I got this new '64 Legnano Roma, 56cm, as a sixteen year old junior racer. I'm 70 now, and the bike still fits like it was made for me. I put a slightly taller Nitto stem on it a few years ago, but its still one of my favorite and most comfortable rides. Unless you have some extreme growth or skeletal disorder, you might need to tweak the seat post or stem as you age, but that should be about it. Happy riding, and happy aging!
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6df661649a.jpg
1964.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...570c02c08a.jpg
Same bike and rider at last year's Eroica ride.

Cue to the previous comment made about me riding the bike into 2060- you simply never know, and your post made me realize that more. I'm glad you're still enjoying the bike well into your years and I hope you can ride many more!

Yeah, I've lost about 1/2" somewhere. I still fit my bikes though. If I keep this up my wife may get a discount on my coffin in a couple of years time although she'll still have to squeeze in my favourite Cinelli for the after life.

Slightspeed I still love seeing both of those pictures of you.

no Cambio Corsa equipped bikes for me!
there is an item to sell short.
there was a long arm version - not too common

I agree, Tom. It's inspiring to see the lifetime span of cycling from one of our own here.

I'm sure I stopped aging back when I was 42.......ish....:rolleyes::D
Wasn't that about the age that Pete Penseyres won the RAAM??

It turns out my old Colnago is a size 60, which I bought just before my 16th birthday.

And, I was about 5'10", and never got any taller.

And, I still like the bicycle almost 40 years later.

It wasn't until I joined Bike Forums that I learned the bike was the wrong size. :crash:

I haven't measured myself. I doubt I've lost more than perhaps 1/2". One thing is that while a little bit of height may be lost in the knees, as I understand it, most of the height loss is in the back. So standover height shouldn't be significantly impacted.

If you are 20, I'd encourage you to read about osteopenia and cyclists. A more important issue than whether your bike will still fit when you hit your middle ages.

I am almost 62 ,down an inch from 5'8"

Some times I feel tall, others times I feel small(er).


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...417ef3c1b0.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...405079cd82.jpg

Sometimes you just know a bike is a keeper!

Thanks, guys. Still love the bike, and I still have some old jerseys that don't fit as well as the bike does.😡
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0da3bf2d97.jpg
Me on the right, 1964.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...535aff7002.jpg
At least the bike still fits. I was going to wear it on Eroica, then realized that I had to breathe, somehow.

K, you should be getting annual physicals at your age, if not you will at 65 from Medicare and you will get the height ( and maybe weight) news. I have always preferred large frames. I at 70s door find the stems and compact bars are barely keeping up. I now just bought a Nitto Technomic Long Quill, but have not gotten the nerve to put it on custom Reynolds 753 all DA built for me, but I an sure I will get there.

"I recall having a height of 6'1/2". Lost it. Can't remember where. Got given a new one. (From my doc?) It was half an inch shorter.. Lost that one too. The one I've got now is even shorter. D***ed inflation!"

"I can live with this height thing getting shorter. It's the constant losing of stuff I can't stand." (They do say aging isn't for sissies.)

Ben

Boomers are buying Technomics stems like crazy. We can ride the same bikes, just with taller and shorter stems.

Absolutely nothing to do with this OP's question.

Still solid advice, though 😊

Just wait til you have kids, you’ll be buying a slightly bigger bike all the time. As you shrink they will begin to fit, and by age 120 you might even be able to use the Strider.

My doctor says I'm shorter now than I used to be. (I am in denial but can't argue.) At 71 I have less trouble now riding the same bikes I rode almost half a century ago. You don't need to hear me explain about staying in shape.

I'd love to buy a nice old Colnago, but I'm a little short...






:innocent:

I'm just shy of 64, when I was 18 I rode a 63cm frame, now that I'm older, I lost only about 1/2" of height but it was early on in life due to a crash. (Spine compression in a rather minor helicopter crash).
I find two issues 'fitting' on a bike these days, especially since I'm getting back into it again after about 18 years of not riding.
I have reach issues, leg extension issues, and back issues that prevent me from riding a bike with dt shifters, or drop bars for that matter. My knees are bad, have been for years, riding a bike that doesn't give me full leg extension leaves me in pain after riding, as does riding in a drop bar position. Its a combination of my gut getting in the way and the fact that I can't breath properly bent over combined with back pain.
Most of my road bikes have been downsized to a 57cm frame but with taller stems and taller seat posts. This was mostly for reach issues. I run all straight bars now.
I also can't ride as long as I used to because the road shock starts to cause back pain.
As I get older, having worked with my hands all my life, my hands also have issues holding the bars in one position for very long. My hand fall asleep on even short rides if I don't keep moving positions. Cold weather makes all my joints stiff, I move slower these days. I also don't have the same natural balance I used to have. Some of that is likely due to loss of some hearing and vision over the years. I noticed the biggest declines physically in my mid 40's, and its been a steady downhill slope since then. A broken foot, and broken leg in '07 due to a fall, and a knee injury again to the same leg in '17 has only made for more issues over the year. three hernia surgeries two years ago, and one on the way, lung and breathing issues from a bad respiratory infection in '15 have taken their toll as well.
Most of the guys I rode with over the years are gone, buried years ago, most were older, others just didn't survive to get old. Car accidents, cancer, falls, illness, physical injury all take a toll as you age. Somethings you get past, others you learn to live with. When I was younger, I never figured I'd live this long. I never once pictured my self old with gray hair. I fully expected not to make it much past 35 when I was younger and I lived that way. I'm paying for it now. Having to buy a smaller or larger bike as you get older is a non issue compared to the other things life throws at you.

I like the response [MENTION=22396]Wildwood[/MENTION] left above and [MENTION=511954]dirtman[/MENTION] too, I think both are in-line with my experience. At 20, I was just under 6' 2", by the time I hit 40, on a good day I may measure 6' ½" and on current trajectory, I'm expecting to be 5' 11½" by 60. I engaged heavily in a sports and activities that led to compression (skateboarding, cliff diving, etc.)

I was always told in my earlier years to fit into the tallest thing I can manage which was more in the 61-62 range CTC. I found myself most comfortable ~59 CTC range by 30-35. This past decade I've been thinking forward, I picked up a couple of bikes in the 57-58 CTC range and equipped them to allow stretching out a bit more: 175 cranks, longer stem, etc. that way it's not too much of a PITA to make minor tweaks later if I remain on target to reach 60 under 6' tall.

It's been working out pretty well for me. The takeaway I'd share: Expect your vertical numbers to reduce, things compress with age and gravity. Just know you'll have some wiggle room. And depending on how you were taught to fit into a bike, you may want to adjust the way you look at fitment if you really want to future-proof your riding options.

So...buy a little one!

LOL, that’s usually my problem, too. 😁

The husband of a friend from work lost enough height that his vintage bike didn't fit properly anymore. Fortunately, his old frame fits me just fine. :p :thumb:

I just did!

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...19ad6bd262.jpg

fwiw - at almost 61, I ride the same size frame I rode in high school in my late teens. can't fit in the same clothes however ... ;-( my 93 yr old Dad is thin, so maybe there's hope for me down the road?

I would think as we age we lose height mostly in our torso, not our legs

I've lost an inch or so in height, but it's above the waist. My problem is my butt has dissolved and turned into gut, and my pants try to move down my legs about the time I'm trying to get the leg over the saddle. I can still get on the old 23-1/2" frame if I sneak up on it, though.

lol :thumb: I use cheap Walmart suspenders with my cycling pants