maybe a daft question but is there a risk of feet hitting front wheel

[Virtual DBP]

hi there,

currently i'm using an old claud butler brevet bicycle as my winter hack and next spring intend to strip it down, get the frame resprayed and set it back up as a fixed gear bike.

anyway, one thing i have noticed is that on the odd occasion when i'm going slowly and have to make a sharp turn, e.g. to go round a car i have to watch that my front foot doesn't hit the front wheel as i turn the handlebars.

if you are in a fixed gear situation, do you ever find your front foot impacting your ability to turn the wheel or knacker your mudguards?

Cam

 

[Theseus]

Nope, my fixed has a geometry that does not have any toe overlap.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

it's called toe overlap. it's not unknown for certain bikes, or for folk with big feet. if you're catching the mudguards with your feet, i'd take them off if using the bike for fixed, assuming that the wheel does not catch anyway.

 

[Tharg2007]

It can be quite common, it either bothers you to the point you get a different bike/forks or it doesnt.

 

[Virtual DBP]

don't know how it will bother me yet because just now (with a freewheel) i don't keep my feet level when making sharp turns, either by turning the wheel or banking the bicycle over. therefore i don't suffer pedal strike or toe overlap.

i guess it something i'll need to keep an eye on when i do convert.

 

[Tharg2007]

Really? I'd look to get a chainset with shorter crank arms or look to adjust the cleat to move it forward.

I tried moving the cleat and it wasnt enough and looking to get shorter crank arms cost more, it was an old hack so drastic measures like swapping fork wasn't an issue, plus I happened on some with a nice rake and a nice price

 

[Joe24]

Yep, worry more about pedal strike.
You will often find that you dont really hit the front wheel, i didnt, even when i was on my geared bike and i would get it.
Just have to time your turn, which isnt hard.
On my fixed now, its got enough clearence so i dont get it, but you do get used to it, so i wouldnt worry.
I have had pedal strike though, that was abit scary. Lifted the back wheel off the ground, and thumped me down. It was on the TT bike, so it had the noise of the disc wheel aswell
Didnt fall over though, which was good!
You will get to know how much you can lean in though after a while, so dont worry about that either

 

[MajorMantra]

Both my fixed bikes have toe overlap and although it's a little irritating it's not a problem as long as you are aware of it.

Matthew

 

[Andy Pandy]

I have very slight toe overlap when I have my race blades on, but I have never touched the front wheel. You would have to turn the front wheel quite a bit. I've never grounded a pedal either, but have clipped a kerb with it, doing a silly bit of undertaking.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Both my fixed bikes have toe overlap and although it's a little irritating it's not a problem as long as you are aware of it.

Matthew

I never found it a problem on my fixed, you do get a sense for it.