Have questions or want to discuss cycling? Join Now or Sign In to participate in the BikeRide community.


Crank arm too long
#1
I recently bought a cheap fixie bike from Walmart. The crank arms seem to be too long and I'm finding it to be a problem whenever I want to turn. Although I'm not doing much turning when I do I can't without having my crank arm hit the front wheel or my feet hitting the wheel. Please help
  Reply
#2
This is called toe overlap and it's fairly common on bikes. It's tougher on fixies because you can't coast while turning.
http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2011/01/whos-afraid-of-toe-overlap.html

If it is just your toe hitting the front wheel, you should get used to it after a little while and find that it doesn't cause a problem anymore. You can try getting shorter crank arms. The current length should be stamped on the inner side of the crank, it will probably be 170mm or 175mm. You can maybe go down a cm or so, but not much more than that. Sometimes smaller pedals help a little, but mainly by encouraging you to keep your feet farther back. A smaller tire may also help, but again talking a few mm at best normally.

If your crank arm is actually hitting the front wheel as you say in your question though, something is wrong with the bike. Either your fork is bent back or it was installed backwards. The installed backwards thing is surprisingly common, especially at big-box stores. The front axle should sit slightly in front of the tips of the fork. Check this out first. Bent or backwards are both dangerous.
  Reply


Forum Jump:

[-]
10 Latest Posts
Catastrophic bicycle failures
Today 04:23 PM
I don't usually wear a bike helmet. Does...
Today 03:51 PM
Impromptu bikepacking/touring dilemma..
Yesterday 08:38 PM
Bmx with 26 inch wheels
Yesterday 05:50 PM
Gila Monster Gran Fondo
Yesterday 05:41 PM
Hatch Chiles Rule!
Yesterday 05:10 PM
Steel road bikes with disc brake mountts
Yesterday 01:11 PM
How Bad Are E-bikes By You?
Yesterday 07:42 AM
Spoke Count Preference
09-30-2026 12:29 PM
Are 26" really dying out?
09-30-2026 12:23 PM

[-]
Join BikeRide on Strava
Feel free to join if you are on Strava: www.strava.com/clubs/bikeridecom

[-]
Top 5 Posters This Month
no avatar 1. Sidewinder
23 posts
no avatar 2. Flowrider
21 posts
no avatar 3. GirishH
18 posts
no avatar 4. SPINMAN
12 posts
no avatar 5. meamoantonio
11 posts