Review: Pedaling Innovations Catalyst Pedals

kelly jorgensen
Jun 23
7 min read

Updated: Jun 24

Pedaling Innovations Catalyst Pedals. Foot Scaffolding Or Game Changing Flat Pedals?

Two dusty black Pedaling Innovations bike pedals rest on a ribbed pickup truck bed, with grass blurred in the background.

I saw the Pedaling Innovations Catalyst Pedals a while ago and thought they looked like any other flat pedal out there. Then I started reading about them and found out there was more to them than meets the eye and from what the folks at Pedaling Innovations and other reviews were saying I was intrigued to try them out for myself. Here is what Pedaling Innovations says about them on their site...

"The Catalyst Pedal’s unique design is based on several scientific studies.

J.R. Van Sickle Jr, M.L Hull/ Journal of Biomechanics 2007 - This study showed no difference in power or economy between pushing through the ball of the foot and the mid-foot pedal position. They thought that there would be a decrease in those factors since you couldn't use the ankles for leverage and push with them. However, this wasn't the case and they found that pushing through the ball of the foot wasn't "better" or the optimal way to apply power into the pedals. In fact, they also found that the mid-foot position took stress off of the calf and Achilles tendon, placing it on the hips.

ELMER, S. J., P. R. BARRATT, T. KORFF, and J. C. MARTIN. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 2011 - This study found that the hips (glutes and hamstrings acting to extend the hip joint) were the major drivers of the pedal stroke at all intensity levels. This means that the quads are never the major driver of the pedal stroke.

Korff (et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007; 39:991-995) and Mornieux (et al. Int J Sports Med 2008; 29:817-822) Cycling Efficiency Studies - These two studies showed that pulling up on the backstroke produces less power and burns more energy than simply driving hard on the downstroke and letting the trail leg come up just hard enough to get ready for the next hard downstroke push. Everything that I have seen, including EMG readings and anecdotal evidence, show that there is little to no power created on the backstroke and when you try to increase power by pulling up you decrease the power and efficiency of the whole pedal stroke.

Collectively, these studies have shown that:

1 - The mid-foot position also allows for better recruitment of the hips.2 - The hips are the major muscles used in the pedal stroke.3 - There is no need to pull up on the backstroke.

So, if your hips are the major drivers of the pedal stroke and the mid-foot position allows you to better recruit the hips then it would seem that the science favors a pedal that optimizes this foot position and hip recruitment. And since you don't need to pull up on the back of the pedal stoke then you don't "need" to be attached to your pedals.

You might also be wondering why you've never heard of these studies. Well, there is a lot of money and a lot of egos tied up in the traditional view of the pedal stroke. But the truth is out there if you look. And when you do you will see that what we've been told about the pedal stroke doesn't add up in the face of the actual data.

Oh, and in case you think I am cherry picking studies and not including some that contradict this view of the pedal stroke I can assure you that is not the case. I have looked for the studies and have an open invitation for people to share studies with me and all I keep finding are things that back up what I'm saying. If you know of anything I am leaving out please let me know and I will include it, my goal is to find the truth and not propagandize an agenda."

If you read through all of these paragraphs you're probably a nerd, and more specifically a bike nerd who is willing to read through studies and reports about pedal stroke and foot position which is probably why you are even on this webpage reading a review about a pair of black pedals with metal pins. Science aside though, you probably also wonder how they ride.

Scaffolding for your feet.

How Do They Ride?

To start out, I just want to say Pedaling Innovations is not an affilate partner and I am not being compensated in any way for this reveiw. They were kind enough to send these pedals out to me at no charge however so I could put them through the ringer and give them a proper go. At first glance the Catalyst pedals look massive! And they even have an XL size that is even bigger for people with size 13 US and up. A friend of mine has started calling these pedal feet scaffolding. Compared to my PNW V2 Loam pedals they are quite a bit bigger but once you ride them a couple times the massive look of them melts into the back of your mind and they don't really seem all that big at all.

Pedaling Innovations says to get the benefits from the Catalyst pedal you need to center the arch of your foot over the axle which feels a bit odd at first. From the very first ride I noticed a couple different things going on. Number one was a lot less foot fatigue and pressure especially on rides over 5 to 6 miles or so. I also started noticing less strain on my knees and back too. If you are someone who would rather wear a softer shoe like a pair of Vans, the Catalyst would be ideal because you have to rely less of the stiffness of the sole from an MTB specific shoe to give you support. Having your foot placed in the center of the pedal I noticed that I was engaging the larger muscles of my hips and legs and taking stress off the smaller muscles in my ankles, feet, and knees. This equaled more energy in reserve overall. Going downhill, while I don't feel like the Catalyst have the most outright pedal grip compared to some other pedals I've ridden, I felt that I had more direct control of my bike, especially when cornering. I am able to drive through turns with my hips and feel like I have way more support to confidently push into corners harder. One huge benefit for me specifically is that I had a ruptured achilles injury a while back and on my other flat pedals where my foot is placed more off the back of the pedals it puts stress on my achilles and calves and I end up riding more gingerly and can't ride as aggressive as I would like. After every ride my achilles hurts and I am taking advil for the next few days. Having the added support and having my foot centered with the Catalyst pedal I am not getting that discomfort and I can ride without worrying about my achilles at all. Like zero pain whatsoever! I noticed this immediately hitting a decently large drop to flat that normally has me wincing a bit where landing huck to flats with the Catalyst pedals allows for my suspension and legs to soak up the hit instead of my heel dropping off the back of the pedal and stretching my calf and achilles tendon past the point of comfortable.

Hand holds a purple bike pedal against a black pedal on a mountain bike wheel in a garage; Tern branding visible. — These pedals are not small.

There really isn't a lot I can say negatively about these pedals. Other than people saying they look like feet scaffolding and other comments on how big they look, they really are pretty good. If you want the absolutely grippiest pedal out there, I think there are others out there that offer up more outright grip. Pedaling Innovations did ship these with a bag of longer screws and I tried multiple configurations to try and get the most grip I could out of them. They shipped with the shorter screws in them and I found my feet moving and getting bounced off way too much. Another downside that I can't confirm was potentially more pedal strikes than usual, but in return I noticed the front of my foot catching on things less. There was one wierd thing about these pedals I noticed and the only way to describe it is that they have a "wooden feeling" to them as if they were made of out a 2x4. Not the thickness of a 2x4 but the actuall feeling of your feeti being on top of wood with the same density as a 2x4 and I am not sure how to explain it other than that. It wasn't a bad thing, just a weird thing I noticed.

One other thing to note if you try these pedals is you will want to move your seat forward and you might need to lower it a bit as well due to the centered foot placement, especially if you are already thinking your seat tube angle feels a bit on the slacker side of things.

Black Pedaling Innovations bike pedal with cutouts and blue bolts, shown with dimensions and weight on white background.

Who Are These For?

I think these are going to be great for anyone with size 9-12 feet that want a pedal with a bit more support, espeically if you experience foot, ankle or knee pain of any kind. Especially for anyone who has had an achilles injury. They are also great for those who might want a bit softer soled shoe and get more support from the pedal vs relying on a stiffer sole of an MTB specific shoe.