# Toes rub the front wheel



## rose.johnp

I noticed on my new bike, when my crank is at the 3 & 9 o'clock position and I turn my wheel, it rubs my toe. I had my bike fitted, is this normal? It's not really an issue, but I have almost lost it time or two going slow, waiting for friends or at a stop light.


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## wim

rose.johnp said:


> I noticed on my new bike, when my crank is at the 3 & 9 o'clock position and I turn my wheel, it rubs my toe. I had my bike fitted, is this normal? It's not really an issue, but I have almost lost it time or two going slow, waiting for friends or at a stop light.


Perfectly normal. There are several ways to keep your toe from contacting the front wheel when pedaling through a tight slow-speed turn. But the best way by far is not to pedal. This means carrying enough speed into the beginning of a turn so you can coast through it with the cranks stationary in a safe position.


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## kbwh

...and if you need extra speed through that turn use only your inner leg and back pedal.


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## Mike T.

It's perfectly normal for many (most? all?) racy type bikes. Soon you won't notice it at all and it will only ever happen at parking lot speeds.


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## evs

*Yup, only at slow speeds*

when I'm tooling around the parking lot, looking back at my rear wheel or drive train, making a small circle does it happen. It's a little disconcerting seeing how much overlap there is but it never happens on a ride.


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## evs

*double post (nm)*

(nm)...


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## vetboy

What they said. Very normal.

Joe


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## Mr. Versatile

Pretty normal. You just need to be aware of it at very slow speeds, i.e., <5-6 mph.


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## redondoaveb

If you have to pedal at a slow speed just ratchet your pedal stroke and remember, left foot forward for a left turn and right foot forward for right turn.


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## Hooben

It makes you realize just how many turns you make by leaning the bike.


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## spookyload

Very common on small frames too. The only time I notice it is at a stop light. Waiting for it to change.


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## BostonG

It's called toe overlap. The answer is to never go slow!


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## velodog

Get smaller shoes.


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## GoRovers

velodog said:


> Get smaller shoes.


...or smaller wheels.


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## Kai Winters

It's normal and you'll learn not to rub your toes and you won't even notice or you'll fall, people will chuckle and you will learn not to do it again any way but at least you will have provided someone and laugh or two...


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## Mike T.

GoRovers said:


> ...or smaller wheels.


Or tweak the fork rake.


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## Guest

II noticed this effective prominently the first time I test rode a bike as an adult. The shop I went to had a small indoor track for people to do test rides with a sharp turnin radius. With the tight turning radius I definitely noticed the toe rub on every bike I tried until I started gaining momentum and learned to "ratchet" the pedals around turns (ie don't let the outside pedal go all the way forward).

An issue that has caused me a lot more problems and takes a bit more work to get used to is pedal strike on tighter turns -- this is more an issue of pedaling while taking tight turns at higher speed, vs toe rub which is an issue at slow speed turns. If the inside pedal is low and the bike leans too much, the pedal can hit the road surface. Both pedal strike and toe rub are two reasons I never plan to ride a fixie on the streets, bottoming out the pedals on a regular bike is an annoyance -- I've severed some toe straps that way -- bottom out the pedals on a fixie is basically the same effect as throwing a stick through the spokes 



> ...or smaller wheels.


smaller wheels will lower the clearance between the crankarm and the ground, making pedal strike even worse, which is more serious issue than toe rub, IMO. Actually the fact that wheels come in only one size is the main reason why very small and very large frames of bikes usually have awkward proportions.


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## milkbaby

Mike T. said:


> Or tweak the fork rake.


No offense, but I'd rather not have to worry about pedal-strike when JRA...


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## fortisi876

Hey thanks for starting this thread I was wondering the same thing recently.




wim said:


> But the best way by far is not to pedal.


 I second this statement, I bottomed out my pedal making a quick u-turn levering my rear tire slightly off the ground almost making me bin it right there in the middle of the road. 



Slightly O/T.....and speaking of binning it, I'm not having the best of luck remembering to unclip fast enough when I get off balance. In 4 rides I fell twice....lol.


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## iam4clemson

fortisi876 said:


> Slightly O/T.....and speaking of binning it, I'm not having the best of luck remembering to unclip fast enough when I get off balance. In 4 rides I fell twice....lol.


This will happen to me soon. Getting my pedals installed today and getting my shoes this week. This should be an adventure. LOL.


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## PlatyPius

Amputate your toes.

HTH

kthxbai.


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## ziscwg

19 mm tires and move the cleat all the way forward on your shoe.



It will suck riding, but you won't hit your toes..................


As others have said, it happens with smaller frames. It's one of the reasons the real small frames (usually women) come with 650 wheels.


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## scirocco

Ride fast. The problem will disappear.


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## nealrab

*Mike T...*

Just glad I wasn't drinking anything when I came upon your ingenious fork rake solution...still almost lost it looking at that pic...fantastic post. What do you suppose the trail is on that altered steed? Chopper design looks hot!


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## Fredrico

Back in the 80s, it was standard practice to design road bikes with no toe overlap. DeRosa and most others did it by extending the wheel base, or making the top tube a centimeter longer, at a time when riders were getting used to being a bit more stretched out on the bikes, per Cyril Guimard, Hinault's and LeMond's coach.

It's always a relief riding a DeRosa. I can track stand on it pedaling back and forth and turning the front wheel as much as I want. I never hit the front wheel jerking around road debris, and can pedal through right turns on sidewalks for example. It has a long top tube, but still steers quickly with a steep 74.5 degree head tube angle, which places the front wheel back compared to the more favorable 73 or 72 degree angles favored today.

Except for very small frames, I still can't see why bikes have to have toe clip overlap to handle properly. My commuter has it, and it bugs me frequently in tight corners and waiting for cross traffic without unclipping. A friend who owns several Colnagos, a DeRosa and some other high end mounts, considered overlap a problem after riding this bike. He wouldn't own one. I'm stuck with mine. If it had an inch longer wheelbase, or an inch longer top tube, and the front wheel were a little further out in front, it would handle just fine.


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## kbwh

Mike T. said:


> Or tweak the fork rake.


Independent Fabrication FTW!


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## Mike T.

nealrab said:


> What do you suppose the trail is on that altered steed?


It was speced at "about a foot" in the original design.


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## Oasisbill

Crank arm length may help if it's a small amount. I have some bikes with it, some without. I never think of it, and it's never been a problem.


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## mrleon82

I just started riding bout a month ago. I had the same problem at first. Just speed up!!


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