uprightbent

I've read somewhere how the Berthoud flat stays wrapping around the fender have made a real difference with clearance in reducing toe clip overlap. Maybe this was taken from early builders for that reason. Others have said the attachment hardware is as good or better (low profile) on some Honjos. Pretty sure my VO fenders protrude too much, although I do like them. Any advice would be appreciated for those who've had the same issue and went a certain route, thanks in advance. Gotta have those shiny metal fenders.

ThermionicScott 

Right or wrong, I use R-clips instead of VO's eyelet bolts. It definitely helps with clearance, but the flattened Berthoud stays would be even better.

scarlson 

I've had toe clip overlap, and while I've not fixed it with Berthoud stays, it certainly is less likely to cause an issue with the Berthoud stays. This is because they are less likely to really hang your foot up on them. Your foot can slip past and sorta kick the wheel out of the way, whereas it would get hung up a fraction of a second longer on the VO stays with the eyebolts. This fraction of a second could mean the difference between continuing on cycling or falling/putting a foot down. Plus, the Berthoud stays are lighter because you don't have all that hardware.

N.B. the Berthoud stays will not have the holes in the same spots as the VO fenders. You'll have to drill the stay or the fender to get things to match up. I've done both ways without trouble.

Road Fan

But the biggest effect on toe clearance will be due to moving the wheel forward, an increase in fork offset.

The Golden Boy 

Or a smaller wheel.

nlerner

Smaller feet?

JaccoW

Trenchfoot

ThermionicScott 

I took a hacksaw and rasp to these $130 Shimano touring sandals, minutes after receiving them in the mail. Couldn't be more pleased with the results!

Velo Mule

This turned out to be more interesting and informative than I had thought. The Velo Orange and Honjo have more hardware sticking out at the right spot to catch your toe on, whereas the Giles Berthoud is smoother. Less likely to catch. It is like a Schwinn fender except the stays are aluminum instead of steel and the stay goes around the outside of the fender rather than the inside.

I tend to like plastic fenders and both Planet Bike and SKS plastic fender end the stay at the fender line, assuming that you cut it once it is in place. You can still catch a toe on it, however they provide more clearance than the Velo Orange and Honjo fenders. They can also take a lickin'. I got a stick caught on my SKS front fender on Sunday that curled the fender up like an inchworm. I reattached the breakaway stay and pushed the fender around a little to center it better, and I was back on the bike within 5 minutes.

I am also not immune the lure of shinny metal fenders either, I put a pair of Velo Orange hammered fenders on my wife's Mixte. It's got the look! And I'm on the fence about which way to go with my Schwinn Continental. Stainless fenders would look so good.

ThermionicScott 

Here's what mine look like, for what it's worth. The stays are snugged up nicely against the fender:

JaccoW

Just came across a set of titanium fenders by No22 Bicycles for a cool $900 - $1100 depending on the finish. Similar mounting to the Gilles Berthoud.
Shame they are designed for 35mm tyres but a red or gold anodized fender would look really cool.

I like the GB much better for general mounting hardware than the VO. It's very bulky and severely limits the tyre size you can use.

noglider 

Or moving your cleats forward. My podiatrist cured 90% of my severe foot pain by telling me to move my cleats BACK, and now most of my bikes have toe overlap. And the overlap really doesn't bother me, as it doesn't cause me to fall.

Feldman

I have done similar; the eyebolt system does use up clearance a little much. Honjo's strap over the strut doesn't look as fancy but gives good clearance as well.

uprightbent

Thanks as always for the great advice everyone has suggested. I think the answer for me is gonna be Berthoud's flattened stays. Now installation is gonna be a whole other thing........