It wasn’t that long ago that cyclists were following the mantra of “marginal gains.” When I saw the Catalyst 1 pedals by Pedaling Innovations, they immediately grabbed my attention. I connected with James Wilson, the founder of MTB Bike Systems, who kindly sent a pair of their Catalyst Pedals for review.
About the Catalyst 1 Pedals
The Catalyst Pedals are designed for mountain bikes and have a larger than normal surface area to place your foot. The science behind the design is that the design is large enough to support both arches of the foot, allowing you to generate more power. The science supporting the design is as follows:
- Utilizing a mid-foot stance shifts the workload from the smaller ankle muscles to the larger, more powerful hip extensors.
- The hips serve as the primary power source for your pedal stroke.
- There is no need to pull up on the backstroke.
This thinking was different to conventional, which is about pushing through the ball of the foot as you pedal. The key points about the pedals, are that they are designed to help:
- Climbing in a bigger gear with less effort
- Feet placement, allowing you to stay planted no matter how rough the trail
- No more numb toes, sore feet or knee pain
There are three different types of pedals; the Catalyst 1, Catalyst EVO, which are a lightweight version and the Catalyst XL, designed for those with bigger feet (US size 13 and above).
Prices vary; the Catalyst 1 is $159 USD, the Catalyst EVO is $249 USD, whilst the Catalyst XL is $199. All prices exclude shipping, which is from the US.
Feedback
Not being much of a mountain biker myself, I passed these to my colleague Simon Lampard, who put them through vigorous tests. Simon, who has a slight leg length imbalance, including a misshaped leg noted that the pedals “allowed my feet the freedom to be placed in a naturally comfortable position.”
First impressions were good, as a consequence of “fantastic packaging, with a box designed for retail display purposes, a couple of stickers and a document on how to refit your bike after installation.”
When examining the pedals, Simon explained that “the build quality looked great, black adonized aluminum pedals with numerous grub screws attached for shoe traction in muddy conditions.” This nice appearance was coupled with added extras such as grub screws in case you needed them.
Simon freely admitted that his planned scientific approach to testing, which was going to be a straight comparison with his SPD pedals and normal flat pedals, was abandoned, and instead he mounted them to his Zwift Ride and went racing instead.
Changes to setup and riding position
“I found out immediately that I needed to lower the seat, and move it forward a touch. This should not come as a surprise if you had already read the document in the box, which luckily, I had,” Simon said. Simon went on to explain that “Initially it was hard to position my feet where the manufacturer wants them placed with the arch of your foot over the central dip of the pedal – it put my foot way further forward than I am used to. The impact of this was that it was more comfortable when out of the saddle and grinding uphill.”
Power increase
The changes in position impacted Simon’s power output in a positive way. “Looking at my data, I have been racing the Mountain Massif Mini TT and have noticed a general increase of 3 to 4 watts in power delivery, not much until you realize I am usually maxing out at about 215–220 W average in a race 3.3 W/Kg), so that is over a 1 to 2 % increase in power!”
Simon continued testing, including during a longer 42km race on Zwift, including a significant amount of climbing. “I managed my second-best time up the Epic KOM. I realized that my increased power is coming from my quads.”
Simon’s summary of the pedals was that they had “nice build quality with notable gains in power over short periods, especially 20-minutes.”
Summing up
In summary, the Catalyst 1 pedals by Pedaling Innovations offer a revolutionary design that enhances power output and comfort for mountain bikers, as evidenced by Simon’s feedback highlighting significant gains in performance and a more natural foot position. With their thoughtful engineering and quality construction, these pedals represent value for money.
As the cycling community continues to evolve, innovations like these pave the way for a more efficient, comfortable ride, making the Catalyst 1 pedals a worthy investment. For more information, visit their website: https://pedalinginnovations.com/
