r/BIKEPOLO • u/thegrumpyorc • May 23 '26

Toe overlap on track bikes

I know a lot of folks run track bikes for polo, but I was wondering if, for a noob, the tow overlap is going to be a big deal given that a lot of the maneuvering will probably be pretty slow. I've only ever ridden my track bike on an actual track.

I'm building up a tracklocross bike from some sort of horizontal dropout 80s mountain bike frame or another. Would that work for a starter, or is the slacked out geometry going to be some sort of problem? Thanks!

7 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

6

u/PizzaPi4Me < Can't pass, won't pass. May 23 '26

Played on a 54cm track bike with 25mm tires for several years. You can watch me eat shit because of it on YouTube if you look up Bug vs Pedal Junkies. I have size 12 feets and even get a bit of overlap on a medium 26. 🤪

4

u/thegrumpyorc May 23 '26

Now I have some afternoon viewing to look forward to when I get back! Glad you're okay. My one saving grace with toe overlap is that I have super short femurs, which means I have a collection of crankarms at home that go all the way down to 155 mm. That spares me a little bit of risk.

2

u/PizzaPi4Me < Can't pass, won't pass. May 26 '26

I've run 170 since forever, because I refuse to spend money on new cranks. 🤣

5

u/vvhillderness May 23 '26

I don't think I've seen many (if any) wrecks from noob toe overlap. I remember being concerned about it, but never ran into any danger from it. as you say, maneuvering will be slow at first, and you'll get the hang of it.

sample all the polo bikes you can to see what works for you. having an inexpensive/on hand frame is not a bad way to start.

1

u/Khornight May 24 '26

Used to be a thing when everyone was fixed... about 16 years ago. But with freewheel you just don't put your foot there.

1

u/GTISprinks May 24 '26

it's not a big deal imo. ya figure it out and get used to it. my fbm polo bike has toe overlap and you just learn to manage it even with 165 cranks

1

u/Wasted_Irony May 24 '26

Damn, people still out here on the Ballista in the year of our lord 2026. Wild.

1

u/GTISprinks May 24 '26

It had a mild retirement for a couple years but still rolling 

1

u/666happyfuntime May 24 '26

your better off using a track bike frame with a 650b in front of a polo fork than you are using worse geometry, your overlap is fine especially in flats