RE: [CR]Toe-clip overlap - even on "Good" bikes?

Some of the best bikes I've ridden have toe-clip overlap. Its just the way they come out if you make certain design choices. In fact, on some small bikes, if the bike doesn't have toe-clip overlap I get concerned that something stupid was done in the design to avoid it which could make the bike dangerous at high speed. Classic example is some old Trek bikes with slack headangles and short fork rakes that are very dangerous at high speed. Crashing at 30mph is much worse than tipping over at an intersection.

My Baylis is one of my best riding bikes - and at about 56cm ct with a 54.5cc top tube, it has overlap. Just isn't much of a problem, and the bike is a dream.

Bikes with fenders, though, should NOT have overlap. Bad Bad Bad. Your foot can get stuck between fender and wheel, the fender collapses, and you crash.

But - a bike with fenders is often a machine that uses wide tires and carries a front handlebar bag as well. And such bikes want very low trail which means very long fork rake for a given headangle. So, if running out of front center, design the bike with 72 headangle, run wide tires, use lots of rake, use a handlebar bag if you want to dial things in, and then you've made a machine with lots of clearance (depending on top tube and seatangle of course). The crazy thing is that such bikes loaded up front (and in many cases without a load) handle like a dream! Plus, the wide tires (if very high quality) are about as fast as the skinny tires. So you can have it all! And if you don't believe it, then you haven't ridden the right bike.

Mike Kone in Boulder CO