I was looking at the kilo tt and read a lot on here about the bad to overlap. So I emailed BD to ask a few questions and basically was told that toe overlap is not a problem while riding and turning at normal speeds. So it only is an issue when doing tight U-turns.

So my question for all you tt riders is how bad is it? And for those who own The Hour or a Motobecane do you have toe overlap issues?

not a problem once u get ur timing down.

I think you meant to write that toe overlap is *not* a problem at normal riding speeds. And it's not. Note that the degree of overlap depends on a lot more than just which model of bike you're riding, including crank length, foot position on the pedal, and frame size. But regardless, unless you plan to spend time doing tricks on the bike, toe overlap really shouldn't matter and you should focus on much more important issues (build quality, geometry, sizing) in choosing a ride.

Thanks for catching that. Just edited the post. That makes sense, I am just starting out so I am being overly cautious. I just need to get a bike and get out there to start learning to ride.

At first I was all nervous about toe overlap. It's pretty severe on my Schwinn Madison. I used to hit my toe ocassionally when going slow and making sharp turns. However, I soon found myself automatically pointing that toe down when it crossed the tire and I don't even notice the overlap any more. Just ride and enjoy, It will not be an issue.

Thirded.

Toe overlap is rarely a problem in practice, and certainly not for the Kilo.

I've owned a 50cm Kilo TT and now I own a 54cm Hour. No overlap on the Hour. A lot of overlap on my Kilo TT (like 2 inches IIRC) Sure you can point your toes down during tight turns, but on my 50cm TT you had to point them fairly sharp for this not to be an issue.

I forgot to a couple times and I almost ate ****, and ultimately bought an Hour for a laxer geo and no overlap. For a lot of people it wasn't an issue, for me it was. I like the geo on my Hour much better. I personally don't see the point of having Track geo on the street, but that's just my opinion.

a lot of people talk about overlap not being a problem but people rarely note what size frame they ride, which is useful information.

That's a good point... And I ride the 53 cm Kilo

hey JauntyGent, I have been wanting to try a 53cm kilo. What is the overlap like? If you can't measure it can you give me a guestimate of how much overlap there is?

I think the point is that toe overlap in general just isn't a problem, even where it exists. All my bikes have horrible overlap (except my GF 29er), but it's not really an issue.

I ride a 54cm Moto Team Track (similar, track geo) overlap is there, but once you get to know how the bike rides, you won't notice it.
also, overlap only really matters at stupid slow speeds.
1000th post!

Toe overlap isn't really an issue to you and most people. For me it was an annoyance that I decided I did not want to deal with anymore. I've ridden bikes with some overlap and it didn't really bother me, but the overlap on my 50cm Kilo TT was more than I was willing to deal with.

Maybe an inch at the worst? Honestly, it's hard for me to say with confidence: I'm out of town at the moment, away from dear bikey.

As has been stated, though, it's a non-issue when actually riding. If you're riding slowly enough to turn the wheel such that your toe touches, you're going slow enough to prevent any real damage. Just ride fast =P

the closest my foot could possibly get to the front tire is about an inch and a half away, but I just got the 63cm.

I only notice toe overlap when I'm riding at a very slow speed. Usually if a friend is walking beside me. Otherwise its never an issue.

What if you like to turn fairly sharp while riding fast?

not possible. you would wreck. when you are going fast you lean more than turn.

to elaborate, there's not enough grip on the tire and you'd have an awesome (from the view point of a bystander) front wheel skid.

or, if the front wheel was built shoddily, it'll taco and the rider will endo.

Toe overlap isn't a problem. Ignore it.

my pinarello has crazy overlap, but it has not been a problem yet.

When bike makers try to use 700c wheels on smaller frames, toe overlap can be a problem. Especially if there are toe clips on the pedals. Better to go with a more road oriented bike or one with smaller wheels.

Crazy amount of toe overlap on my 51. It has caused me to tip over a few times when trying to trackstand. I always seem to land on my right elbow, which is pretty mangled by now.

Maybe I should actually take the time to learn how to trackstand some day.

It all depends on the geometry, namely choice of head tube angle, seat tube angle, top tube length and fork rake (offset). For example, my old Schwinn Paramount track bike has lots of toe overlap, but my Bianchi Pista Concept has very little. Both are very small frames about the same size, but the geometry is very different.

Daybreak:
50cm vs 54cm is a big difference, and will have more to do with overlap than the hour's geometry. When you're dealing with discrepancies as high as 4cm, you really can't compare them as equals. Not to mention, one of the bikes is the wrong size for you.

For what it's worth, I have a 50cm Kilo and have learned to deal with the toe overlap pretty easily, it just takes practice.