You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Hi All
I've got a Merlin G2P Gravel bike, which I quite like, apart from the fact that it suffers from toe overlap (toeverlap 😀 ). It's a small-ish frame (I'm about 5'7ish) with 700c wheels, and there's just not enough space out front for your toes to clear. Coming from a lifetime of mountain biking and not having to worry about such things, it really freaks me out, especially on slow twisty singletrack climbs and moreso pulling out at junctions.
I've done as much as I can to mitigate it - 165mm cranks, shifting cleats etc but it's still there. A slackset isn't an option due to HT length and it looks like changing to carbon forks with greater rake would probably cost me more than the bike itself did... I'm not sure how much putting smaller wheels on would mess up the rest of the ride...
Quoting front-centre doesn't appear to be a thing that many manufacturers do, which makes looking for alternatives a bit challenging... Measured FC on my bike is just under 600mm, so 610 or more would be better..
Any suggestions for options? I'd be looking at the 'road and bridleway' end of the spectrum, rather than the really burly drop bar MTB end..
i've literally just put my new nukeproof digger in the boot of my car
id say the combination of 60mmm stem and 69 degree head angle would be moving the front wheel out there more than most
The small digger is about the same as what I have, but the medium is around 610 - and I'm right on the overlap between the two... It does look like a lovely bike though, not sure if you can get them frame only..
*edit* - the 2022 digger is much longer FC than the 2021 model - 640mm for the short...
The Nukeproof Digger has a 641mm front centre on a small frame. It's a bit more on the slack HA - short stem, side, but mine ticks along well enough on the road. I'm about your height, but went for a medium, as I wanted a roomy cockpit. Geo is on their website.
Edit; It's all about the Diggers today 😁
I’d have a look at the sonder Camino too. No toe overlap for me! (Also a 69 HA)
Fustle Causeway. Evil Chamois Hagar
The Fustle looks very nice - never heard of them before but it looks pretty well thought out, and I do like to support a smaller UK company 🙂
Sonder Camino would be another option - but I have a Cortex and a Signal Ti already, I might get branded a fanboy 😉
lol at the "Chamois Hagar" name 😀
The Fustle isn't at the road/bridleway end of the gravel spectrum though
My Ribble CGR has a front centre of 615mm but it’s a Large. The sizes for midgets are X-Small 593mm, Small 599mm and Medium 600mm FC. The Ribble Gravel frame is the same.
Agreed on the Merlin toevelap. I didn't notice at first, I now do all the flipping time...
If they quote reach then you can calculate it from:
front centre =reach + (head tube length + fork A2C) x sin(HA) + (fork offset) x cos(HA)
Or the simpler way is wheelbase minus chainstay length (if that’s on the horizontal)
I find wheelbase - Chainstay length, then add 8-9mm gets you about there in terms of an FC estimate.
The Fustle isn’t at the road/bridleway end of the gravel spectrum though
No reason why not though, if the tyres and build generally suited that? It won't fit / handle quite like a regular road-ish gravel bike but that's no bad thing. Could be a winner for some riders.
No issues with my causeway, it's long enough I use a 50mm stem on it too
https://flic.kr/p/2ohrzp9
It's a nice comfy cruiser on the road and a giggle off road
My chat to Alistair at Fustle
https://pca.st/episode/afbdce65-1d9d-4394-a8e1-52cbf774f54e
Review
https://ukgravelco.com/fustle-causeway-gr1-review/