synonymy

Hello
Looking for a new bike that has disc brakes in which my foot doesn't collide with the front wheel when turning
At current, I have an older Giant Iguana that I love and does everything that I need perfectly, except that I am looking to upgrade on the brakes
The Iguana has the older rim brakes that always fall out of adjustment and would love something similar that has discs
The most important feature of this desire is to have the front wheel at a larger distance from the crank and pedal than many new bikes have
I look and look and cannot seem to find a bike that has a comparable distance to my old Iguana

Help!

terrymorse 

That's called "toe overlap". Many bikes have it -- most road bikes have it.

It's not a problem. When actually moving, you will never turn the bars so far that the wheel will touch your foot.

If you are concerned about toe overlap, rest assured you don't need to be.

freeranger

Why not just upgrade to a quality set of linear brakes (also called v-brakes) and use Kool-Stop salmon pads with them? You get to keep the bike you like, save some money, and properly set up, have all the stopping power you need. As prev. stated, toe overlap is common. A new bike may not solve that.

Iride01 

How slow are you riding that toe overlap is a problem? If you are at any decent speed more than a walk, you'll probably be well into the process of having a wreck before you get any toe strikes with the wheel. Usually we start off with the wheel pointed straight ahead. If you don't, it'd be a good habit to get into.

Welcome to BF.

79pmooney

Foot overlap - depends on a bunch of factors. Tire size. "Front center" - the distance from the bottom bracket to the front hub, crank length, shoe placement on the pedal and the shoe/toeclip itself. If we assume that we are talking about 700c wheels and the same shoe/pedal combo, the key distance is front center - crank length - wheel radius. (Actual radius as measured. Tire height/2)

Front center is sometimes given in bike specs. Can be calculated from the common wheelbase and chainstay lengths but both tend to be approximate in spec sheets and the errors can add up. Good place for a tape measure.

Yes, toe overlap is often "normal" and expected. But - there are riders and applications where it is simply bad. I don't lecture people that they need to "just get over it". I've had race bikes with none and bikes that didn't remotely need a short wheelbase with so little I always had to be on guard with fenders on. (And I've done so much fix gear riding that I know well the question of "can I get this wheel past my foot or am I going over?"

noimagination

Agree that most drop-bar road bikes have toe overlap for most people. I don't know whether MTBs and/or comfort bikes have the same issue. If you add fenders, the likelihood that you'll have toe overlap goes up, of course.

As others have said, it isn't really a problem. If I'm going slowly enough for my toe to hit the wheel, then I'm going slowly enough that using a little muscle can pull me through the toe strike. I can't recall going down due to toe strike, though it's been ... interesting ... the times when I've experienced it on our tandem, since (a) (being the captain) I'm responsible for another rider, and (b) a tandem plus team is heavier, requiring more muscle to keep the bike upright and power through the loss of speed. (Note: if your stoker doesn't know it happened, don't tell them!)

urbanknight

Ignoring for the moment that toe overlap happens and shouldn't interfere with your riding (as mentioned above), and assuming you just want an excuse to buy a new(er) bike, I noticed that most gravel bikes reduce or even eliminate toe overlap when fitted with smaller tires. The extent depends on how large your feet are, cleat placement, and tire size.

rsbob 

You didn’t say what king of pedals you use. With flat pedals, the ball of your foot can easily sneak forward of the center most point of the pedal and cause the overlap issue. I have found that with clipless, It keeps my size 12 shoe far enough back to not be an issue. If you do use flats, try to be conscious of foot placement on the pedal.

Polaris OBark

You are not my wife.

seypat

How tall is the OP or how big is the bike? If the answers are short and small, probably not going to eliminate the overlap.

rsbob 

Perhaps in a parallel universe or alternate reality, he might be. Happy wife, happy life. 😂

Metieval

Giant fathom if you're running on pavement then put a slick tire on it. They are on sale right now. And come in a 650b or 700

terrymorse 

Are you sure?

synonymy

Thanks for the reply
I'll look into that bike
I've never had a problem or even noticed it until sitting on newer bikes, and with so much online now, I can't tell easily which bike has it bad and those that don't. I appreciate even the slightest direction in response. Have been looking at polygon bikes but the road/gravel ones that I'd be interested in all look like I would have that issue. Never even noticed it until I sit on newer bikes.

Thx

Metieval

You're Welcome.

Depending on your budget, the giant fastroad ar advance may or may not have toe overlap.

Another bike that definitely won't have toe overlap is the Kona Unit X the kona x comes in big 29x2.6 tires though.

Its about headtube angle. Gravel bikes have bigger tires so toe overlap seems to be common on them.

For what you seek, you might be better off looking at mtb hard tail bikes and then running a more moderate sized tire on them. 700x45 or 700x50.
But not all hardtails. At one time all hardtails were xc geometry. Some if the new hardtails are more slack and drifting into trail territory.

Niner Air 9 for example 68⁰ head angle. Drop gravel tires on it and go.
I still have a love for riding hybrids/fitness bikes. But I love gravel tires. This is why I look at hardtails then downsize the tires.
If you don't like suspension forks , that can be fixed with suspension correct rigid forks.

Good luck!

Metieval

Synonymy

I saw these bikes the other day. https://hudskibikes.com/

All their frames are identical. They just come with different wheels and tires.

Might be worth checking out. Pathlesspedals has a youtube review on the gravel version.

synonymy

Thanks again

I suppose it's the choice between fork suspension or no fork suspension
Those Hudski are actually exactly what I am imagining
I mostly ride paved paths because that's about all there is nearby, but I jump curbs, potholes and enjoy banging into things
My iguana has big apple tires and I ride 16-20mph as it is and don't care too much about carrying a little more weight and tire, SUV ish
When I am blazing, I like to just turn obstacles into jumps or bunny hop over it. Not something for a regular road chassis or tire
I like not having to do a lot of maintenance, so that's my toughts on no suspension
When I get back into mountain riding, I'll deal with the suspended bikes again
There are the occasional down hill rides in gravel/dirt that can numb my hands without having suspension

Thx all

Metieval

Hudski or the kona unit x

If you like big apples ride them on the kona unit x

Russ Roth

Another option, if you find you still have some is to swap the cranks out for shorter. Lots of men's bikes will come with 175mm cranks, if you're finding you're just touching, moving to a 170mm, or even 165mm, will move your foot back from the wheels and eliminate some overlap if not all. Going to 165 should have no effect on your ride either and may be easier on the knees.

Metieval

Kona dew. has more room for toes too.

I definitely like this post above this one, using shorter crank arms.