DVC45

...normal? Or my bike is too small for me?
Bike is 53cm, I'm 5'6".

Blue Jays

Completely and absolutely 100% normal. You will only experience this overlap at very slow speeds and it won't be encountered under normal pedaling circumstances on the road.

DannoXYZ 

That's perfectly OK. I'm 5'5" and ride a 54cm with about 1.5" of overlap of my toe on the front wheel. Learn to have your cranks vertical when turning.

kjmillig

I have exactly the same situation and was thinking my clips were too long. But then I noticed the same thing Blue Jays said, I don't notice it at normal riding speeds, only when going very slowly and my cranks are horizontal trying to balance.

DVC45

I just now realized too, that my front wheel is 27" and the back is 700C.

I bought it used in my hope to not spend too much for a beater commuter bike, but now I'll have to get a new front wheel. I'm still below my $200 budget though, so still happy.

Stacey

Never let the roadies be out done.

The MTB'rs had the BotE 24/26 and the 69'er wheel combos, now the roadies come up with the 7/27...
What will they think of next?

DannoXYZ 

Strange.... Although a 700c wheel is only about 4mm smaller radius than 27", so you're not alleviating much of the overlap. Just learn to position the pedals so that you never have overlap and the wheel-size won't matter at all.

Make sure that you can move the brake-pads down 4mm on the calipers, or else that 700c front-wheel won't work. They're cheap enough, can pick up a basic one anywhere for about $35-40.

MichaelW

Toe Clip Overlap may be quite common but that doesnt make it good.
TCO doesnt matter in a race or for a fast training session but in heavy traffic it can trip you up.
It is easy to say, "just remember to position your pedals" but in my experience, things go wrong when your brain gets overloaded. Most of my involuntary dismounts have involved 3 or more simultaneous hazards and a 4th was too much to handle.

My suggestion is to fit a 700c wheel, check your toe clip size and crank length.
You are small enough to use a 165mm crank. A M toe clip should gain another few mm over a L size.

CdCf

Yay! I just checked. My Surly Pacer and 23 mm tyres, 175 mm cranks, with my shoes and cleat position, has a minimum of half an inch of toe clearance. No overlap no matter how I turn!

Stacey

Is the fork bent?

DVC45

Yup, I just ordered a 700c front wheel for simetry sake and hopefully that would give my foot enough clearance for now, while learning the new tricks suggested here.

No, the forks are not bent.

Thanks folks!

megamo

I have the same situation. I have less than an inch overlap from my toe to front tire. I was thinking my bike is small. This has happened to me few times before in a slow turn. But I managed to balance myself to avoid the fall. Last Sunday in one of my group rides, once I was turning slowly my front toe hit the front tire and made me crashed on the road. It was a painful and bloody crash. It left me with lot of broses on my left arm and left leg with a deep cut on my finger.
I thought I bought a small bike, until I look at others rider bike and notice they're all more or less the same. But there’s no way I can remember to have the cranks in vertical while is turning unless I know in advance that I’m going to turn.
.

DannoXYZ 

What you will develop over time is an automatic movement of both the handlebars and cranks at the exact same time. Yes, the brain can multitask and do two things at once. Typically what you'll do is just stop pedaling with the outside foot down when turning. Or if it's a slow turn and you're not pedaling very fast, you'll spin the outside foot backwards so that it's down.

slowandsteady

My bike has toe overlap but it is made for midgets..I mean it has a women specific design. It has never really been an issue. If for some reason I am turning sharply I just ratchet the pedals instead of taking a full pedal stroke.

Allen

Toe clip overlap is very common on many frames. It is not a design fault unless it is excessive overlap (hitting the pedal itself and the front tire for example).
It will only cause you issue during tight turns at very low speeds or trackstanding. It's not something to worry about, just pay attention, and know that you may kick your tire on occasion.

caloso

Is your bike a fixed gear?

megamo

Thanks Dan.
By the way I like your avatar.

alicestrong

I'm 5'6" and ride about a 52...I think it's more common on smaller sizes.

I noticed it too but was told it's not a problem.

megamo

No, It has gears.

caloso

Okay, then it's just a matter of making it a habit of jamming down the outside pedal to 6 o'clock whenever you're turning hard. This of course brings the inside pedal up to 12 o'clock, which prevents pedal-strike on the ground or on the wheel. It takes awhile, but after a bit it'll just become natural.

megamo

Thanks caloso for the tip. I'll try to remember that.

slvoid

5' 7" and 53cm, overlap city! But only at EXTREME angles of turn.