Further proof of my dorkiness

My wife asserts that the older I get, the dorkier I get. I have not been inclined to believe her...until today. I recently acquired three sets of Nitto dirt drop-style stems. These are the old-school stems that form something like a 120 degree angle with the head tube of your bike. Their purpose is (or, in the pre-Lance world, was) to raise your handlebars so they're even with or higher than your saddle. Anyway, today, I installed the stem on my commuter. Originally, my handlebars, in true "racer" fashion, were somewhat lower than my saddle. Today, they are even with the saddle.

The effect? My bike looks like a holdover from the bike boom years of the 70s; a geriatric steed suspended in time. Truly a dorky ride. And the effect on me? I love it! I can't wait to get the thing fully together and ride it around. I foresee a daily commute free of shoulder pain and numbness. I foresee long rides through bucolic fields while bluebirds nest on my towering bars. I foresee many a speedy roadie laughing quietly to himself while I toodle along on my tricked out commuter.

My new credo: embrace my inner dork. And I have. Pictures will follow if I can figure out how to post them.