Re: Catalyst Pedals?

On Wed, 23 Apr 2025 19:59:22 -0500, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

On 4/23/2025 7:48 PM, Frank Krygowski 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).

 
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.
 

>
I rode Lyotard 45 for years; about 8 to 10 years each before
they were worn beyond repair as the top rivets just erode.
>
I changed to Lyotard 460D about twenty years ago. Same idea
as you and Mr Heise but more durable.
>
https://www.velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx?ID=D720305C-DA6A-4FEA-9AF0-6D13506F9B88
>
(I also ride with toeclips in regular leather sole
Florsheims or Allen Edmunds)

Tried to view your reference and get error "detected an issue and did
not continue to www.velobase.com."
--
Cheers,

John B.