QUESTION: I just bought my first serious road bike. It’s light and fun to ride, but my toe touches the front wheel when I do sharp turns. This seems dangerous and I’m worried I’ll crash. Did I buy the wrong bike? I also want to try a time trial with this same bike, so I’m afraid I’ll kick the wheel at the 180-degree turnaround. — Albi M.
RBR 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.
why do the makers of e- bike allow toe overlap for the foot to hit the front fender, it can cause serious injury not just a red face.