Green Story

The sister company of Boston-based Back Bay Bicycles, Papa Wheelies opened their Portsmouth store (located on Islington Street) in 2001. Following in the footsteps – or bike pedals – of Gallagher’s, The Peddler, and Banagans, Papa Wheelies has since grown to become the Seacoast’s largest provider of both new and used bikes, service, maintenance, equipment, accessories and rentals. They are also the only bicycle store in New England to offer a lifetime of free tune-ups with the purchase of any new bike.

When it comes to touting their green credentials, the team at Papa Wheelies has a pretty easy case to make: their entire business is built on getting people out of cars, and onto bikes. Indeed, all of the employees at Papa Wheelies are avid cyclists, and all of them take great pride in helping customers discover the joy of pedal power.

Every April Papa Wheelies holds a Bike Swap at their Islington Street digs, where people can come and sell their old rides on consignment. Last year the store ended up selling 200 used bikes in less than five hours, and expectations are even higher this year, with rising gas prices already bringing customers through the door.