Adventures with Ira Ryan.

I have no idea how Ira Ryan finds the time to build bicycles, but somehow he does, and they are always beautiful. Slate's new "West Hills" bike arrived today and confirmed everything in that line of thinking. Check out the red drop shadow on the stainless steel swallow. More on that later, but it sure is beautiful.

Look through some of our fall Cross line photos and the Norddal photos because you can start to see what he has been up to. But that is not even the half of it.

Aside from that photo shoot he also had the pleasure of cruising though the Dolomite's earlier this summer with the Giro d'Italia playing itself out in the foreground. Stopping for espresso when needed and hanging out with his girlfriend Rachel and Photographer extraordinaire Dan Sharp. Add in a stop to Mr. Dario Pegoretti's shop and you have yourself a bona-fide cycling vacation.

So, you can see why it is fun to have him in the office to regale us with stories of his travels. His caustic humor and affinity for everything related to the bicycle make him a frequent guest of our spot.

One might think that the fun times would end there, but not the case with this world traveler. After arriving back in the states Ira cranked out a few more frames (delicately of course) and then packed up his Rapha Continental bike and jumped on a plane to Salt Lake City where he set off with the Rapha Continental crew.

It was only after they ended their ride in Boise, Idaho that Ira was finally free to start thinking about that season that we all know and love. Cyclocross. So, when the opportunity to ride his cross bikes through muddy green Norway it does not look at all like he has any complaints. Not even with a little mud on his face.

Check out some of the products that he does a great job modeling, the Cross Jersey, Cross 3/4 Bib Shorts with new Red Strips and even the Merino Hat. And then go find some mud because god knows how I am praying for it here in Portland.