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From: AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Catalyst Pedals?
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:58:18 -0500
Organization: Yellow Jersey, Ltd.
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On 4/24/2025 1:36 PM, Zen Cycle wrote:
> 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).
>>
> 
> There is a large selection of platform pedals available on 
> the market today. Most of them would suit your needs, I 
> suspect the point of the larger version you linked above is 
> that it gives a larger target for riding off road. If you're 
> only going to ride on the road, most any platform with some 
> type of 'trap' for shoe traction will do.
> 
> If you're quite used to clipless, you can get nearly as 
> efficient by changing your pedal stroke. The term is 
> sometimes called "ankling", where you follow through the 
> stroke with your toe pointed down (aka "6 o'clock") such 
> that you maintain grip and can actually pull slightly at the 
> beginning of the upstroke, while the top leg will have your 
> toe pointed up such that you can generate power earlier in 
> the down stroke. Another way to look at is is that you're 
> trying to keep the pedal as close to parallel to the crank 
> arm as possible, for as long as possible.
> 
> There has also been a lot of contention regarding the 
> efficiency of clipless vs platforms over the past few years, 
> with some studies showing that platforms are more efficient, 
> especially on climbs, and others showing no benefit. A lot 
> of mountain bikers prefer platforms. There are times when 
> clipless are absolutely the better choice (sprinting, 
> maximal seated effort, IOW, racing). What it really comes 
> down to is what you're used to, and what works best 
> biomechanically - probably no real "right" answer.
> 
> The good thing is that you don't have to spend a lot of 
> money trying to figure this out. The catalyst pedal MSRP for 
> the base model is $149. You can get a good, wide set of 
> platform pedals from Wellgo for under $20 to experiment 
> with. If you like it, spring for a better set. Maybe not the 
> Catalyst, Maybe a Crank Brothers, Spank, or Answer in a 
> color that matches your bike - all have aesthetically 
> pleasing options well under $100 with decent quality (Andrew 
> can probably comment on that with some authority)

+1 good overview and I agree.

I linked the Hafny $50 model popular here, which doesn't 
work any better than $20 models but has the light weight and 
spare aesthetic of the pricier Catalyst.

-- 
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971