Bike R!

And the next bicycle project is … a 1999 Porsche Bike R!  My goal is to refurbish this bike and ride it on the SeaGull Century October 14. So far, I took it apart down to the last bolt, cleaning, lubing and tuning. I replaced the bar tape with Fizik (a Porsche Bike OEM) yellow tape. In 1999, the Porsche Bike R originally had yellow bar tape. I also changed the tires to Continental Grand Prix 5000s. The Bike R had yellow Continental Grand Prix 3000 tires, but the 5000 series only has partial yellow. I haven’t road tested the Bike R yet as I’m about to leave for a week-long business trip. When I get back I’ll check the brakes and gears and go for a spin. Next, I would like to replace the brake pads, bottom bracket, update the Shimano Dura Ace gear set, detail the frame paint, and replace the saddle with a more modern, and of course yellow, seat.

For those not familiar with the Porsche Bike R, the “R” is for road racing and this 19 pound aluminum frame bike was introduced in 1999 and only made through 2001 when it was replaced by a carbon fiber Bike R in 2002. Even though the frame color tends to look purple-ish, technically it was called midnight magenta in 1999 and was based on the RAL 5022 Nachtblau (night blue) color. This is similar to Porsche’s night blue metallic, minus the metallic. The Bike R won the award for excellent design quality by the Zentrum Nordrheim Westfalen in 1999.

I can't wait for the next steps in the project!