No, that’s not the Bike Snob hiding in a double wide somewhere, it’s Pro Marathon Mountain Biker Harlan Price getting his gear ready in Austria prior to this past weekend’s Marathon World Championships.
We’re pleased to report that a) Harlan safely finished the race and represented the good ol’ USofA on a 29er and b) Harlan’s our newest guest blogger!
He’s posted his own brand of wit and cycling observations for some time (and will continue to do so…check it out) at BoxedBee.blogspot.com. Now, you’ll be treated to occasional stories from the world of solo, independent marathon and endurance racing from one of the finest racers around.  Check out his first Bikerumor post here about the UCI Marathon World Championship course.
Hit ‘more’ to see some photos and specs of the custom-built Independent Fabrications 29er bike he races…
The rig is a custom IF titanium 29er hardtail with a Cannondale Lefty fork.  With some last minute pre-race component upgrades, the bike was down to 20.5 lbs ready to ride.
New Formula R1 brakes and Time Atac pedals shed some weight before his 12,000+ feet of climbing on the World’s course.
A new Chris King bottom bracket in green to match his hubs.  He squeezed out the stock grease for some thinner lube to really reduce any friction.
There’s more photos and spec on his blog here.
