Friday, September 27, 2019

Another 40 miler

Rode the 1998 Porsche Bike S another 40 miles today on the BWI airport loop to the Baltimore to Annapolis trail. It was an incredible fall morning, temperature were fantastic with sun and a light breeze. My goal is to ride this again Sunday to increase the frequency of seat time preparing for the 2020 184.5 mile Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath ride.



Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Next tires

Here's a comparison of the Race King 2.2 Continental mountain bike tires currently on my 1998 Bike S (top) and the Continental Traffic 1.9 touring tires I just installed on Dennis' Bike FS. I'm planning to change the thicker Race King tires to the same narrower Traffic tires for the 184.5 mile Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath ride next year. I'll need traction for the dirt C&O path but also improved rolling resistance to quickly cover lots of miles.

Porsche S Votec 1996 RS Edition

Just found a sold "Porsche S Votec 1996 RS Edition" on the web. This looks like a special edition Porsche Bike S, but I question the year "1996" since the shocks and brakes looks like from the early 2000s. Says it sold for $1,400. Regardless, this is a super cool Bike S and the first I've seen in this color.

Monday, September 23, 2019

New saddle and mud guard on 1998 Porsche Bike S

While continuing to celebrate Oktoberfest, I installed the new saddle and mud guard on the 1998 Porsche Bike S. From the photo, it's easy to tell that the new saddle has way more cushioning than the old. My original saddle, although I was able to ride 100 miles, isn't ideal for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath 184.5 miles. So installing the Ergon SMC4-M Sport Gel saddle was ideal for the job. I also installed the SKS mudguard to help avoid backsplash on the off-road adventure in 2020. I think it looks pretty slick, but I am drinking beer so what do I know.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

40 miles!

Today's ride on the 1998 Porsche Bike S is the longest and fastest this year. 40 miles at 13.8 mph average. I made it all the way to Annapolis this time, going around the closed bridge on a short dirt path. It's got warm at over 80 degrees but everything felt good and worked well. By mid October I'll aim for a 50 miler.

986’s big brother

Driving the 2006 Cayenne S to my bike ride launching point this morning, I noticed a Boxster for sale. Stopping I found this is my 2001 Boxster 986's older brother. Same Porsche but with a smaller 2.5 liter six-cylinder engine, four spoke steering wheel and tan interior. Other than that, basically the same down to the chrome rims.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Oktoberfest begins!

Prost!

Porsche Bike S changes for the C&O


Even though I've been working on both a Bike S and Bike FS that aren't my own, I haven't forgotten about my 1998 Bike S and my 2020 goal of riding the 184.5-mile Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath. The towpath is a very long and flat dirt trail from Washington DC to Cumberland, Maryland. On this dirt trail it's possible to encounter bumpy terrain, rain and mud so I just bought a SKS-Germany rear tire mud guard and Ergon SMC4-M Sport Gel saddle. Both are German brands I'm very familiar with as I have other parts from these companies on my other bikes. I really like the Ergon saddle and it provided a comfortable sitting position for the 129-mile Death Ride on the 2004 Porsche Bike X. Since the C&O is a long multi-day ride, I figured why do anything different. This Ergon seat is the gel padded version though. Same saddle with more cushion! Both should arrive early this week and I'll install immediately.


Porsche Bike FS parts list

Refurbishing Dennis' Porsche Bike FS isn't finished, but we're down to the last items. Here's the list of parts used in the rebuild process:

Forks: Votec GS 97 and GSIII Elastomer Refresh Kit
Rotors: Magura Storm HC 180mm/160mm
Brakes: Magura MT5 NEXT hydraulic disc
Tires: Continental Traffic 26 x 1.9
Tubes: Continental Tour/MTB 26 x 1.75/2.5 42mm Presta

Note: Continental and Magura are German brands that have supplied OEM parts for Porsche bicycles since the beginning of production.



Friday, September 20, 2019

Summit Point Motorsports Park

Summit Point Motorsports Park today watching the PCA Club Racing event. Fun looking at the cars on and off track.


Thursday, September 19, 2019

Porsche Bike FS update

Tubes and tires arrived today for Dennis' Porsche Bike FS and I installed them tonight. The bike is looking great. I'll post a complete list of the changes and parts installed when all completed.

Porsche Coke Cola RSR livery


Porsche just announced a new Coke Cola livery for the IMSA GTLM 911 RSR to run at Petite Le Mans Road Atlanta, October 12. To have some fun, I did some sim laps at Road Atlanta in the 911 RSR with a Coke livery!

Phase One Complete: Sea Gull Century x 1999 Porsche Bike R

Last Saturday I rode the recently refurbished 1999 Porsche Bike R on the 104-mile Sea Gull Century in Eastern Maryland. This ride was the ...