as mentioned previously, try some 165mm length crank arms.
put some medium toe clips (maybe even small if her foot is small enough).
make her learn to angle her foot as she feels it approaching that part of the crank rotation (not all the time, just when her wheel is turned that much at slow speeed).
put a smaller tire on the front, like a 25 or 23.

Yeah, definitely not for all.

It's also about her state of mind. She says she doesn't "feel" safe with the overlap.

*sigh*

My girlfriend's Miyata has toe overlap. It's a touring frame. It's no big deal.

flip the wheel over to the freewheel side... problem solved! if she ever wants to ride fixed again, it'll be there... don't put yourself through more crap trying to please her and get her into fixed gear bikes

1) A small amount of toe overlap is unlikely to cause problems;
2) The posers here who say she should suck it up and deal with it or quite riding fixed are self-important punks. Ignore them.
3) My fixie is a converted 1985 Fuji Espree with almost no overlap. It is possible to find frames that have less, and frames that have much more. The challenge is weighing every trade-off you make. Finding a frame that has exactly the feature-set you want may be challenging....

^^^ Sometimes that's what it takes.
My fiance is new to cycling, and started riding because I offered her a Schwinn 10-speed that I'd tuned up. Eventually, she asked me to "take off all those heavy gears," because she never shifted anyway, so I SS'ed it (with a flip-clop hub and a lighter wheelset).
Eventually, she decided she wanted to try fixed, so I flipped the rear wheel and she rode fixed with 2 brakes and platforms for a while.
A month or so later, she asked me to put on some toeclips, so she could control her speed better using her legs. I don't expect her to go brakeless any time soon (nor would I recommend it for her), but she's made a natural progression as she became more comfortable with her bike, and with riding in general.
Initially, when I would suggest changes or offer advice, she'd get flustered and upset; turns out, she just needed to evolve at her own pace.
I suggest a similar approach in your case. It's all about the "comfort zone" and pushing the boundaries gently.

hehe.... TOEVERLAP

Maybe I missed something, but how much overlap are we talking about? A few mm, or like inches?

Almost any road frame short of a mega-slack touring frame is going to have a little bit of overlap (heck, I have a road frame with a 50mm rake fork in it and it still has a tiny bit of overlap with clipless pedals), and stuff like shorter cranks and smaller clips isn't going to buy you much more than 1/2" or so.

She needs to ride freewheel until she's comfortable with the bike overall, at which point overlap won't be a problem. And she can ride freewheel, because you didn't put your girlfriend who isn't experienced enough to deal with overlap on a brakeless fixed gear. Or do we need to go get the Stupid Helmet?

OP, sell the bike, hand the money over to her and tell her to get her own bike. If she's complaining about toe overlap and won't ride because of that, I bet she'll find things wrong with any bike you get for her that will prevent her from riding because she doesn't "feel comfortable" on it.

^^^ That's option #2. Option #1 is, of course, dump the whingey b!tch.

Does not compute.

no overlap on my BF IRO. Sometimes too, people ride a frame that's a bit too small causing it. You take the same frame and build, but go up a size or two, and no toe overlap. But, most people do get used to having it. Doesn't seem to be a major concern.

Using a freewheel is the best option I've heard yet. That way she can get used to the geometry in a low-risk situation. It will also allow her to make tight turns with her inside foot forward and her outside foot back out of the way.

ahahahahahahahahahahabhahaha

yes and then the feet will be smaller. sell her this idea by telling her all the tiny shoes she will fit in to.

:D


or not.

if are using large sized clips, medium or small clips may buy you just enough clearance.

It's like an inch or two. But like I said, it shouldn't be a problem, but it is.

I'm not trying to convert her, she wanted the exercise benefits from riding a fixed bike. Just didn't work out.

2" of toe overlap seems a bit much for a road frame that is not tiny...

what are the chances that the bike was in a crash and the front end or fork is bent back ?

I was thinking the same thing. Look for paint ripples where the top and down tubes join the headtube.