Something Awesome happened to me yesterday!

As I mentioned in a previous post, my 2005 Specialized Allez is not in great shape. One of the biggest issues I have had with the bike was that the bike is just a bit too big for me. The drop bars are just a bit too far away from the seat, causing me to reach out to grab the hoods (see image). This causes strain on my hands and my elbows and is quite uncomfortable.
Anyway, as I was retrieving my bike from the Millenium Park Cycle Center's free indoor parking last night, I bumped into pretty much the best bike mechanic ever. He has done really great work on my sirrus in the past. I had mentioned my handlebar issues to him about a month ago in passing but assumed he had forgotten the conversation. He hadn't. In fact, when he saw me, he brought me over to the workshop and pulled from a drawer a very short stem (connects handlebars to bike). It was the perfect stem to bring those hoods closer to the saddle. And he gave it to me for free.

this guy is the man.

note: photo is not my bike, but it is similar.