It’s not just about the cars and the people—it’s about the bikes, too. At the 68th Porsche Parade, held this year in Birmingham, Alabama, over 20 Porsche bicycles were featured. This included a display of 14 vintage Porsche bikes and test rides of the new Porsche eBikes for Parade attendees. When Parade organizers learned that a PCA member in the Birmingham area had the largest collection of Porsche bicycles in the world, they quickly decided to include a bike display in the event. Mark Falkenberg, a PCA member from Huntsville, AL, has been collecting Porsche bicycles for nearly 10 years. His collection, the largest in the world, is uniquely custom-painted to match many of Porsche’s historic racecar liveries.
Mark specializes in late 1990s Porsche Bike S, Bike FS, and Bike R in iconic Porsche tribute liveries, including Pink Pig, 917 “hippie car,” RUF “Yellow Bird,” Gulf, Jägermeister, Martini Racing, TAG Chronograph, RWB, Urban Outlaw, and more. The Parade Concours de Elegance event on June 10 featured 14 of Mark’s Porsche Bikes as part of the Historics Display, adding a unique and Parade-first opportunity to see some of Porsche’s little-known two-wheel vehicles.
“It was an honor to collaborate with the PCA team and contribute to shedding light on Porsche’s investment in the cycling Industry, both past and present. The eBike technology continues to grow and Porsche is leading the way,” Mark explained. “The 2024 Porsche Parade proved to be a great venue for debuting the historic legacy Porsche has with cycling and celebrating decades of automotive victories through racing livery tributes.”
Along with the display, PCA members were able to play a “match the livery” game. The challenge was to look over the bikes and match to the racecars shown on the game poster. Over a hundred participants played the game and Chris de Graffenried from the Hudson Champlain Region was the lucky winner in the drawing for a Porsche x PCA backpack donated by Porsche Design.
Lori Schutz, Historic Display Chair shared, “Our theme for the Historics Display this year was ‘Racing Through 60 Years of the 911’. I was thrilled to include these Porsche bikes in the iconic Porsche liveries that represent winning Porsches. The game engaged the kids and grownups alike, to learn more about Porsche history. And provided a great elevated view of the 50 911s and racecars in the Historics Display this year.“
The bikes remained on display through Wednesday afternoon in the Parade Hospitality for attendees to enjoy up-close. Monday afternoon, PCA volunteers rolled the bikes from the Concours area into hospitality, creating a mini parade of Porsche bicycles. Also Tuesday and Wednesday at Parade, Porsche Design brought out eight of Porsche’s new eBikes, including first-gen Sport and second-gen Cross models. Each pedal-assist bike featured a Shimano motor with three power options, full suspension, an adjustable seat, and hydraulic brakes. Across the two days, over 50 PCA members went for 30-minute test rides around downtown Birmingham, creating another mini-bike parade for visitors to enjoy.
Karsten von Engeln, President & CEO, Porsche Design of America, mentioned, “We were thrilled to host Porsche eBike test rides at this year’s Parade, offering PCA members the opportunity to experience a Porsche on two wheels. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and to see the big smile on people’s faces when they returned from their test ride was wonderful to see.”
Steve shared his experience after the ride: “It was fun test-riding the eBike. The suspension was great at soaking up the bumps and seams in the city streets. The range of gear selections made short work of the hills, especially in the boost mode. The precision and build quality is top-notch, just what you would expect from Porsche.” Who knows what the future will bring. Another world-record Porsche Bike display or more test rides? But for the 68th Parade, adding Porsche bicycles was an exclusive and one-of-kind opportunity for PCA members to enjoy Porsche’s two-wheelers.
Above content © 2024 Porsche Club of America, reviewed and edited by Rex McAfee
