Vote 4 the best | Hometown Bicycles

Hometown’s Trashy Trail Makeover Story

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Shaun

IT’S A DIRTY JOB, BUT SOMEONE’S GOTTA DO IT…
Now she’s a beaut, and that’s a fact! Thanks to the Herculean efforts of Hometownie volunteers – and captained by trail guru and Hometown Rides Coordinator, Jean Steinberg – our trail turned from trashy to total treasure in record time!

ABOVE: Jim and Jean (left) bagged an unbelievable amount of trash that had collected along our property. Adam and a very enthusiastic wielder of the hedge clippers, Greyson, (right) made a formidable father-son team in taming the trailside overgrowth.

ABOVE: Josh (left) and Steve (right) put their backs into it, clearing debris and smoothing the way. Garbage found (center) included everything from bottles and deodorant to mittens, shoe inserts, golf balls, and even a hockey glove!

There have been others, too – Mike, Tom Hermann, Doug Queener, staff, and others – who’ve led up to us saying…

Stay tuned for an official trail opening announcement and inaugural tiny trail ride around the property… COMING SOON!! Thank you, wonderful volunteers!!

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YOUR SERVICE TECH, ROCCO MULARONI

Now, here’s a face many of you know well… meet Hometown service tech, Rocco Mularoni. Rocco’s career here has been brilliant, but college called and wants their student back. So, here’s our send-off tribute to one seriously awesome guy…We met Rocco over a year ago – a member of the Catholic Central Mountain Bike Team, he had his bike serviced here. His rockin’ self-confidence and positive attitude won us over – Rocco became the Hometown crew member we could count on to always make himself available, to learn at lightning speed, to blow us away with his mechanical aptitude, and to go above and beyond in helping customers.

Good luck at Hope College, Rocco! We can’t wait to see what you do with your life. In the meantime, your service apron is waiting for you any time you’re in town!

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ARE YOU, OR DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE, RIGHT FOR THE JOB?

IMMEDIATE HELP WANTED at Hometown Bicycles of Brighton, MI

Hometown Bicycles is one of the largest and fastest-growing bicycle shops in Southeast Michigan. We focus on family values, community participation, and an incredible, customer experience.

We are immediately seeking career-minded, full-time staff members with the initiative and business and interpersonal skills to train into management. Applicants will learn on either the sales floor or in service, with the goal of growing into a Sales or Service Manager.

Bike knowledge is helpful, but not necessary. Positive attitude, intense work ethic, integrity, and friendly personality are all “must”s.

40 hours per week. Wages/Salary to be discussed.

To apply, please stop in for an application. Speak with Shaun or Dawn.

10595 Grand River Rd, Brighton 48116
(810) 225-2441 | www.myhometownbicycles.com

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TEAM NEWS: MAYBURY MAGIC & SKIRTS IN THE DIRT

(Images courtesy Doug, Olga, and Mike. Check out more on Facebook!)MAYBURY TIME TRIALS (above): Our Team jersey lit up the gloom of an overcast woods at this past weekend’s Maybury Time Trials. Team Hometown Bicycles riders Doug, Olga, and Mike put a hurt on the competition, with a second place podium finish for Mike Dyer. Yep, these are our peeps, and we’re darn proud of them! Congrats!!

(Images courtesy Jessica Beaubien. Thanks for always taking such great photos, Jessica!)

SKIRTS IN THE DIRT (above): Our neon-pink-jerseyed Green Gals were also well-represented at Sunday’s Skirts in the Dirt. Jennifer and Jessica (mom and daughter team) made mud and memories at this women-only mountain bike race. We dig ya’, ladies!

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STRETCH TO SUPPORT A CYCLIST IN NEED

HTB 0816 family yoga

Speaking of our favorite yogi, Jessica (above), she is doing something unique and generous at our shop. Pull on your yoga pants and be a part of it!“Join Soul Stretch on Sunday, September 11, 3-3:45pm for a special Family Yoga class. Kids ages 4-11 and their grownups are invited to come play together through partner poses that are fun for the kid and offer a feel-good stretch session for the adult.

Suggested donation $15 per pair to benefit a local member of our cycling community, Christi (at left), who was significantly injured this summer in a downhill accident at Boyne Mountain. Bring beach towels or yoga mats and contact soulstretch@gmail.com with any questions.”

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS SPECIAL FAMILY YOGA CLASS

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CONGRATS VOTE4THE BEST WINNERS!

Although we love being number 1, like in Livingston County’s People’s Choice Awards (woot! woot!), we’re proud to take second here to fellow family-run bike shop, Al Petri & Sons.

Three-year winner of Detroit’s Vote4theBest competition, this fourth generation, downriver cycling store has been family owned and operated since 1946. They promote “Satisfaction, Smiles, Selection, and Service.” You’re an inspiration to us, Al Petri & Sons Bicycles – congratulations on another well-earned win!

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HOMETOWN BICYCLES’ SHOP RIDES

Here’s what’s coming up this week:

WEDNESDAY, 8:45AM – Rails-to-Trails Ride

WEDNESDAY, 6:30PM – Hammerfest Advanced Road Ride

NO Tour de Livingston Training Ride this week

SUNDAY, 9:00AM – Iceman Training Gravel Grinder

SUNDAY, 5:00PM – Beginner Mountain Bike Ride

TUESDAY, 9:00AM – Hometown Green Gals Mountain Bike Ride

CLICK HERE for details about these Hometown shop rides!

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: Al Petri and Sons Bicycles, bicycle ride, bicycle shop, bicycles, bike ride, bike shop, bikes, family yoga, fundraiser, garbage, group rides, help wanted, Hometown Bicycles, Hometownies, Jean Steinberg, Maybury Time Trials, pick-up, Rides Coordinator, Rocco Mularoni, sales manager, service manager, shop rides, single track, singletrack, Skirts in the Dirt, trail, trail building, trail clearing, trail ride, trash, volunteers, Vote 4 the best | Leave a comment »

Biggest Ride, Your Chance to be Tintyped, and a Total Mud Bath

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Shaun

BIGGEST RIDE OF THE YEAR THIS SATURDAY – PEDAL & PARTY WITH YOUR HOMETOWN & TOUR DE LIVINGSTON PEEPS!
This’ll be our BIGGEST and BEST bike shop ride of the year, led by your goateed bike guru Shaun, with a big post-ride Tour de Livingston jersey drawing, cookout, and PARTY. No drop, NO CHARGE, and no way you won’t have the time of your life!

CLICK TO REGISTER FOR THIS SATURDAY’S TDL PARTY RIDE

(Help us make sure we get enough food for all of you hungry riders!)

NEW EVENT ADDITION!! In a completely unique and randomly awesome twist, pro photographer, Steve Hane, will now be offering wicked-cool wet plate photography at this event. Imagine you and/or your bike getting the 19th century treatment on tintype!!

Old-timey attire NOT required. Read on for details…
(Photo at left Copyright © MetroAir Photo, LLC)

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BRINGING YOU & YOUR BIKE INTO THE 19TH CENTURY

Hometownies, here’s a rare and completely unexpected opportunity for you…

THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY you and your family (if that includes your bike… hey, we won’t judge!) have the opportunity to be immortalized on tintype right here at Hometown…like they did at this year’s Tour de France !

Aerial photographer, Steve Hane of MetroAir Photo LLC, is a fountain of historical know-how, including the highly original art of wet plate photography. He’ll be setting up a temporary studio at Hometown to immortalize you Civil-War-Era-style, and will have your image printed and even framed by the next day! (Check out his site.)

Steve will be here Friday (8/5) and Saturday (8/6) in the late afternoon and evening, and appreciates pre-booking to ensure material availability. CALL STEVE FOR INFO OR TO BOOK YOUR SESSION AT (571) 236-3810 OR EMAIL STEVEHANE@METROAIRPHOTO.COM.

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REMINDER: TRANSITION TO MTB CLINIC NEXT WEEK!

FOR ANYONE NEW OR NEWISH TO MOUNTAIN BIKING: Just a reminder to REGISTER NOW for next Tuesday’s (8/9) “So, You Want to Transition to Mountain Biking” Clinic, where Jennifer and Shaun will share tips and tricks for making the leap to singletrack, how to prep for your first trail experience, where to ride when you’re ready, and groups and classes that can help. PLUS, ride a variety of demo bikes to try what you just learned!

CLINIC RUNS TUESDAY, AUGUST 9 AT 6:30PM
in the Hometown Bicycles Community Room

CLICK TO REGISTER FOR THE TRANSITION TO MOUNTAIN BIKING CLINIC

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TRAIN UP, TONE UP FOR YOUR BEST TOUR DE LIVINGSTON YET!

Don’t forget to mark down the dates above, Hometownies! Our TDL Training Ride series is a tip-top training tool to maximize your Tour de Livingston experience, with skill building, stamina stretching, and many more chances to win cool TDL swag!

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TEAM NEWS: SPA TREATMENT AT TREE FARM RELAY

(Hometown Team Captain, Jim Cleer… at least, we THINK that’s Jim. Photo courtesy Mark Lang.)

That’s right… with the Saturday deluge hitting Team Hometown Bicycles mid-Tree Farm Relay, everyone got a bike-and-body mud bath on suddenly slippery, sloppy trails. But indomitable spirits prevailed, and our Team had a blast at this much-loved event.

Fist bump to Hometown crewman, Colin Wood, who wound up being one of the fastest in the field. Seriously, we work with the coolest people!

NOTE: If you’re one of the many Relay riders whose bikes took a beating in all the muck and mayhem, just know… WE CAN FIX IT! Thanks to all of you (so many!) who’ve already brought your bikes in for some Hometown love!

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CALL FOR NUMBERS – HELP US FILL OUR WALL!

Our numbers wall has always been a hallmark of Hometown “photo shoots”, as Colin cheerily demonstrates at left.

But this is one BIG wall and, though we’re close, there are still a few blank patches that need to be numbered up!

Would you like to add YOUR number(s) to our wall of fame? If so, please drop them by, and remember to sign your numbers with your name and the date of the event. Every number that’s up there tells an incredible story. We’d be honored to share yours, too!

Muddy, wrinkled, torn – it all just adds to the intrigue…

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LESS THAN A WEEK TO MAKE US #1 – VOTE DAILY!

CLICK TO VOTE HOMETOWN BICYCLES “BEST BIKE SHOP 2016”

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LIVINGSTON’S MOST DELICIOUS RIDE

Melons, melon ice cream, and all things melon-y are the name of the game at the Doc May Memorial Melon Ride on Saturday, August 20th.

Hometown’s partnered with Howell Area Parks & Rec on a simple, new route that will tour you past some of Howell’s most scenic highlights.

Our Team will be on course for basic SAG, route assistance, and all-around good vibes. Plus, we’re offering complimentary bike valet service, so that you can enjoy post-ride festivities without your bike in tow!

REGISTER NOW, HOMETOWNIES!!

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: 19th century photography, bicycle ride, bicycle shop, bike ride, bike shop, clinic, Colin Wood, cookout, demo bikes, Doc May Memorial Melon Ride, family, group ride, Hometown Bicycles, Howell Area Parks & Rec, IMBA, jersey, Jim Cleer, Melon Festival, melons, MetroAir Photo LLC, mountain bike, mountain biking, mud bath, numbers wall, Party Ride, SAG, Shaun Bhajan, shop ride, Steve Hane, Team Hometown Bicycles, tintype, Tour de Livingston, Tree Farm Relay, Vote 4 the best, Vote4theBest, wet plate photography | Leave a comment »

New Mountain Biking Intro Clinic + Parties, Rides and Accomplishments

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Shaun

Curious About Mountain Biking?
—- WE’VE GOT A CLINIC FOR THAT! —-

JUST HOW DIFFERENT IS RIDING TRAILS TO RIDING ROADS ANYWAY?

The lure of woodsy single-track strikes just about every cyclist at some point in their life… there’s something almost primal about the need to take a path less traveled.

But mountain biking (MTB) is a very different beast from road riding – with different equipment, challenges, and skill requirements – and that can be downright intimidating.

We get it, and that’s why we’ve created the “So, You Want to Transition to Mountain Biking” Clinic. Jennifer (our Events Coordinator, MTB novice, and instigator of this clinic) and Shaun will talk about these differences, how to prep for your first trail experience, where to ride when you’re ready, and groups and classes that can help. PLUS, we’ll have a variety of demo bikes on hand for you to try what you just learned!

CLINIC RUNS TUESDAY, AUGUST 9 AT 6:30PM
in the Hometown Bicycles Community Room

Rest assured, you will NOT have to grow facial hair and wear flannel shirts to participate…

CLICK TO REGISTER FOR THE TRANSITION TO MOUNTAIN BIKING CLINIC

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KUDOS TO CORA FOR THE SALE OF HER BIKE ART!

Just wanted to give a huge Hometown shout-out to Pinckney High School art student, Cora Kroll, for the sale of her wicked-cool graphite bike art. Way to go, Cora!

Do YOU want to support the awesome talent of these students? Their artwork is still on display (and for sale) in our Community Room. Come check it out!

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8/6: TOUR DE LIVINGSTON PARTY RIDE WITH SHAUN

Don’t forget to sign up for this FREE, biggest-ride-of-the-year, food-on-the-barbie, chill-around-the-campfire, win-a-jersey, Party Ride with your goateed bike guru to launch our annual Tour de Livingston Training Ride series (see section below)!

CLICK TO REGISTER FOR OUR SATURDAY, AUGUST 6TH TDL PARTY RIDE

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TOUR DE LIVINGSTON TRAINING RIDES JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER

Following the big Party Ride (see section above), we’re turning our annual TDL Training Ride series into a tip-top training tool to maximize your Tour de Livingston experience, with skill building, stamina stretching, and many more chances to win cool TDL swag!

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TEAM NEWS: ACHIEVEMENTS THAT REALLY HIT HOME

Just when we think we can’t get any prouder, our Team serves up another dish of “oh, wow!” This time, a couple Team achievers hail right from our very own Hometown crew…

Congratulations to Hometown’s Events Coordinator, Jennifer McCauley, for blowing it out of the water at last weekend’s Sylvania, OH Women’s Only Triathlon and rocking a second place win in her age division! Jennifer designed and will be instructing our upcoming, August 9th “So, You Want to Transition to Mountain Biking” Clinic. She credits MTB cross-training for breaking her out of a plateau and shaving 3 minutes off her triathlon bike time! (see top)

(Above: Jennifer holds up her well-deserved trophy at the Tri. Image courtesy Jennifer McCauley)

A round of high fives to Hometown’s Rides Coordinator, Jean Steinberg, who was tapped byCRAMBA (Clinton River Area Mountain Bike Association) to be an instructor at last weekend’s Got MTB Women’s Mountain Bike Clinic. Despite getting caught in a deluge (“I dumped running water out of my shoes twice…”), Jean did our shop and her sport proud, sharing her passion with a bevy of enthusiastic MTB newbies. (There’s another one on August 27th!)

(Above: Jean simulates proper weighting for climbing with fellow instructor Norbert. Image courtesy Jean Steinberg)

Also, we want to give a “hollah!” to Team Hometownie “DJ Joe” Ostervik, who’s been posting some great pics on Facebook of his RAGBRAI (“The Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa”) adventure in the Team kit. In fact, he’s still out there, enjoying his week-long trek across Iowa. Safe travels, Joe, and thanks for sharing the adventure!

(Left: “DJ Joe” pit stops at the Jamis tent on the RAGBRAI, crossing Iowa by bicycle. Image courtesy DJ Joe Ostervik)

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VOTING CLOSES AUGUST 7 – PLEASE VOTE DAILY!

CLICK TO VOTE HOMETOWN BICYCLES “BEST BIKE SHOP 2016”

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TAKE NOTE! DOC MAY MEMORIAL MELON RIDE ON 8/20

It’s never too early to mention a Hometown favorite – the Doc May Memorial Melon Ride on Saturday, August 20th!! We’re partnering with the Howell Area Parks & Rec Authority on a simple, new route that will tour you past some of Howell’s most scenic highlights. Our Team will be cycling on course to provide basic SAG, route assistance, and all-around good vibes. Plus, Hometown’ll also be your bike valet for the event, so that you can enjoy the post-ride festivities unencumbered by your 2-wheeled steed – NO CHARGE!

What are you waiting for, Hometownies?? GET REGISTERING!!

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HOMETOWN BICYCLES’ SHOP RIDES

Here’s what’s coming up this week:

WEDNESDAY, 8:45AM – Rails-to-Trails Ride

WEDNESDAY, 6:30PM – Hammerfest Advanced Road Ride

SUNDAY, 8:00AM – The Gravel Grinder

SUNDAY, 5:00PM – Beginner Mountain Bike Ride

TUESDAY, 9:00AM – Hometown Green Gals Mountain Bike Ride

CLICK HERE for details about these Hometown shop rides!

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: adventure, best bike shop, bicycle art, bicycle clinic, bicycle shop, bicycles, bike art, bike clinic, bike guru, bike shop, bike valet, bikes, Community Room, Cora Kroll, CRAMBA, cross-training, cyclist, DJ Joe Ostervik, Doc May Memorial Melon Ride, Events Coordinator, Got MTB Women's Mountain Bike Clinic, gravel grinder, Green Gals, group rides, Hammerfest, Hometown Bicycles, Hometown Bicycles Student Art Program, Howell, Howell Area Parks and Rec Authority, IMBA, Iowa, Jean Steinberg, Jennifer McCauley, Melon Festival, Michigan, mountain bike, mountain biking, Party Ride, Pinckney High School, RAGBRAI, Rails-to-Trails, Rides Coordinator, road riding, SAG, shop rides, single track, student art, Sylvania Ohio, Team Hometown Bicycles, Team kit, Tour de Livingston, trail riding, Training Ride, Vote 4 the best, Vote4theBest, win a jersey, Women's Only Triathlon | Leave a comment »

A Spectacular Kick-Off, the Crafty Cyclist, and One Bad Egg

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Shaun

(Photo courtesy Howell Rotary/Livingston County United Way… TdL rocks!!)

THAT WAS ONE SPECTACULAR TOUR DE LIVINGSTON KICK-OFF!

Nearly 60 riders took to the Howell roads last weekend in this pre-Tour, Balloonfest-based, Hometown-led kick-off event. Our Team and crew had an absolute blast riding with all of you. Thanks for making this Tour de Livingston Kick-Off Ride one to remember!

(Photo courtesy Howell Rotary/Livingston County United Way… RA-RA-sis-boom-TdL!!)

This year’s Tour de Livingston event is October 9th. REGISTER NOW!

TOUR DE LIVINGSTON – OCTOBER 9

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NUMBER ONE IN YOUR HEARTS… AND ONLINE?

You’ve rocketed us into “First Place – Best Bicycle Shop” year after year (after year!) on the Detroit A-List, and that show of loyalty motivates us to keep on rocking your cycling world!!Now, here’s another chance to let your community know who YOUR bike shop is – can you help us get to #1 here, too?

VOTE FOR BEST BIKE SHOP on CLICK ON DETROIT’S VOTE4THEBEST

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PINCKNEY STUDENT ART OPEN HOUSE TONIGHT!

It’s here!! TONIGHT, June 28th from 5:30-6:30pm, we are hosting a Student Art Open House to celebrate the creativity of Pinckney Schools students.

Complimentary refreshments, beautiful bike art (some of it for sale!), and a chance to feel like a rockstar for helping these young artists know how talented they are – please come!

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PALLET PAINTING FOR THE CRAFTY CYCLIST

Calling all crafty types!! Here’s a fantastically fun, new addition to our Community Room schedule…a bicycle-themed pallet painting party, courtesy of Comfy Canvas.

Running Saturday, July 23 at noon (but registration closes July 9th!), this artsy avenue gives you the chance to craft your very own bicycle sign masterpiece from upcycled pallet board. Check out what you can create in the photo above!

To reserve your spot, give Comfy Canvas’ Heather a call BY JULY 9TH: 810-923-1742.

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ONE BAD EGG

We’ve been in business for over 6 years now, and in the industry far longer than that… and we’ve come across cyclists of all kinds. But a couple days ago, we caught wind of a rider who stinks up the sport with his dangerous conduct. Here’s the scoop:

Anyone riding Island Lake on Saturday, June 25th between 12-2, we are looking for your help.

Around 1pm, there was an incident between a tandem and a mountain biker. The mountain biker rode next to the tandem couple and pushed them off the road, resulting in extensive road rash and a possible broken collar bone in the female rider. This act is despicable, and it’s important to identify this rider. We know that he was wearing a Michigan jersey and a Camelback. If you have any info, please contact the shop, and we will get in touch with the correct officials.

Thanks to Team Hometown’s Marvin Ballast for stopping to assist the fallen tandem riders, and for making us aware of this appalling event, so that we can put the word out.

Filed under: Hometown Bicycles | Tagged: artist reception, bad egg, Best Bicycle Shop, best bike shop, bicycle shop, bicycles, bike ride, bike shop, bikes, Comfy Canvas, cycling, cyclists, Detroit A List, Hometown Bicycles, Hometown Bicycles Student Art Program, Howell, Howell Rotary, Kick-Off Ride, Livingston County United Way, MI, open house, pallet painting party, Pinckney Schools, Tour de Livingston, Vote 4 the best, Vote4theBest | Leave a comment »

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Hometown Bicycles

Visit Our Store!

Write a Review

Become a Fan!

Fun Emails!

A Spectacular Kick-Off, the Crafty Cyclist, and One Bad Egg

Since We Opened

Overall Repair Count

Hometown Bicycles

Visit Our Store!

Write a Review

Become a Fan!

Fun Emails!

Hometown’s Trashy Trail Makeover Story

Share this:

Biggest Ride, Your Chance to be Tintyped, and a Total Mud Bath

Share this:

New Mountain Biking Intro Clinic + Parties, Rides and Accomplishments

Share this:

A Spectacular Kick-Off, the Crafty Cyclist, and One Bad Egg

Share this:

Since We Opened

Overall Repair Count