John,
A steep seat tube angle makes the front center longer, not shorter.
The combination of a steep head angle and minimal fork rake reduces
the front center, as does a shorter top tube. Many small Japanese
vintage frames have quite long top tubes, in my experience. I have a
19" Miyata from the early 80's with a 21" top tube. Smaller frames
often use the geo combination of more rake/shallower head angle
to keep the tail constant, while helping keeping the front center reasona ble,
even with a short top tube.
Grant McLean Toronto, Canada
John Betmanis wrote:
One would have thought that track bikes, with their steep angles and shor t wheelbase, would be the most likely to have toe overlap, yet it's on th ese very same bikes that this can cause a fall for an inexperienced rider while attempting a track stand. I just checked the bikes I have together to see how they stack up. All three are on the "small" side at 21" c-t, a Jeunet track bike, Nishiki Ultimate road bike and a Nishiki Landau set up for touring with fenders. Only on the Landau was there slight interference between the toe clip and the front fender and the worst that could happen would be damage to the Esge plastic fender. As it came from the factory with no fenders, there was about 1" clearance, just like the other 2 bi kes, but I suppose if a frame is built with fender eyelets, one should expect somebody will install fenders. Be that as it may, I never have found this marginal fender clearance to be a problem in actual riding. So in conclusion I feel that it's quite possible to build small, if not the smallest, frames without toe overlap unless the builder considers a tight , upright frame to be more important. Even with toe overlap, nothing really bad can happen because it would only come into play at extremely slow speeds or standstill.
Woodstock, Ontario
Canada