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From: Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Catalyst Pedals?
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2025 20:48:13 -0400
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
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On 4/23/2025 7:57 PM, Ted Heise wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I've had a tailor's bunion much of my life, and it's really gotten
> painful the last week or so.  On closer attention, it seems the
> Bontrager shoes I wear are one of the main culprits in aggravating
> it (a pair of sandals is another).  I've ordered a ball and ring
> shoe stretcher to alleviate the pressure on the affected area.
> 
> In looking for solutions, I also came across something caled
> Catalyst Pedals.  They are platforms that are larger than most and
> also have pins to aid grip between shoe and pedal.  The main
> benefit is ability to wear optimal athletic shoes.  Here's more...
> 
> https://naturalfootgear.com/blogs/shoe-footgear-reviews/catalyst-pedals-review
> 
> Has anyone ever used these and have experience they could share?
> I've ridden on clipless for 30 years, so I'm not sure if I could
> get used to platforms (though I do have Campy Super Leggeri pedals
> with toe straps on my fixed gear bike).

I've not used that brand of pedals, but I've long been a fan of more 
conventional platform pedals. Some bikes have had Lyotard Model 23s for 
decades:
https://classicrendezvous.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Lyo_berL.jpg

A couple now have modern copies by MKS:
https://mkspedal.com/?q=en/product/node/76

Those are not equivalent to your proposed pedals because the force of 
the foot is still applied through the ball of the foot, not the arch and 
certainly not the heel. But for me, at least, those are comfortable for 
riding with ordinary footwear. They make a stiff shoe sole much less 
important.

But I'm a bit skeptical of what seem to be claims that it's more natural 
to push with the entire foot. (I'll confess to not watching the video 
all the way through.) ISTM that pushing with the entire foot is not 
normally done in situations where we want extra power.

What are those situations in non-bicycling life? The first is climbing 
stairs. Another might be walking up a fairly steep hill. In those cases, 
I certainly push off with the ball of my foot, bringing my calf muscles 
into action. I just tried climbing stairs using my entire foot on the 
stair, and it felt clumsy, literally "flat footed."

I do agree with the website regarding pulling up on the backstroke. It's 
been pretty conclusively shown that cyclists exert upward force on the 
rear pedal only rarely. It does help climbing and low cadence 
acceleration to _try_ to pull up in the rear, because it lessens the 
unproductive backward torque on the crank.

So sorry, no direct experience, but some skepticism about benefits of 
those pedals for ordinary use. And I don't know about your physical 
ailment, so I don't have an opinion about how they might or might not 
help you.

-- 
- Frank Krygowski