Is Toe/Front Wheel Overlap a Problem?

Coach Fred Matheny Replies:

Many high-end bikes have some amount of toe overlap. It’s not unusual, especially in a smaller frame size.

It also happens to riders who have large feet for their body size or who move their cleats back, which puts more of their feet in front of the pedals.

But don’t worry, you won’t touch the wheel while cornering at normal speed. The front wheel doesn’t pivot enough to make it happen.

Contact is possible only at very slow speeds while you’re turning sharply and pedaling at the same time. You’ll quickly learn to avoid that combination. But if contact happens, you can unclip your inside foot and put it on the ground to retain balance.

You’re right that the turnaround in a time trial raises the risk. In most events, you need to make a very tight turn around a traffic cone.

But you’ll be fine if you remember to coast with your inside pedal up and resist the urge to resume pedaling before your wheel is pointed down the course again.

Coach Fred Matheny is an RBR co-founder who has four decades of road cycling and coaching experience. He has written 14 eBooks and eArticles on cycling training, available in RBR’s eBookstore at Coach Fred Matheny, including the classic Complete Book of Road Bike Training, which includes 4 eBooks comprising 250 pages of timeless, detailed advice and training plans. The Complete Book is one of the many perks of an RBR Premium Membership. Click to read Fred’s full bio.