So I built my gf singlespeed/fixed bike, with a 54cm Miyata frame. The toe clips hit the front wheel on sharp turns. Is there a way to remedy this, or do all 54cm frames with 700c wheel has the same problem?

It's really common, you'll forget about it in no time.

it's very common, it's called toe overlap, and it's not a problem once you actually get going faster than 5mph.

tell your girlfriend to wait to turn until she's mashed that side, or to speed up and lean through turns instead of going slow and turning the fork.

well the first problem is having such a tall girlfriend with such big feet

Would this be for while running fixed? I understand if it's on single speed though.

BTW, are there any frames at 54-55cm that doesn't have this toe overlap problem?

its usually an issue with geometry. basically this happens all track frames, a good number of road frames, and almost no touring frames

seriously, dont even worry about it. Toe overlap almost never comes into play, and if you ride your bike enough you'll learn to avoid it without even thinking.

Get a beach cruiser, that ***** is lax

Ugh... She says she doesn't feel safe. She actually struck the back of the wheel when turning, which is how I found out in the first place. She currently rides a Trek 7.2 FX, which uses 700c tires w/o toeclip overlap.

does she have 165 cranks? and what size clips does she have? I have a Miyata 112 with no overlap. so it may be the set up.

I tried to convince her that it won't be a problem, but I do sympathize with her. Riding in NY, all kinds of turns are needed, and toe overlap is one less thing she should worry about.

165 cranks, uh, medium toe clips? Don't really know about that. Do you have a picture of your bike? What size frame is it?

unless she wants to get a 650 front wheel and a super long reach front brake, the best fix is for her to just be mindful of not having her foot and wheel in the same place at the same time. safety shouldn't be a concern since the only times turns sharp enough to bring toe overlap into the picture would be at pretty low speeds

safety can be a concern here

making a slow speed turn across a busy intersection is a bad time to go down

If she's not willing to learn to ride with it then maybe she shouldnt be on a track frame. Pretty simple really. Everyone else cuts sharp turns at low speed and deals with it. I dont mean to sound harsh but it's just about being aware of your bicycle. It's the same as a car needing to be aware of how it can perform safely. It's just something that has to be learned through practice.

It has more to do with the fork rake--a track bike is going to have a steeper one, at 38 or so degrees, rather than a road fork with 43 ish. Very common though, tell her to have patience and she'll get used to it.

I understand. It wasn't meant to be a track bike, just fixed for the exercise. More commuter. But yeah, I'm going to have to sell the frame. Maybe the whole bike and just get her something else. It's just that it took me sooooooooo long to wait for the parts and build it. Noodle bars, cloth tape, bah.

Thanks for the info guys. Short girlfriends = not cool.

i will not be building my girlfriend a bike. too many horror stories like this one. i'm glad she has a raleigh comfort bike.

anyone who thinks toe overlap is a problem shouldn't be riding fixed anyway. and my suggestion about waiting to turn until she's mashed the pedal on the turn side was for fixed... obviously you never have to have a problem with toe overlap with a freewheel because you can just stop pedaling when you turn.

if i'm going slow enough to need to turn the wheel that much, i am going slow enough to coordinate my turn with my crank position.

Amputate her toes.

unless it's an iro angus/mark V, then you get the overlap without the benefit of the nice tight geometry of a track frame!

Buy her a Fuji Track SE, IRO Mark V, Motobecance Messenger, or another frame with 650c wheels. You could also convert an old Centurion, the kind with the 24" front wheel and the 700c rear. Those are your options to do away with toe overlap forever.

I had a good 2" or so of overlap on my KHS Aerotrack. You get used to it.

Did I miss the part where the OP indicated this was a track frame? Sounds like maybe it's a conversion?

If it is a track frame, I would suggest finding a different frame -- if she's not on the track and not into aggressive riding, she'll be much happier on something more relaxed. If it is a converted road frame as I suspect, why not just make it a single speed, maybe even w/ a coaster brake? As cc700 points out, overlap is no longer an issue with the freewheel. Fixed isn't for everyone -- keep her comfy.

+1
If she can't learn to use the equipment properly, or if (as in this case?) she's not ok with learning something new and becoming comfortable with something she hasn't experienced before, then she's not going to enjoy riding.
Get her a bike she's comfortable with, which may very well not be a fixed gear.