Re: Catalyst Pedals?

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)
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