Porsche Bike Adventure: July 2023

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Out sick … bike photos!

Well, no riding for me today. I think I’ve come down with bronchitis from getting out and peddling before I was completely well. So instead, I thought I would take a couple photos of my Porsche bike collection. The guards red mountain bike is a 1998 Bike S, the blue and yellow is a 1999 Bike R and the black is the 2004 Bike X touring bike. The Bike S is medium size frame, the other two are large. I also have a large frame Bike S in my office.

Saturday, July 29, 2023

New cassette for Bike R

New Shimano 9 speed 12x25 cassette install and a tune today and the 1999 Porsche Bike R is shifting well. I’ll call the Bike R refresh 98% finished. Not 100% cuz who knows what else might be needed! Tomorrow is the first long distance test ride.

Bike X back to touring mode

With the road bike Bike R now in the stable, I put the touring tires back on the 2004 Bike X and went for a spin this morning. This bicycle has served me well as both a road bike and touring bike for many years, changing the tires as needed. The Bike X isn’t as fast without the road bike tires, but it’s way more comfortable with the Continental SpeedRIDE tires. Now I'll use the Bike R for road and the Bike X for gravel and touring. Great to have options!

Sunday, July 16, 2023

Matching Bike R shirt?

I’m thinking about making a custom cycling jersey to match the Bike R for upcoming ride events. Here’s a first design idea.

50 mile Porsche Bike X ride

Rode the 2004 Porsche Bike X from the house to BWI and down the B&A trail and back Saturday morning. Got a personal best on the B&A segment too.

Sunday, July 9, 2023

Multitasking

Watching Tour de France and sports car racing after my Bike S ride today.

Bike R @ REI

New shifter installed and the Bike R is now at REI for a final tune up. I love working on bikes, but indexing gears and trueing wheels ain’t my strong skills! They are booked up and might take a week to get it back. Can’t wait to ride it!

Bike S ride

14er on the 1998 Porsche Bike S this morning.

Saturday, July 8, 2023

Back on the saddle … finally

24 miler with the 2004 Porsche Bike X this morning. Around BWI and back home. Good to be back on the saddle.

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

1999 Bike R update

Update on the 1999 Bike R project. All the parts have arrived, both for replacement and aesthetic purposes. So far, I have replaced tires/tubes, saddle, saddle bag, water bottle, bar tape, chain, brake pads, pedals, and cleaned the frame, brakes, seat post, head tube, chain rings, and cassette. Next up is clean and lube the shifting levers and rear derailleur (both aren't shifting smoothly) and replace all brake and shift cables. I'm hoping to work on the bike more this weekend.

My Story

I am a fanatical Porsche enthusiast. I love all things Porsche. This has led me to explore the depths of the automobile brand including some of the least known items the marque is known for. My latest journey - Porsche bicycles!

When I was 13 years old, I fell in love with Porsche cars. Delivering the morning newspaper on my Schwinn ten-speed bike brought me face to bumper with a white 911T each morning and from there I was hooked.

Many years later, I have a garage full of Porsche automobiles and a plethora of Porsche paraphernalia including everything from posters, flags, hats, shirts, sunglasses, scale models, a wristwatch and much more; all of the normal stuff any average PCA member has collected.

Some of my more prized Porsche possessions are my three Porsche bicycles. Yes, three. One is a 100% original 1996 Bike S. The other is a heavily modified 1998 Bike S I use for road and mountain riding. And the latest is a touring-style 2004 Porsche Bike X that I turned into a road bike. I have ridden these three bikes over 5,000 miles in the last few years.

In 2016, I rode many training miles in preparation for a 53-mile ride in the California Sierra foothills, a 72-mile ride around Lake Tahoe and the grand finale ride of 100 miles at the Sacramento Century. The 100 mile ride I believe is a world record on a Porsche Bike S.

Then in July 2017, I completed the 2017 Death Ride with the rebuilt and ultra rare 2004 Porsche Bike X. The Death Ride is an extremely challenging 125-mile, 15,000 foot elevation gain bike ride that crosses five mountain passes in the California Alps near Lake Tahoe. I believe this was the first time a Porsche bicycle completed the Death Ride. Another record.

In the fall of 2020, I rode the 184.5-mile Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath across three days on the 1998 Bike S. My first multi-day bike riding tour. Another Porsche bike record?

And this blog shared every mile!

2016, 2017 and 2020 were great years of riding. What could possibly follow that?

In 2021, I completed my goal to ride the 360-mile Chesapeake and Ohio and Great Allegheny Passage on the 2004 Bike X. I converted the Bike X back to a hybrid bike for the six-day epic adventure. And in 2022, the Bike X also completed the 237-mile Florida Coast to Coast ride with eight other Porsche Bike riders.

More Porsche Bike adventures are coming up. And just like previous efforts, I plan to share every mile on this blog!