I've purchased a half-dozen high-end road bikes from area shops and never had an experience like Papa Wheelies in Wellesley. We went because of low inventory in the area in an effort to find a first road bike for my partner. In the end, they persuaded us to purchase a bike which we learned was clearly the wrong fit (later independently confirmed by two different certified bike fitters within two minutes of seeing her on it), and which Papa Wheelies unsuccessfully and unsafely modified to try to fit her after we reported that she was experiencing extreme numbness in her hands and had difficulty reaching the brakes. (The bike couldn't be made to fit--the reach was just too long. Papa Wheelies used a stem that's incompatible with her bike and is a serious safety hazard to the rider, another shop later pointed out--as did the stem's own instruction manual.) Here's how it went: On May 27th, 2023, we showed up to check out the 2022 Liv Avail Advanced 1 that Mike (a manager) confirmed he had in stock before we drove an hour. It's a jade green color, and Mike said over the phone, "Yes, I'm looking at it right now--it's a beautiful color." When we arrived, Mike only had the 2021 model in a purple color, saying that the system had the bike entered wrong. (He also neglected to explicitly disclose that this was an older bike.) Mike watched my partner ride around the parking lot and insisted the size was right. We asked Harold (a manager) if a smaller size was necessary, and he said "absolutely not." On June 1st, 2023 we went back to the shop after one 15-mile ride because it was clear the fit was off. My partner's hands were quickly going completely numb and she had difficulty reaching the brakes. Mike swapped the stem for a shorter one, insisting that would do the trick, even though the reach still seemed much too long. Worse, he swapped the Giant stem for Dimension stem that, we later learned from another shop, specifically states in the instruction manual (see photo): "Warning: Dimension stems are not intended for use with carbon handlebars or carbon steerer tubes." (This bike has a carbon steerer tube). The other shop explained that this can damage the bike and compromise the rider's ability to steer the bike. Right after this, my partner was diagnosed with a complex meniscus tear and couldn't ride for a few weeks. In August, she was able to try the modified bike on an indoor trainer and still struggled with the same issue (extreme hand pain/numbness). We saw two certified fitters from different area shops. They said there was no point to a fitting and they'd "be mortified if they sold that bike to us." They said a bike shop had to be very uninformed, or willfully careless, to put that stem on a bike with a carbon steerer tube. When we called Papa Wheelies to explain and ask for a refund, they refused. Mike eventually made a half-hearted offer that we could possibly exchange it for store credit and said he'd research other bikes they have that may work. When I arrived to pick up the original Giant stem (since we can't in good conscience transfer the bike with a stem that's a safety hazard), it was clear that Mike's offer wasn't sincere. They told us there was nothing they could do. (Harold told us they could take it back for a $1600 restocking fee.) He was preoccupied with the fact that 3.5 months had elapsed since the purchase (my partner had a knee injury, and it took time to consult other bike shops to fully understand the extent of Papa Wheelies' errors), and he didn't seem to consider that: 1) we returned, citing serious fit issues within 5 days of purchase; 2) they made an egregious safety error in using an incompatible part; and 3) the bike is in brand-new condition. The upshot: We have a brand-new, $3200 bike that can't be ridden by my partner or returned, despite the fact that they undoubtedly knew they were selling a bike that didn't fit properly. There are a number of good bike shops in the area. Go anywhere else besides Papa Wheelies. read more

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Total waste of time this location is closed and does not tell you that when you call the number I wasted 30 minutes of my life driving here now always more time trying to find an open bike shop NOT WINNING read more

Papa Wheelies Bicycle Shop - Total cluster this place is closed They should do the right thing and pull this off Yelp I wasted 30 minutes driving here - Bikes Near Me - Wellesley, Massachusetts

Reviewing an experience I had a number of months ago but still left such a bad taste. 2020/21 was a crazy year for LBSs, I get it. We had been on three waitlists across multiple states to get newer bikes for my boyfriends parents, for probably close to 10-12 months. So every time we passed a new LBS we would pop in just to try our luck. We stopped by the Portsmouth PapaWheelies after a day trip to the area. the associate helped us around the store to get us some accessories for our own bikes, and sure enough, found us the bike we had been looking all over for in the right size in their online catalog, in their Natick location, priced at $50 less than what we were expecting to pay. We were thrilled and she called them to put it on hold. We needed to call them back to pay over the phone to put it on a true hold though. We called multiple times, each time being told they'd call us back in 5min. It wasn't a big deal until we had to play cat and mouse, calling multiple times for a couple days, also getting nervous that our bike would get sold if we didn't get the deposit down. We finally got connected and it was time to put a deposit down, but the store manager told us a higher price than what we had been told by the previous associate. When asking why, the store manager went into a tirade saying that the associate we had worked with was "new/didn't know what the f*ck she was talking about and only worked one day a week" blah blah blah. It was crazy to hear a store manager badmouth another employee (what am I supposed to do with this information) and at this point we were so fed up with dealing with the Natick location we decided we could just wait for one of the original stores to get the bike in stock...... read more

I brought my mountain bike to the Wellesley location in March 2023 for a season tune up. They replaced my shift cabling, which is a simple job, but they had mistakenly cut the cabling so short that my bike would shift automatically whenever I compressed the rear suspension. I didn't realize that was wrong with it at the time and I brought the bike in a few weeks later in May for them to fix the shifting. I told them what was happening and they said they had made adjustments to the shifting to fix the problem. I rode the bike again and the shifting remained a problem. Not wanting to bring it back to the same shop that couldn't diagnose and fix whatever was causing the faulty shifting, I brought it to another mechanic who told me that Papa Wheelies had cut the cabling too short. That mechanic put in new cabling and my bike shifts fine now. The mechanic who diagnosed and fixed the problem even sent me an email detailing the misfit cable. I called Papa Wheelies hoping for an explanation and a reimbursement for the faulty service. I believe a company should stand behind their product. I understand that everyone makes mistakes, but after rudely trying for almost 15 minutes to invalidate my experience and even going as far as to insinuate that I was not telling the truth, Harold (I think one of the managers there) hung up on me. A bike shop should be trustworthy, good listeners, and stand behind their products and work. Papa Wheelies does none of this. I wouldn't send them a razor scooter to fix. Also - looking at past reviews, there seems to be a pattern of poor behavior and ethics with this shop. 100% avoid. read more

Papa Wheelies showed a real lack of professionalism over the past couple of days. After seeing their business practices first hand I'd avoid this place. Late last month I got an email from them advertising an end of summer sale. It indicated that they took trade-ins and even included a calculator where I could figure out the value of my bike. I checked on-line and their website indicated that a bike I wanted was "in store". I spoke with the owner, Dan Houston. He was okay with the calculated value of my bike. The problem was, he said, the bike wasn't in-stock and it wouldn't be a good deal for him. I double checked on-line and found that the bike was showing to be in stock. I called their other store to be sure and they indicated that they had the bike I wanted. I don't know what happened but the guy at the warehouse said it was definitely there. So I went back in and told them that there must have been a mistake. Dan was not in. Josh Pierce indicated that the bike was not in stock. They did have a different color and since it was available (and already built) I said I would take that one instead. It's one excuse after another with these guys. Josh looked at my bike, found an imperfection in the paint and a couple of dirt marks (that cleaned right off), and said the bike could be worth $1,000 less than Dan had indicated the day before. He said if I wanted the new bike it was an additional $800 over their advertised price. After seeing their business practices first hand I'd avoid this place. My expectations were based completely on the numbers they gave me. If they find out that their advertised prices turned out to be too low they should just accept their mistake. Instead they wasted my time. Papa Wheelies did advertise they were having a special ("Last Chance to Save Big on End-of-Season Bikes"), their bike was on sale and the value I determined for my bike was based on what they provided. I thought the advertising was deceptive. read more

My wife and I bought her first roadbike from these guys and they took really great care of us after our drive from Brooklyn. We visited both stores (Natick and Back Bay) and everyone was super helpful. Great stores, lots of products and really great people there to help. read more

My experience at Papa Wheelies in Wellesley was in the end very disappointing. After spending nearly $10,000 I will never be returning or recommending them to anyone. Four months after the purchase of a bike I was forced to reach out to the manufacturer to get missing parts for the bike that should have been installed before the bike left the shop. After repeated attempts to get the bike shop to make the situation right and excuse after excuse they have gone silent on the issue and I do not expect to hear from them again. This experience is why more and more people are choosing online sales over the LBS, why choose local when you get better service and cheaper prices from online vendors. Very sad. read more

Took an old bike of ours son's that was in the garage for years and made it good again.

Excellent service. Very knowledgeable and helpful. I recommend both locations. I have purchased bikes at both.

what an incredible place. these guys are so incredibly nice, they go out of their way to make sure you're all set and happy with your purchase or service. what a treat to have this place right in town. give them your business, you won't be disappointed. Signed - a grateful mom of two kids with bikes and a dog bike trailer read more

José is the service department was amazing to work with. I have a very unique bike that I put 1,500 miles on in 3 months and Jose tuned it up so it is running better than when I bought it. They also were able to fix it in half the time expected and work on a bike that no other bike shop would Rode my bike 20 miles this morning after picking it up last night, smooth great ride. read more

Papa Wheelies Bicycle Shop - Bikes Near Me - Wellesley, Massachusetts

Awesome team at Papa Wheelies! Finally a nice weekend and one of our bicycles surprised us with a flat. These guys were open, following CDC guidelines, dropped off my bicycle and quickly they had the flat fixed! Another great fix by Brandon at Papa Wheelies! These guys are awesome and know their bicycles Highly Recommend Papa Wheelis!!!!! read more

I bought a sweet carbon 160mm travel full suspension mountain bike off Pinkbike recently. It was owned by a guy who worked at a bike shop out West and he had upgraded the brakes to very high quality enduro disks, with single-finger levers. Obviously, I should be able to pull all kinds of nonsense with one finger on both front and rear. However, when it arrived the brakes just didn't perform. I took it to papa wheelies to see if they needed pads, or a bleed or what. I arrived and the guy in the shop, who lied that he rides downhill (not buying it at all, buddy) tried to convince me that they worked fine and I should expect to use a few fingers on the front brake and, besides, you don't want brakes with enough power to lock up the front wheel. It's dangerous... What? You ride trails at all, bro? This is a bike shop for people who ride the rail trails a couple times a year. If you are a serious mtb rider at all, the folks here just have no idea what they're talking about. FWIW, it turns out the disks were brand new and needed to be bedded in. After a few rides the brakes are awesome and I can lock the front wheels with one finger easily. Two stars since at least the terrible advice was free. read more

I have nothing but great things to say about Bridget at Papa Wheelies/Natick! She went above and beyond helping me and my husband chose the right bikes. In addition, she was very candid about bike availability and the pros and cons about buying now versus in the fall. (Bikes are in short supply currently.) Because of her expertise, we opted to buy from Papa Wheelies even though all of their locations are out of state. read more

We went shopping for a new bicycle for my 14-year-old. Craig at Papa Wheelies was very knowledgeable and helpful, guiding us through the numerous options. The ability to test ride the bikes without any sales pressure to purchase or up sell was great. Prices were comparable to competitors, and we shopped online and at REI and Landry's before returning to Papa Wheelies to make our purchase. The staff at Papa Wheelies was much more friendly and helpful than the other stores we visited. They do have a large selection of bikes, although they don't carry certain brands, such as Trek. Bonus points for an awesome store name, but we'll return based on the quality of the service we received. read more

This review is specifically about the Portsmouth, NH location. Beginning in March 2022, my wife and I bought two bicycles from this business for a combined cost of $8,000. We gave them a chance but over an 18 month time period there was consistent poor service. It began with incomplete and inaccurate service by the sales people. An e-bike was sold with the incorrect charging unit and manual. After using her bike for two months, a critical component on my wife's bike was discovered to require replacement. The shop was never able to acquire the part ("It's on back order, I forgot to check") and she eventually went elsewhere. I was never advised to check the chain wear on the e-bike monthly, including after the "complimentary" service following season one of use. This led to a much more costly repair in October 2023 (season 2). The staff is personable but lacks professionalism or interest in a positive customer experience. We have gone elsewhere and recommend avoiding tis shop despite their large selection of equipment,. read more

These guys are great!!! Can't recommend them enough. Got a great deal on a new bike and ever since they have been extremely helpful with service and repairs. Bridget was extremely helpful with the sale. Jose and Brandon are very experienced techs that are super helpful and easy to work with. I will continue to be a happy customer for a long time to come. read more

We've purchased several bikes from Papa Wheelies over the years and had some bike repairs done on our other bikes. They are all super friendly, helpful and kind. We recommend using them and are glad that they have a location close to us. read more

Super service in replacing a broken spoke on my bike. I was going to do it myself but it was a good thing I didn't as it needed a spoke cut to length. Very keen and experienced repair team! read more

I called Papa Wheelies looking for a part for a bike trainer this morning. They didn't have the part in stock, but looked through their catalogue to try and find it, I think it is an old party so it wasn't in the catalogue. The gentleman I spoke to was very helpful and we hung up. Maybe 5 minutes later, I get a call back from the same person and he's researched the piece for me and found the product number. This was of no benefit to him or the shop, solely done to help someone out. Amazing service, thank you!! read more

I want to thank Craig and the staff at Boston Bicycles for the outstanding service and support they provided me on my purchase (the first one sold for 2018 ) of a 2018 Synapse Carbon 105. I was fitted to a tee by the automated system "Guru" which took all my measurements, so when I picked up the bike I didn't have to change a thing. No task was too small for the staff and I would recommend to all my friends and family they shop there for their next bike. As for the bike itself, it's top notch and I love riding it!! Thanks again! read more