Hi
This is my first year racing cyclecross, and i am in need of a bike. Can anyone reccomend a small framed bike (size 48-50) that does not have any toe overlap for a size 42 shoe person?
I dont know if i am making too bigger issue with this but i imagine it could be quite dangerous.
Any good CX bike should be designed to accommodate this. FWIW I have a Norco Threshold in size 50.5 and have no toe overlap issues with my size 42 shoes.
Best to go see the bike in person to know for sure.
The Canyon Inflites have small frame sizes. The smallest frames come with smaller 650b wheels rather than the standard 700c, which might help with toe overlap (though make getting spare wheelsets more of a pain). The 2017 models have some big discounts right now, too. I’m a big guy, so I got the XL, but I’ve quite enjoyed it this season.
On a side note, I had toe overlap issues when I first started racing cx, and it turns out the issue was just that I sucked. More speed and improved bike handling made the issue go away without any specific measures to address it.
Thanks, I thought the canyon and 650b wheels was the solution, but according to my local cycling union 650b is not allowed by the UCI
If you’re new to cx, it seems unlikely you’ll be racing UCI events where they check this stuff. I guess it depends where you’re looking to race, but at USA Cycling events I’ve never seen an issue with bike: mountain bikes allowed, >33mm tires are fine (in fact, never seen a tire guage), no checking frames, and even allowing fat-tire bikes.
On top of that, I’ve never seen anything suggesting 650b wouldn’t be allowed. I can’t tell if this is road-only, or discipline-wide, but they’re clearly allowed in certain UCI contexts:
And it doesn’t take much to find articles talking about pro-mountain bikers on 650 wheels.
Anyway, obviously go by what your local racing scene is going to enforce, but I’m highly skeptical this could be a problem for you until you turn pro.
Gcarver
I agree, i cannot see why 650b would not be allowed, but im not going to buy a bike and risk not being allowed to race.
I race in Spain where they follow UCI rules very strickly.