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Hans Axelsen rides his bike to work in the rain, snow and sun. No matter what the weather is, he pedals 10 blocks to his downtown Kalispell bike shop, Wheaton’s Cycle.

“It was actually quite enjoyable and pretty easy to do,” Axelsen said.  

Axelsen has owned and operated the 108-year-old shop since 2019. He started working on bikes when he was 15 years old. Axelsen immediately fell in love with the work and has worked in bike shops and trained under expert bike mechanics for 43 years.

Wheaton’s was established by Frank Wheaton in 1918. Its mechanics have been repairing and selling bikes successfully ever since. When the business first started, the shop offered services for crosscut saws as well as bikes.  

“We’ll see generations of people who come in and will tell me that they got their first bike there in 1950. And I always like to ask, ‘What was Kalispell like in 1950?’ It’s just fun to see people every day and hear relatable stories,” Axelsen said.

The shop is now stuffed with bikes — leaving just enough room to walk around — and it smells like new tires. The building has its original structure, but there are modern components to the shop as well.  

Axelsen loves the work that he does to preserve Wheaton’s century-old legacy. Although the inventory of the store is difficult to manage, he has worked hard to learn how to do it well. Assisting him in all of this, Axelsen partners with industry professionals who give him help with his business.

“I worked in bike shops, and I’ve been a bicycle enthusiast, but that doesn’t necessarily make me a good businessman,” Axelsen reflected.

Axelsen looks forward to using his critical analysis and mechanic skills to repair a bike.

“I love working on bikes, so on any given day, I try to get all my work stuff done so that I can at some point enjoy working on a bicycle. It’s fun to do and I don’t want to lose that ability,” Axelsen said.

Axelsen shares his love of bikes through his shop and encourages the use of bicycles as transportation.

The Inland Northwest Journalism Foundation (INJF) champions ethical local journalism as a vital cornerstone of democracy. Through grants, scholarships, and educational opportunities, we empower sustainable editorial initiatives and support journalists within privately owned media companies. By protecting community voices and preserving archives, INJF works to prevent news deserts and ensure impactful storytelling continues to inform, connect, and inspire communities throughout the Inland Northwest.

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