bogydave

Joined the military at 5' 9-1/2"
Now doc says 5' 7-1/2" to 5' 7-3/4"
Legs the same, 30" inseam
Finger tip to finger tip 72"

I believe aging & shrinking discs effects the bike fit.

3 years ago I
Got fit in Alaska (told to bring riding shoes)
& got a 49cm Kona Rove frame.
Over a few months, minor adjustments, fit feels great

Bought a used Sirius, 49cm frame.
Adjusted fit to same as Kona

Another bike shop, said
I'm a 5' 8" male, (keen sandles on)
No other measurements
said I need 52 - 54 cm frame.
Seems the Generic size, medium for 5' - 7" to 5'-10" male.

Glad it went thru a fitting before I got
Spent $$ on my flat bar road bikes

Bob Ross

Sometime in the past ~5 years I lost 0.25". Used to be exactly 72" and now I'm 71.75"
I've already started panicking

_ForceD_

Same sort of thing happened to me through my Navy career. I was 6'2" when I joined in 1981. When I retired in 2001 I was just under 6'1"...and am now just 6'00". In my case, I think it's due to the compression of discs in my lower back...I had two discectomies to remove bulges. Two or three discs in my lower back are now almost non-existant. And that, I think, may have been exsasorbated by years of lifting lots of heavy storage over my head during work parties on ships. But hey...you now have a positive ape index (actually it looks as if you did prior to the loss in height). Maybe it's time to take up rock climbing, or swimming. Ape index: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ape_index

Dan

wphamilton

As long as it's how tall was I in the vaguely plausible indeterminate past, I'm gonna say 6ft even and my back has shrunk about 2 inches.

GadgetGirlIL

I was cranky with my doctor's nurse last week as she measured me at 5' 10.5". That was in the afternoon. When I went Friday morning, they measured me again and I was back to my normal 5' 11". Hard to believe that I could lose 1/2 during the day. I always thought the number was closer to 1/4 inch. Gravity is not our friend.

As part of my job, I've had to measure older residents (70 and older). I had one gentleman tell me I didn't know what I was doing as he was 6' 1" tall. Um, sir, then why am I looking downward at you? I measured him at 5' 8". Disc compression as well as more profound curvature of the spine as we age is often the cause.

FBOATSB

Always a little taller in the morning, a little shorter in the evening. After spine surgery, I gained a little height. Core strength and posture of course is important for so many things.

ironwood

I was just under 5'8" when I went in the service in 1963, now I'm 5'6".

bobwysiwyg

Maybe you're cutting your hair shorter. I started my adult life and service at 6'4". I'm now 74 yrs old. Somewhere, sometime, someone has absconded with 1.5-2.0" inches of my height.

iowa mark

I used to be 6-3 and now about 6-2, but my feet were size 12 and have gone to size 13. I may be melting!

ColonelSanders

Better to lose two inches of height, than two inches of length.

IronM

I've lost maybe 3/4", more if I'm not paying attention to my posture. I'm sure there's more to go - all perfectly normal. Affect on bike fit? Oh, I suppose it may eventually affect the stem length; but in time I may wish to sit more upright; which will also affect the fit.

BlazingPedals

At age 25, I was 5'9.5" to 5'10". Somewhere around age 40, I inexplicably started consistently measuring 5'11", regardless of what time of day I measured. At age 62, that's still where I'm at.

Late growth spurt, I guess.

OldTryGuy

Have lost almost 2" but will be seeing my leg guy on Wednesday after scans and x-rays for a couple of open tibial osteotomy procedures. Will have to question him if that's going to lengthen inseam therefore saddle adjustments required.

canklecat

Hard to measure myself but if my tape measure is accurate I'm down from a hair over 5'11" to 5'10". Doesn't surprise me, between age, spine injuries and chronic neck and shoulder pain. I know I tend to stoop a bit from the shoulders.

donheff

I'm down close to an inch at age 69. So, should we include the missing inch in our BMI measurements? After all we only compressed some disk material.

locolobo13 

HS graduation 5' 11"
The last few yrs 5' 9"

Figure that's mostly due to my back

Trsnrtr

I'm the same as when high school.

Deal4Fuji

Almost the same here going from 13 to 14....which is even harder to find. I have/had extremely high arches and skinny (AA) feet, so my theory is over the years my arches have fallen enough to take me up a shoe size.

rydabent

I was 5-5 when I graduated HS. I kept growing until I was around 23 to 5-9. I am still at that height. At my 60 year HS reunion, I was now among the tallest, even tho I was among the shortest in 1956. Some of them must have lost at least 3 inches.

Wileyrat

59 today, 5'7" in my 20's...Last year at the doc 5'6" .

I'm a bit long in the torso, so I ride a Ridley small (52cm) I can still stand over it.

mightymax

Same as me. I was always 6'3" until about a year ago. I went in to have a checkup and when I was asked my height I told them. I was surprised when the Nurse corrected me and said I was only 6'2". I do have a degenerative disc problem and a bad hip.
My feet as yours were size 12. While I don't think they have gotten longer I know they have gotten wider. I don't wear slick narrow Itaiian shoes any longer. The last several new pairs of shoes I have bought, were extra wide size 12 and I am comfortable...

BTW I am going to be 57 in March. I would be interested to know how old you people posting are as that info has gone unreported in almost all of the above posts...

Am I shrinking prematurely???? LOL!

Max Bryant

baldilocks

I went from 5' 11" to 5' 9". I'm wondering if hanging on an inversion table would help.

bogydave

Got one
It helps till you stand up


No fountain of youth , yet.

Does help with my lower back issues though.

GadgetGirlIL

When I went in for my bone density screening, the technician said that one of her patients with scoliosis did regain some height thanks to Pilates and the improvement in her posture.

55murray

I've lost about 1/2 inch. I do a fair amount of Yoga and still do my karate kicks a few times a week, I wonder if that has lessened the loss? I'm 52.