Anyone using Catalyst Pedals on their Rivendell?

[John]

  I've been trying out the Catalyst pedals from Pedalling Innovations on my Hunqapillar, and I was curious if anyone else is using them on their Riv, and what, if any, changes / adjustments you needed to make?

   I'm starting out with their recommended adjustments to my saddle, which meant lowering my Albatross bars a bit. I'm still getting used to riding with the spindle under my arch so I'm not quite sure if I'll keep my saddle & handlebars where they are.

   If anyone else is using the Catalyst pedals, I'd like to hear if and/or how you adjusted your Riv to ride with these pedals.

Thnx!

John Phillips

[Deacon Patrick]

Yes. I've got a pair on y Hunqapillar. I haven't been able to ride much this week, which has been torture beyond normal because of the amazing autumn Scottish weather we've been having. I was thinking of posting some initial thoughts, so I'll give it a go here.

They are wondrously long and feel great underfoot. Conclusion summary: if you ride with any flexable shoe or sandal these need to be tried to be believed. They are riding with the feel of solid ground under your foot. There is more comfort and confidence on these pedals than the VP Vice I've ridden for years. I lowered my saddle slightly, despite riding close to midfoot before. Is there more power in hight torque climbing situations, or is that just the feel of climbing with my feet feeling like they're on solid ground? I need some more rides to see if I'm a half gear higher than normal on climbs. I'm delighted with them.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Jay Connolly]

I have these pedals on my Joe and really like them. It took a few rides to adjust to riding with the foot more forward, but now I don’t even think about it, even though I have these on only one of several bikes. I bought them because flats cause me hotfoot on rides of more than about an hour. These pedals solved the problem. I’ll probably pick up one more set before too long.

Jay

[lum gim fong]

would grip kings do the same thing as catalyst?

[Jay Connolly]

Probably depends on the length of the rider’s foot. The catalysts are designed to bridge the entire arch of the foot. It works even with my huge feet, removing the concentration of pressure from the ball of the foot. According to the hype on the Pedalling innovations page, optimal efficiency will be achieved only in this centered orientation. YMMV. Works for me. The MKS pedals are almost an inch shorter, I believe, but they may well provide the same experience to riders with feet smaller than mine.

Jay

[lum gim fong]

Any increase in average speeds with Catalysts?
Need to change seat height?

[Jay Connolly]

No question that I’m just as slow with the Catalysts. Seat comes down, yes.

Jay

[Deacon Patrick]

To expand on my previous post: I don't track milage or mph or time. I just ride. What I do notice is if I'm in a higher or lower gear on a given section. A myriad of factors effect this, starting in greatest significance with the state of the engine. Am I more tired and thus going slower with the same effort? I always start there. Then environmental factors come next in significance. Wind? Wet /muddy ground? Hotter? Colder? Am I dressed right or wrong? Then comes the bike. The pedals make a great difference in comfort all the time. Comfort CAN translate to greater efficiency and thus speed over time, but be a very subtle difference. I noticed perception of increased power in low torque situations (climbing, esp. at lower cadences) and need to observe if this is confirmed by a half gear increase in my climbs. If so, that's quite a big difference given the amount of time spent climbing vs descending on any given ride.

Grip King question: No. No other pedal on the market is as long as this. Here is a comparison shot of the Catalyst vs VP Vice:

With abandon,

Patrick

[Jim M.]

The only things that will make a significant difference in speed are legs, lungs, and brain. 

just ridin'

jim m

walnut creek

[Garth]

Here is pic of Grip Kings with Vice and VP-001 and the MKS Sneaker.  If your shoes are quite stiff, you don't need the Catalyst pedal to pedal midfoot. Even if the shoes are not stiff you can still pedal midfoot on a BMX style platform pedal. The Grip King is just an odd shape, as the best for midfoot are the ones with a more square or rectangular profile.  I started pedaling midfoot a number of years ago with Well MG-1, then went to the Vice as it's platform is flat and not concave. I wore sneakers to start but now wear Crocs slides, which are not like the clog type with the strap, mine are just pure slides, no retention. I had considered the Catalyst a few years ago but the Vice work fine for now, and now is all that matters.  I wear a size 14 . 

If someone has never pedaled midfoot, the Catalyst may be a good option but it not necessary to do so. People have been pedaling midfoot since bicycles were on all sort of pedals. PI makes it sound like they invented it or something , HaH !

[Garth]

The Pic here : https://i.pinimg.com/originals/91/c3/9f/91c39f707647d2f13e3942f49ed73736.jpg

[Jay Connolly]

If you accept the developer’s research, then pedalling midfoot is not entirely the point. It’s a matter of applying the “lifting” force from more of the foot. If memory serves, he says the benefit will come only if the force is applied from either side of the arch. Whether you accept his thinking (and research or not), it’s worth a look-over to understand the development of the pedal.

Jay

[John]

Hi,

     Thanks Patrick & Jay for sharing your set up. Do you remember if you needed to lower your saddles as much as the 2-3 cm's PI recommends? Less? 

And Patrick, did you remove the pins so you could go barefoot?

     Thanks Garth, but most of my shoes have flexible soles, so I'd like to try a longer pedal to support my soles. The MKS Grip Kings are 78mm wide x 116mm long vs the Catalysts which are 94mm wide x 127mm long (my measurements). So far I like the spikes and the extra support provided by the Catalysts. Riding faster doesn't really interest me right now versus recovering, staying alive and just having some fun on my Hunqapillar.

     I've been undergoing physical therapy, part of which involves doing dead lifts & squats, after recovering from a retoperitoneal hematoma and hospital-acquired infection. It was the idea behind the Catalysts which interested me, and I wanted to see if biking using the Catalysts would work in sync with my other exercises. So far, I agree with Patrick & Jay, the larger platforms are really comfortable and fun to ride on.

     

     Anyone else trying the Catalysts?

Thanx,

John Phillips

[Deacon Patrick]

Great point, John. The closest analog to how to the foot works in cycling is squats. I may try riding barefoot again with these pedals (though the gaps are big, which may be problematic). For the last several years I've been riding in Xero Z-Trek sandals, so I keep all pins in. https://xeroshoes.com/shop/feeltrue-products/ztrek-men/.

For this winter I'll be trying their size 14 Coaltons with my boiled wool socks. https://xeroshoes.com/shop/shoes/casual-shoes/coalton/ They feel good so far on test rides at 35˚F, but that's a long way from -20˚F. Grin. Room for another pair of socks in there.

With abandon,

Patrick  

[Jay Connolly]

John, I did not lower the saddle anything like 3cm. Maybe half that. I eyeballed the change, which probably came out to about a half-inch.

Jay

[Deacon Patrick]

Oh yeah. I was 80% to mid-foot pedaling anyroad, so I lowered my saddle by 3-4mm after trying it as is and feeling my hips have to reach a wee bit.

With abandon,

Patrick