Forum: bicycles.stackexchange.com
Tags: <wheels><geometry><toe-overlap>
Title: Touching the front wheel with my foot when turning
Question: My girlfriend got a new city bike today and she touches the front wheel every time she has to make a hard turn.  Is there anyway to avoid this besides replacing the whole bike?  LATER EDIT: I think I found my answer  here .

Answers:
sents: text: This is a common problem, but really not a big deal.
text: I've usually heard it called "toe overlap".
text: I have it on all my bikes.
text: Basically, it's a bit shocking the first time it happens, but you get used to it .
text: It's no big deal.
text: If you're simply aware that it can happen at slow speeds, you'll avoid it easily enough.
text: Since it can only happen at slow speeds, it's not particularly dangerous.
text: It's most common on racing-style road bikes due to their short wheelbase or on smaller frame bikes.
text: Big tires and/or fenders can make it more likely.
text: Big feet and shoes that stick forward of your toes very far also make it more likely.
text: Possible solutions include: Try not to worry about it.
text: It's usually just an annoyance
text: and you get used to it pretty quickly.
text: Don't go slow
text: (can't turn the wheel far enough for it to be a problem unless you're going slow).
text: When going slow and making a sharp turn, pay attention to where your feet are.
text: Don't pedal while turning Pump the pedals instead of normal pedaling, so that only your inside foot goes forward Get your feet into a good position (outside foot just below where the pedal overlap happens) as you start to turn.
text: Also pay attention when starting from a stop.
text: Pedal with the ball of your foot over the spindle of the pedal.
text: This is generally considered the "correct" place, and leaves your foot only going a little forward of the pedal.
text: Some beginners put the arch of their foot on the pedal, which is likely to be uncomfortable on platform pedals, and puts your foot more forward.
text: Maybe slide your foot back a bit as you're making a slow turn, so that you pedal with your toes instead.
text: I find this uncomfortable, but it's tolerable for a few seconds.
text: When you're shopping for bikes, look at how much toe overlap there is.
text: You don't even need to ride the bike, you can tell by putting the pedal forward, putting a foot on the pedal at about the right position, and turning the handlebars.
text: Smaller riders may find that bikes with smaller wheels give them less toe overlap.
text: 650b or 26" instead of 700c?
text: Really, don't worry about it too much.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/76/freiheit
score: 27
sents: text: My son had an toe-overlap issue, and it turned out the forks were on backwards.
text: I looked up how to take the forks out, and after I turned them around, the bike is perfect.
text: No toe-overlap!
text: Thanks for the suggestion.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/49690/Justin
score: 3
sents: text: This exact same thing happened to me, I realised my front bike wheel was the wrong way round!!
text: I was fuming as I had purchased it from Halfords?
text: So, I turned the bike wheel around and it was fine!
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/32141/Stanley
score: 2
sents: text: As in the link that OP posted and the suggestions here most of the actions focus on changing the riding technique.
text: There is one other option mentioned in the link and one that I thought of should the new technique be no solution.
text: change the fork rake - by replacing the front fork for the one providing larger wheelbase
text: you increase the distance between the front axle and the bottom bracket
text: thus you decrease the toe overlap, probably to the measure that it is not occurring.
text: On the other hand you also decrease the patch trail of the bike making it more agile when it comes to steering stability (it will be more difficult to ride "no hands") and you increase the wheelbase making the bike slightly more difficult to manoeuvre in slow tight corners.
text: Hence, solving one problem you create another.
text: change the cranks to one size shorter - changing from e.g. 170mm cranks to 165mm will decrease the toe overlap slightly.
text: This may be beneficial if the rider's inseam is on the shorter size - they won't need to stretch their legs that much.
text: On the downside is that shorter cranks require more power needed to maintain the same cadence.
text: But since you are replacing the cranks, replace the chainring for a size smaller.
text: The rider will need to increase their cadence but riding will feel like it requires less effort .
text: And a biker riding with higher cadence appears to be riding faster, let alone that lower load and faster repetitions (at the gym) allow for more fat burn and muscle tone up, opposed to high load and less repetitions
text: cause mainly muscle build up.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/34697/Mike
score: 1
sents: text: Just make sure your fork is oriented the correct direction.
text: I bought a Spot bike, and when it arrived to my house the factory had put the fork on the wrong direction.
text: Actually, they put the handle bars on the wrong direction, and when they oriented the handle bars correctly it turns the fork 180 degrees in the wrong direction.
text: This isn’t immediately obvious, and all you may notice is that the pedal hits the front tire.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/43270/Dave
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Touching the front wheel of the bike when turning is a common problem but not a serious one. It usually only happens at slow speed. It is most common on racing style road bikes and bikes with big tires and/or fenders. Moreover, it may be related to the foot position on the pedal: arch on the pedal instead of the ball or the positioning/direction of the fork. To solve the issue, change your foot position and check the fork direction.
This is a common but minor problem that only occurs at slow speeds and can easily be avoided. It can occur on bicycles with a small wheelbase or frame, especially if the feet are too far forward due to putting the arch of the foot on the pedal. Inspect a bike for toe overlap before buying it. Sometimes the fork can be turned backwards, which makes the wheelbase shorter. Smaller wheels or shorter cranks can reduce the problem, as can replacing the fork. To avoid the problem when riding, pay attention to the position of your foot when going slowly and turning. Place the ball of your foot on the pedal rather than the arch, and move it back when turning at a slow speed.