Monday 27 December 2010

Bigfoot


How big are your feet? Big for your frame? Small for your size? Or just right?

You've probably never considered the size of your feet when buying a new bike, why would you? There are far more important things to be thinking about, frame size, colour, components.

However, one thing you should check is whether your feet might touch the front wheel when you are turning. Speaking with a fellow North Cheshire Clarion rider on our club run on Sunday, he has exactly this problem with a new winter bike.

The frame geometry on his new ride is very tight, as his foot approaches the 3 o' clock position on the forward rotation, if he is turning the wheel on that side, his foot hits the mudguard. Not ideal. It's something he didn't consider as it's one of those things you just take for granted, 99 out of 100 of us would do the same.

Lesson identified for the rest of us. It's really worth checking this if you are buying a new bike before leaving the showroom. Get someone to hold the saddle for you, or - if possible - take a test ride and try it for yourself.

2 comments:

  1. I though that was pretty normal on road bikes, as you never really turn the wheel that much.

    Its only an issue on MTBs, where you are likely to turn the front wheel more.

    ReplyDelete
  2. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ta-o.html (Toe Clip Overlap)

    This page / site is well worth a read, it answers practically every question thats ever been asked about a bike.

    ReplyDelete