re closing the shop early for women-only…

• 30-MINUTE BEGINNER YOGA SESSION with Hamburg Fitness Center
• WINE & REFRESHMENTS
• COMPLIMENTARY CHAIR MASSAGES with Kor Chiro Studio
• QUICKIE BIKE CLINICS
• JEWELRY TRUNK SHOW with Echo Lake Steel and Cool Hedge Creations
• ART EXHIBITION with Peggy Kerwan and Lauren Patrell
• GOODIE BAGS
• INCREDIBLE DOOR PRIZES
• THRILL-OF-THE-HUNT BARGAIN BUYS
• LARGEST DISPLAY OF MI-MADE JOSHUA TREE PRODUCTS IN THE AREA!That last bullet point is the newest addition to an event already brimming over with gal-geared greatness. There’s SO much to be excited about… get your registration on, so that we can make this the best Ladies Night Out ever!

TUES, FEBRUARY 20 | 6PM-9PM | AT HOMETOWN BICYCLES
$40 payable at registration. Click the link below!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR LADIES NIGHT OUT!

Literally THE best self defense class I’ve ever taken, and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way…Just this Tuesday, as part of Hometown’s weekly women’s class series, Ian Kinder of Live Safe Academy shared powerful defense insights and techniques developed from law enforcement training, real world situations, and personal experience. He combined lecture and partner practice to ensure that every woman and girl in the room left with instantly useable and truly empowering knowledge.

Our sincerest thanks to Ian for a phenomenal class, supporting his mission to save lives. Stay tuned for future Live Safe Academy classes to be run at Hometown!

(Top: Team Hometown DJ Joe Ostervik was one of the top fundraising Jersey Riders – way to go, Joe!; Bottom right: The Tour raised $43,000 for Livingston County United Way!; Bottom left: Hometown in the spotlight. Bottom photos courtesy Paula Zimmer – thanks, Paula!)TOUR DE LIVINGSTON THANK YOU LUNCHEON

Hometown headed to Howell Opera House for a Tour de Livingston thank you luncheon, where we celebrated helping the Tour raise $43,000 for Livingston County United Way – the highest amount in Tour history!!We were proud to be acknowledged for a superstar Team Hometown rider, DJ Joe Ostervik, who topped the charts with his fundraising efforts, and for our very well-received 10-bike donation. Now it’s time to mark your calendar for this year’s Tour on October 7th!

Details, please!

THE HOMETOWN-VINCERE ALLIANCE

In our last newsletter, we unleashed awesome on you in the form an alliance between Hometown Bicycles and Vincere Cycles of Milford.We warmly appreciate the positive tsunami of excitement and interest, and deeply enjoyed the wildly diverse theories about what that alliance will entail. You’re a creative bunch, Hometownies!

If you missed the announcement, please CLICK HERE to catch yourself up. Now, here’s the rest of the story…

As a direct result of our shared values, shared goals, and shared mindset, we’re thrilled to announce that we are bringing Vincere’s operations here to Hometown beginning March 1st, and placing Matt at the helm of our renowned Service Department. Matt will bring all the professionalism, expertise, and bicycle “wizardry” that he brought to his own shop, which includes a 25-year mechanical mastery of bicycles, cars, airplanes, and even helicopters. (At right: Matt and wife, Joy, enjoying an early cycling adventure)

This alliance means many things – growthof Hometown’s service department, greater service capacity (more bikes, quicker turnaround!), and quality control to rival NASA’s, just to name a few. Hometown has the scope and reach, and Vincere brings the mastery, to support this ambitious evolution.

What this means for you…

You’ll continue to enjoy the same outstanding service quality that you’ve come to expect from Hometown and Vincere, just taken up a notch! Think faster. Think more innovative. Think problem solving like you’ve never seen it before. And it all continues with the warm, helpful, anti-snob, you’re-family, customer experience that makes us YOUR bike shop.

Exciting things afoot…

Moving Vincere operations to Hometown means a BIG BIKE SHOP BLOW-OUT SALE the likes of which you’ve never seen – product, fixtures, tools… anything that’s not nailed down at blow-out pricing. Bike peeps, when you’ve stopped cartwheeling and high-fiving the universe, please put a MASSIVE red star on your calendar for SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH (yep, less than 2 weeks away!) And be sure to stay very closely tuned to our newsletters and Facebook. Details will follow shortly!

Also, please join us at our MARCH 1ST POTLUCK PARTY (CLICK HERE to RSVP!) to welcome and get to know your Service Guru on his first day at Hometown, all while enjoying great eats and fantastic cycling intel.

Want a head start? Here’s a word from the man-of-the-hour himself…

I grew up in Colorado riding my BMX around the neighborhood and on the local dirt track and never looked back; mountain biking since 1991, touring and road riding since 1997. My favorite kind of riding is whatever I’m doing at the moment. I’ll ride anything as long as it has pedals. I’ll also work on anything with pedals. As a kid, I helped my dad in the garage restoring cars until I could get an auto mechanic job as a teenager. At 18, I became an aircraft mechanic apprentice and eventually a full aircraft mechanic. After moving to Michigan in 2009 to be closer to my now wife whom I met onbikeforums.net, I was able to get a job working on bicycles, which is a much more enjoyable profession. Throughout all my various careers, bicycles and working on them have remained a constant. I bring the precision and mechanical ability of aircraft maintenance to bicycles and I believe it shows. (Above left: Matt & Joy visiting Vecchio’s Bicicletteria in Boulder, CO)

Meet man-of-the-hour, Matt Fitzhorn (and his little dog, too!) We’re thrilled to introduce him to you!

TONIGHT: CYCLING NUTRITION CLINIC

Get Team pricing on all Hammer nutrition orders at tonight’s clinic!!
We’ve run our Winter Clinic Series since opening in 2010… not to toot our own horn, but *toot* we’re really good at it! All clinics are FREE – click the links below for details and to register:Cycling Nutrition Clinic
Tues, Feb 13th, 12:15-1pm & Thu, Feb 15th, 7-8pm

Cycling Gear & Wear Clinic
Tues, Feb 20th, 12:15-1pm & Thu, Feb 22nd, 7-8pm

Where to Ride in Michigan Potluck Party
Thu, March 1st, 7-9pm

<< Click the image at left for a printable Clinic Series flier!

2018 HOMETOWN WOMEN’S WINTER CLASSES

Ladies, Hometown’s women-only, winter class series is going strong to KEEP you strong over the winter. Click the registration links for details and to sign up:2/20 LADIES NIGHT OUT: SPRING EDITION at Hometown Bicycles
REGISTER for Ladies Night Out | 6PM – 9PM at Hometown | $40 at registration

2/27 WOMEN’S PILOXING BARRE with Hamburg Fitness Center & Camp
REGISTER for PILOXING | 6 – 7PM at Hamburg Fitness | $5 (no membership required!)

HOMETOWN BICYCLES SHOP RIDES

Fat Bike Friendly Ride – Intermediate/Advanced
SATURDAY, FEB 17 | 10:00AM (MEET BY 9:45AM) | FROM HOMETOWN BICYCLES
We’re headed back to Island Lake for a loop through the trails. Anticipate 10-16 miles of adventuring. Group A advanced riders will ride fast and pack in the miles. Group B intermediate riders will ride as skills determine. Come dressed for the weather. Check Facebook for Ride confirmation and changes!***Rent a Fat Bike at the shop!***

FITNESS CLASSES AT HOMETOWN BICYCLES

ZUMBA | Mondays at 6:00PM & Thursdays at 9:30AM
$8 drop in or “10 classes for $50” punch card – With Leslie Barrett
Click to learn more

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: bicycle clinics, bicycle repair, bicycle service, bicycle shop, bicycles, bicycling, bike clinics, bike rides, bike shop, bikes, blow out sale, Brighton, Brighton High School, Cardio Drumming, cyclewear, cycling, cycling nutrition, cycling team, cyclists, CycloDan Tribble, DJ Joe Ostervik, donation, fitness classes, group rides, Hammer nutrition, Hometown Bicycles, Ian Kinder, Joy Fitzhorn, ladies night out spring edition, Leslie Barrett, Live Safe Academy, livingston county, Livingston County United Way, Louis Garneau, Martha Soraruf, Matt Fitzhorn, Michigan, mountain bike team, PBR Band, potluck party, Progressive Blues and Rhythm Band, shop rides, Tour de Livingston, Vincere Cycles, womens cycling clothing, womens self defense, zumba | Leave a comment »

Hometown’s Big, Game-Changing News

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Shaun

Hometownies, you know we make it our mission to keep Hometown Bicycles new and exciting. We’ve come to you in the past with epic news – like introducing Jamis to our shop, launching a cycling Team, and moving into this big, beautiful, bicycle adventure center of ours – and, without fail, it’s translated into something fresh, unexpected, amazing… something that makes you proud to be a Hometownie. Well, we’re at it again…

…………………………………………….

Today’s news is BIG – in fact, GAME-CHANGING – and I guarantee that it will make you prouder than ever to call Hometown Bicycles “home.”

Some of you may recognize the fella above shaking Shaun’s hand: Matt Fitzhorn, owner of Vincere Cycles in Milford, has been on our radar for some time now. The quality of Vincere’s service work is exceptional and innovative – we’ve seen it and have been impressed by it. Matt’s personality is warm, his integrity outstanding, and his goals admirable. Over the years, we’ve built up a relationship of mutual respect – easy enough to do, since our values so powerfully align.

On the heels of some very intriguing discussions, Vincere and Hometown have formally combined forces to create something BIG! This alliance will have a long-standing, positive impact on YOUR cycling experience, and the continuing growth of your bicycle adventure center.