accountantpete said:
This only occurs on badly designed bikes where the short toptube is not compensated for by giving the head tube a slight slope to carry the front wheel away from the foot.
As the above suggest ,it's no biggie as you quickly learn how to turn without too much trouble.
What's the length of the crank arms? -Could you get a shorter pair?
Bikes are badly designed because they have toe-overlap? Ummm. No.
All short folk (like me) who ride road racing bikes will have to 'suffer' T.O. because such frames are designed to be short, front-to-back to keep the handling sharp and the industry standard wheel is a bloody big one at 700c. This has been favoured historically because it yields a smoother ride over less than perfect surfaces.
By slackening the head tube angle (moving the front wheel forwards) you increase fork trail and wheelbase(the overall length of the bike) which both slow down the handling response - very useful on a touring bike, it makes it more stable - not so good for a performance machine where rapid changes of direction and precise steering are favoured. Think Volvo V70 vs a Lotus Elise.
I'm afraid that shorter cranks would not help that much and would have a significant effect on pedalling style IF one could find a pair short enough to eliminate the issue. A £100 solution to a 50p problem. With a little bit of experience, T.O. becomes irrelevant. One learns to keep one's feet away from the wheel. I know I did.
One could change to a touring bike - very comfortable indeed for commuting and long days in the saddle but not terribly exciting to ride. Only you will know which style of bike best meets your needs.
Christ I sound like a pompous arse.
