Cycling UK Forum

Does any one know if you can buy and from whom shorter toe clips? In the dim and distant past you could buy adjustable ones which if you have small feet were ideal.
I have to confess that I only ask because I recently purchased a second bike with choice being limited at the time and, on fitting mudguards, it has toe overlap - which I should have checked!

Various sizes at SJS Cycles:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/toe-clips/

Jonathan

MKS in "medium"
https://spacycles.co.uk/m17b0s168p837/M ... -Toe-Clips

MKS list the dimensions of all their various toe clips in the document below.

https://www.mkspedal.com/sites/default/ ... oeClip.pdf

Adjustable MKS clips at Condor https://www.condorcycles.com/collection ... -toe-clips

MartinS wrote: ↑15 Mar 2022, 5:46pm Does any one know if you can buy and from whom shorter toe clips? In the dim and distant past you could buy adjustable ones which if you have small feet were ideal.
I have to confess that I only ask because I recently purchased a second bike with choice being limited at the time and, on fitting mudguards, it has toe overlap - which I should have checked!

So,let me get this right.With your foot in its normal position,there is mudguard overlap and your intention is to shove it rearwards with smaller toeclips.My thoughts are you might be inviting knee/lower leg problems.Many people on this forum ,including me,have ridden with toe overlap for many years quite happily.It becomes automatic, whilst turning a sharp/slow corner, to have the correct pedal out of the way .Better this than an unnatural foot position is my advice.

cyclop wrote: ↑15 Mar 2022, 6:37pm

MartinS wrote: ↑15 Mar 2022, 5:46pm Does any one know if you can buy and from whom shorter toe clips? In the dim and distant past you could buy adjustable ones which if you have small feet were ideal.
I have to confess that I only ask because I recently purchased a second bike with choice being limited at the time and, on fitting mudguards, it has toe overlap - which I should have checked!

So,let me get this right.With your foot in its normal position,there is mudguard overlap and your intention is to shove it rearwards with smaller toeclips.My thoughts are you might be inviting knee/lower leg problems.Many people on this forum ,including me,have ridden with toe overlap for many years quite happily.It becomes automatic, whilst turning a sharp/slow corner, to have the correct pedal out of the way .Better this than an unnatural foot position is my advice.

Likewise (I suspect I'd have toe overlap even without mudguards). Never caused me any issues atall.

Edit: I ride my toe overlap 2-wheel using toe clips.

Ian

I agree you will learn to live with it unless you are riding fixed.
I used to regularly ride a Flying Gate , 37" Wheelbase Time Trial machine (with toe clips)
I did consider SPD to give a few more centimetres clearance but never got around to it (actually got one that fitted me better and did go for SPD despite having more clearance)!

Many thanks for all your responses - I will check out all the links given and, ideally, get adjustable clips as I used to decades ago. My theory (probably wrong) is that you should adjust toe clips to match shoe size as you would change shoe size to match foot size.

I fear your theory re adjustable clips may be wide of the mark.
My understanding is the idea is to get the Centre of the ball of the foot directly above the pedal axle for optimum
application of pressure.

For me, the way to get maximum clearance between feet and mudguard was to ditch toe clips and use SPD instead, but also to ensure the shoes have no excess length. I found that to get a wide enough fit with Shimano shoes I had to have longer shoes with a void forward of the toes, which produced overlap on one bike. Specialized shoes, on the other hand, gave a wide enough fit without that extra length in the toe area, so I got in excess of 10mm extra clearance with those. With both shoes I had the ball of the foot over the axle. So make sure your shoes don't have a pointless void in front of the toes.

I'd suggest trying riding the bike without anything holding your feet on the pedals - not for huge distances but just to see where your foot comfortably fits in the pedal so you know what you are working with. Then, I'd agree that SPD is the way to get the best clearance, especially bearing in mind that properly used, toe clips should have clearance in front of your shoes.

FWIW, for many years I rode a frame with overlap without mudguards and I never had a problem - probably because I'd never heard in those innocent days that there might be a problem, but if you are concerned then you do need a solution or the worrying may spoil your riding

thirdcrank wrote: ↑16 Mar 2022, 9:25am I'd suggest trying riding the bike without anything holding your feet on the pedals - not for huge distances but just to see where your foot comfortably fits in the pedal so you know what you are working with. Then, I'd agree that SPD is the way to get the best clearance, especially bearing in mind that properly used, toe clips should have clearance in front of your shoes.

FWIW, for many years I rode a frame with overlap without mudguards and I never had a problem - probably because I'd never heard in those innocent days that there might be a problem, but if you are concerned then you do need a solution or the worrying may spoil your riding

My current bike has a reasonably degree of overlap. Probably not helped by me being on the cusp of sizes, with reasonably 'chunky' tyres, road-ish geometry and size 9 feet.
I'm a bit more careful around the tightest bends but it's not been that deleterious. FWIW I'm using SPD's also.

TC and others (above) are giving good info and good advice. The important thing is to get the ball of the foot in the correct place. Getting that wrong could have long-term bad side-effects.
A bit of toe-overlap, whilst not advisable, is not as unusual as may be thought (outside of competitive cycling circles).

I wore trainers with my rat-trap pedals for some years.
Eventually, you could see the indentations in the trainer soles as I was always (naturally) placing my foot in the same comfortable efficient place.
That was the push I needed to get proper cycling shoes with pedals with clips.

Also, taking of saddle height, I had Campag Chorus clipless pedals for years, but then discovered Speedplay Frogs.
Excellent pedals, but that's not the point.
The stack height is VERY shallow on the Frogs, so shallow, I had to lower the saddle by half and inch.

Added benefit, it that I can put BOTH my tippy-toes on the ground, rather than leaning over and getting only one down.