# Foot rubbing front tire



## jadrum37 (Apr 10, 2011)

I purchased my first road bike in June of this year, a Giant Defy 1. I like the bike and it fits great my only gripe is at slow speeds when I turn my foot rubs or catches the front wheel if my pedals are parallel to the ground. So here is my question. Is this type of thing common in all road bikes or could this be a result of the the geometry of this particular bike.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

it's called toe overlap. It's normal for smaller frames, especially close-coupled race frame. It also depends to some extent on your crank length, foot length and cleat position. I have some toe overlap on my 56cm Cervelo. It's only an issue when making a u-turn in a parking lot. Just avoid putting the outside pedal forwards. You can pedal a half stroke then backpedal a half stroke, then pedal a half stroke again, etc. to maintain momentum.

Some people try to "fix" overlap by changing cleat positon but that's a bad idea. It'll cause a lot more problems than it solves. Just ride around it.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

It is a fact of life. Most frames have some degree of toe-overlap....designing a frame without it means *lots* of compromises elsewhere.


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## K&K_Dad (Dec 10, 2008)

it happens, sometimes. Google 'toe overlap'

Just put the foot you're turning towards at the 9 oclock position and you shouldn't have a problem.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

As long as you're aware of it it shouldn't cause a serious problem. I have a Defy Advanced & experience the same thing. I turn the bars that far so seldom that the toe overlap isn't really a factor. It'll take you a couple of times to remember to position your cranks differently.


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## velocanman (Jul 15, 2011)

ericm979 said:


> Some people try to "fix" overlap by changing cleat positon but that's a bad idea. It'll cause a lot more problems than it solves. Just ride around it.


Great advice here--don't change your cleat position to make up for toe overlap.

You possibly could change out the fork for one with more forward rake.

Just know that it can happen and be careful pedaling in tight circles. I guess you won't be doing Driveway Crits...


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## jadrum37 (Apr 10, 2011)

Thank you for the responses.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Normal, and a couple of more thoughts:
- always carry enough speed into a slow-speed, tight turn so you can coast through the turn,
- if you do need / want to pedal, try dropping your outside heel as far down as it will go. Often, the toe will clear a front tire if the heel is dropped.


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## js1221 (Aug 15, 2008)

I experienced it for the the first time when I got my Giant TCX cross bike, before that I never really noticed it. Although it is normal to some degree, I found changing shoes helped me quite a bit. I was wearing the Specialized Tahoe shoes at first and they had a large rounded toe box, when I switched to my Sidi shoes with a narrower toe box the issue almost ceased. These are MTB shoes and I have SPD pedals on my bike. I am not advocating buying new shoes, I already had both pair, but if you have another pair of shoes you might see if they help any.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

I have toe overlap on my road bikes, but I'm seldom going slow enough and turning tight enough that it's an issue. Usually my outside foot is down when turning.


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