Saddle Up

Why do men feel they need to lie about their height? One of the first questions I ask someone when I'm fitting them for a new bike is their height just to get a rough idea of where to start. Most men add at least a couple of inches. The best one was just the other day, I asked and he replied 5'10.5". I'm 5'8" and may be even slightly taller than him. Probably had a 30" inseam. I put him on a bike that he could hardly raise his leg over. When his privates were being squished by the top tube I think he may have gotten the idea. It's quite funny actually.

Machka 

How old was he? If he was over 40, maybe he really didn't know.

I used to be a solid 5'6" and a couple years ago was floored to discover that I'm now 5'5.5". I've lost half an inch somewhere along the way?

Saddle Up

.5" okay I'll give him that. 2.5" I don't think so. It really happens a lot regardless of how tall the sales person or customer is.

Ex Pres 

My wife swears that she was 5' 7.5" in her youth and I doubt she hits 5'6" now.

Nachoman

Did he also say he had a full head of hair and was extremely handsome?

wahoonc

I've never noticed it before...perhaps it is only the shorter ones? I am 6'-2" with a 36" inseam and have never lied about it...in fact it has been a PITA getting bikes to fit. I typically ride a 60-62cm road bike in the 70's style frames.

Aaron

Retro Grouch 

Whenever I go to the doctor the first question the nurse asks is how much I weigh. The next thing that she does is weigh me. What's up with that? Why ask? If you can tell by looking that a guy's about 5'8" why do you need to ask him how tall he is?

While we're on the subject, how close is the weight on your driver's license to your actual weight?

supton

Could be old habit--one-upmanship never getting turned off.

But I'd swear I was an inch shorter today as compared to when I was 18. I'm only 31 now. I musta thought I was taller when I was younger, and wound up convincing myself.

Saddle Up

Asking someone how tall they are is part of qualifing process. The question would normally be asked like " Your what about 5'8", what's your inseam?" That's when the B.S starts to flow. My goal when I sell someone a bike is to insure it fits which would mean I need to confirm how tall they are and how much of that is leg. Some bikes obviously have longer top tubes than others even though standover height is the same.

The weight on my drivers licence is about 20 lbs heavier than I weigh now. I discovered cycling again since the last time I renewed my licence. My height on my licence is my actual height.

DataJunkie

*shrugs*
Perhaps most of us don't know our actual height.

I always thought I was 5 10. Turns out I am 5 9.
Never really cared much for knowing my height.

Miguelangel

I never lie about my height...While my ego reaches 6'5" my body only reaches 5'11 on good days!!

Alex

Oh, hell. People even expect you to um, misrepresent your hight if you are a guy. It is always six feet cause that is manly.

I don't recommend you measure your height after you turn 30. Nothing good can come of that.

I am guessing that we shrink in our spines more than our legs due to all the little joints there. So if you used to be six feet then you might still have the legs of a six foot young you.

10 Wheels

My legs stay the same length.
My back changes as the day gets longer.

Velo Dog

As another post said, it really is possible he didn't know. I've thought I was 6'4 1/2" since high school, when I really WAS that tall. The other day I was measured for a physical and I'm just a hair over 6'3". My doctor said most men 50+ (I'm 63) are an inch or more shorter than they were in high school, and few of us are accurately measured after about age 20.

Mr. Beanz

I may lie about length, but never height!

Cyclist0383

Everyone does it. Men lie about their height and women lie about their weight.

I used to have a job where I had to fill in forms about peoples weight. I'd almost always add 2kg to the weight women told me.

maddyfish

Here in Ky. the fat hogs whined about having their weight ( which they lied about anyway) on their license, that it is no longer on it.

Soil_Sampler

shorter people fudge more on their height.
measure yourself first thing in the morning and just before bed, the measurements will be different.
you will lose some height as you get older.

Boudicca

CORRECTION: Men lie about their height and women lie about their age.

OK. we may lie about our weight sometimes too.

crtreedude 

Okay, I will come clean. I am only 6' 1.5" and I always say 6'2" - it is a lot easier. I guess I could say 6'1"... neither is correct so I round up which is better than being round.

Retro Grouch 

So explain again why you had to ask and how fitting him on a bike that you know is too big is part of the selling process.

Uh - you might benefit from reading some of the posts about bike shop personnel.

Saddle Up

If you are going to bull**** me right to my face I'm going to call you on it every time regardless of where the event takes place. I'll tell you what. I'll start a thread about jackass customers to give you something to read

Garfield Cat

Probably age. I think we all know that with age comes bone loss and the loss of height, and maybe a drop in kidney function, and other things as well.

Retro Grouch 

That's what I thought - sometimes the jackass customers aren't the only jackasses in the store.

In the interest of full disclosure I owned and operated my own bike shop for several years and still work part time in one. I used to tell my people that the customer isn't always right but they're always the customer. It's not their job to make us happy. It's our job to sell them a bike that will make them happy.

john bono

If a customer says they're 5'10" they're 5'10". Why does it bother you so much that you are willing to lose a sale just to indulge someone's vanity for a few minutes?