Testimonials

See What Riders are Saying about the Catalyst Pedal

• Almost as soon as we started delivering them we have been getting some amazing feedback on the results people are seeing from their Catalyst Pedals.
• From improved power and confidence to decreased foot and lower leg pain, the Catalyst Pedal has already helped hundreds of riders around the world enjoy riding more.
• So if you're wondering if the Catalyst Pedal is right for you then please check out some of the testimonials and reviews we've gotten so far.
• Everyday we get more and hopefully we'll be hearing about your Catalyst Pedal success story as well!

“Got my pedals yesterday and took them out for a run on the trails today. Absolutely love them!

Didn't have any issues at all. Love the size, they look huge only because I've been used to looking at teeny tiny clipless pedals for the last 17 years!

Love the fact that they give great support across the majority of my foot. Got really aggressive with them on several steep climbs, had no slippage and love the fact that I can really power stroke with my whole foot as opposed to the ball of my foot. I know I'm going to be sore in different areas of my legs, I could feel that I was using muscle groups that I've never used while clipped in.

There are several rock gardens along the trail that I've always had issues with while clipped in but today I cleaned them with no problem. These give me the confidence to power through. Thanks for such an excellent product!

Worth every penny! Thanks again!”
Sean M. Conrey

“Got my pedals in the mail this Friday and quickly removed my Spank Spikes and bolted the Catalysts on in preparation for a trip to Richmond, Virginia's Buttermilk and neighboring trails.

From the very first pedal stroke, the pedals rock solid and stable. Finding a mid-foot position was natural and I did not have to think about foot placement at all.
I had also read some negative comments that riders would not be able to drop their heels adequately due to the platform size. Well, I can report that their theory is nonsense. Fast technical sessions were a breeze, including a full heel drop when the line called for it.

Home run!”
Scott Wood

“I just got back from a ride using your new pedals. My initial reaction was how big they appear. I put the pedals on without any adjustment to the pins and took it on a decent test ride.

Awesome! No discomfort, no pedal whack on sections that pedals can be an issue.

I have a knee injury that would flair up when standing on all my pedals up to this point. I rode standing on several non-technical, but steep climbs, without ANY discomfort. It was like wearing a shoe.

I will be ordering another set for my backup bike. Well done and thank you!!!”

Dave Butzer

“Got a full day in yesterday with the new pedals. I've just started to work on small jumps in the last few months and have been getting some pretty good shin bashes but with the new pedals I never even came close to coming off. Also, I was amazed on the extra leverage I felt when leaving the ground, even on small bunny hops.

Super stoked and can't wait to get more riding on them. Thanks James!”
Dusty Simmons

“I took my new Catalyst pedals out for the first time today. These are not a gimmick! I am not a great rider but even I can still notice the benefits these pedals provide. Finding the right position for my foot was easy; it just feels so solid that it is obvious. I also noticed that different muscles are used for pedaling. It seemed to affect the same muscles I use when doing the kettle bell swings you show in your workout videos.

Using these pedals seems to move my center of gravity back just a tad. It is easier to unweight the front and pumping the rollers was much more efficient. Any time I was out of the saddle, whether descending, pumping or climbing, the stability these pedals provide was appreciated.

Thanks James!”
Dan in BC

“My Catalyst pedals arrived yesterday, my plan was to put them under the Christmas tree, instead they were immediately installed on my trail bike. I noticed a difference right away and took extra care to place my foot in the suggested location.

My first trail ride was only 2 hours at a trail that is best to ride standing up. Right away I noticed that I was pushing more through the hip and less with my ankle/calf. It feels like stand up pedaling is less straining and allowed me to stay in a larger gear, even on climbs.

Thanks for going through the process of designing, testing and finding a manufacturer for the Catalyst.”

Rick Ruckh

“I switched from clipless pedals to flats about a year ago. I was concerned I would lose speed but after reading the Flat Pedal Manifesto I decided to make the jump and have never looked back.

Having been a personal trainer for 15 years the science made perfect sense. So when James introduced the Catalyst Pedal I was very interested.

The day before my pedals arrived James made a statement that "using the Catalyst Pedals would feel like I had an extra climbing gear". My first thought was, "come on James don't blow it now by making some "outrageous" claim".
We'll, I'm hear to say that he was absolutely correct! After several rides using my Catalyst Pedals on my 2016 Santa Cruz 5010, I have better balance and certainly more power... I have that "extra gear"!

I've only been mountain biking for 3 years and at 56 years old I am very competitive and enjoy riding with people half my age. I'm improving everyday and I am so stoked about these pedals!

Thanks James Wilson and Pedaling Innovations for a great looking product based on true science and daring to be different.”

Kyle Himpler

"James introduced me to the Catalyst pedal earlier this year. After a few minute ride, I realized this was by far the best flat pedal I have ever used.

The large platform allowed me to put down power more confidently than standard designs, while also being ridiculously comfortable. My foot stayed planted better on this pedal than any other flat pedal which combined with my flat pedal confidence to allow me to push harder and faster in rough terrain.

While there may be disagreements initially in foot placement on this pedal, I think the design is superior to anything on the market at this point and I have no real desire to ride any other flats after putting these on my bike. The Catalyst is the truly the only flat pedal I want on my bike!"

Pete Knepper - Grand Junction Colorado

“The Catalyst changed my view on flat pedals by making it feel as if I had more power, better balance, and the ability to maintain my form for longer periods of time during sustained physical efforts.

I do wish they had better grip - as a result they are more suited to trail/all mountain riding than aggressive downhill in their standard form (Note: We recommend slightly longer pins if using them for DH).

Still, if I can improve my riding by simply changing my pedals, I'll take it. And don't forget that there is a 30-day money back guarantee, which makes it even easier to try a pair and see if they work for you.”

Paul Aston – Pinkbike.com
Check out the full review on Pinkbike.com!

"Please feel free to use this, I’d love to help support your cause. :)

I’ve used the Catalyst pedal on three of my bikes now and I’ve found them to really help me like you said they would! I’ve been an avid reader of Bikejames.com for a few years now and have always found the information on your blog and youtube massively helpful and often at odds with popular thinking which I like and take notice of, so when I saw on your Facebook page that you had developed these pedals they really piqued my interest. I went to your site and religiously read the Flat Pedal Manifesto and everything you say made absolute sense to me.

Just to recap on my brief history, I am a 38 year old avid cyclist, my main cycling consists of mountain biking but I also use a cyclocross bike and have owned fatbikes previously too - over the past 18 months or so I've experienced my feet develop pain from what turns out to be the stress of primarily running clipless pedals for much of my cycling life, once I upped the mileage things became unbearable to the point where it would actually put me off riding a bike.

Reading what Bike James and Pedalling Innovations have to say on the clips v's flats debate made huge sense to me given my personal experience so I was completely sold on the idea of converting back to flats for the foreseeable future, certainly for day to day riding.

My first impressions when getting the Catalyst Pedals out of the box was about how well made they are, really high quality stuff, very purposeful but well made, we have harsh weather in the UK and I ride all year round so pedals are definitely the one component on my bikes that take the biggest beating, I’m sure these will hold up just fine and they look to be very easy to service and keep spinning as smoothly as the day they came out the box.

I first tried them out on my MTB’s and straight away I found that finding my ideal foot position on the Catalysts was much easier than expected, using the ball of my foot on the top inward pin came naturally and after a while felt so natural to me that I can’t imagine riding with ball over the axle anymore. I suppose the position felt strange at first but after a couple of miles that feeling quickly disappeared.

I found that there is a distinct difference in power, I just feel stronger using my hips and thighs, I have big legs and weigh 215lbs so this is DEFINITELY playing to my strengths! It’s also now easier to stand up and keep standing longer, the stable platform of the pedal encourages this and I feel abler to get the power down and regulate it so I’m getting more traction there too. On my Turner Burner I’ve recently fitted an oval traction ring and the two parts definitely work well together.

My ankle pain has gone! I reckon all thanks to the Catalyst pedals, it makes so much sense using this riding technique and giving my ankles a rest. The pain in the bottom of my feet has all but gone too, I reckon if I persevere with the Catalysts (which I fully intend to!) this pain will go completely.

When fitted to my XC/trail bike I find climbing easier and faster, the weather is pretty horrible here at the moment, so PR’s won’t happen until March/APril really, but I did set a few PR’s on some of my well ridden local trails on my first outing on the pedals. I find descending on steep descents much more comfortable and confidence inspiring, also noting that now I’ve coupled the pedals up to a pair of Five Ten Freerider Contact shoes I basically feel as connected to my bike as I do on clipless pedals.

The ONE and only gripe I have with the pedals is that I can’t safely use them on my Cyclocross bike as there is just too much toe overlap with them, this isn’t a problem though, with what I’ve learnt about foot positioning, I can adapt my cleat position on my clipless pedals on this bike, I definitely wont be using clipless pedals on the mountain bikes for anything for the foreseeable future unless I really feel the need!

To me these pedals have been such a game changer to my riding that they’re comparable to when dropper posts and disc brakes were launched, they really are that good!

Thank you James, for bring such an innovative product to market, I think you’ve hit it out of the park with the Catalyst Pedals!”

Jamie
North Yorkshire - United Kingdom

"Thanks for checking James! You should see a few more orders from the Goodyear area soon (I know one for sure!)

I have two rides on them and am in love. I wear large shoes (size 15) so clipless shoes, when I could find them, were extremely uncomfortable. I constantly had my feet falling asleep on me.

My past two rides have been my most comfortable yet. I am for sure still learning how to pedal on them, but I already know it's going to make a big difference!"

Thanks again,
Dustin

"Hi James

I have now been riding the Catalysts for a month or so after riding DMR Vaults for years. I initially found them a bit short of grip in trail/downhill situations, but with swapping in just two longer pins each side (front center and outside) this problem is gone completely.

What I am absolutely rapt with is that the problems I was increasingly having with knee pain (my knees are 60 years old and have done a lot of offroad miles!) are hugely improved, and everywhere on the trail now I am literally riding a gear higher (typically a 16 tooth rear on a SRAM 11-36 instead of an 18 toother) with subjectively no more effort and greater speed. I am clearly pedaling more efficiently with no change other than the pedals. And hey when I get back on my second bike which still has the Vaults, well enough said - I just want to get back to the big Catalyst platform. Cheers! "

Tony

“Received the pedals a couple of days ago. Have just been on my first ride with them, what a beast of a pedal. Posted my fastest average speed of 19.9km/hr as well as posting a top 10 position on strava on a rough and rooty down hill chute section, 3 seconds off the KOM.

Pedals had a lot to do with this performance. With a rock solid, confidence inspiring platform I was able to nail it. Big smiles all round. Will be ordering a back up pair as soon the budget allows to make sure I always have them on hand.
What a fabulous and inspired product. Equal to, if not an even more significant upgrade than my reverb dropper post.

Cheers for making this pedal a reality from a very happy customer, you’re on a winner!”

Regards,
Greg Hart
Australia

“Just wanted to let you know I tried out my Catalyst pedals for the first timeSundayand instantly fell in love with them. They actually feel more comfortable and how a pedal should feel under my feet (I only ride flat pedals which may increase this for me) andthey also provide great grip with my 5.10 shoes, making me stay in great contact with the pedals the whole time.

The biggest difference I noticed was the increased confidence to really throw the bike around in corners and put more weight on the outside pedals. I also felt the increased muscle activation and recruitment which powered me up hills easier and faster and even gave a bit of a leg pump that I noticed after riding.”

Justin Agustini

“When I first saw them, I thought it might be a gimmick, but that thought ended with my first ride with them. I was amazed at the power transfer on the climbs, and I went up a few technical climbs that I've always had to hike-a-bike.
Just when I thought I was convinced these were good pedals, I came downhill and realized these are GREAT pedals. The balance, weight transfer, and control was totally improved. I couldn't believe what a game changer this was.”

Brian L. - San Diego, CA

"Cracking winters ride in the Arrochar Alps, Scotland. Second time out on my new Catalyst Pedals. I have been riding Mtb's since the late 80's and have ridden all number of flats, toeclips and straps and spd's through the years.

This is the first pedal that I feel actually supports my foot properly, it's ideal for those with bigger feet (I'm a size 11 UK). Awesome grip and very comfortable and so far seem to be very well manufactured. They look great too.

Very pleased I took the plunge and bought in at the start. Get some now, you'll not be disappointed."

Ewan Anderson

"Hi James, my pedals arrived a couple of days ago, and I have had 3 rides on them now, and they are brilliant. I am 59 years old and got into mountain biking about 18 months ago, after a left hip replacement, and have been riding flat pedals since starting, despite being badgered to go to clips. I thought my DMR Vault flat pedals were good, but these Catalyst pedals are way better.

They give me a more stable platform, I don't hit my pedals as much as I did with the Vaults, and now I seem to have more power, especially on the climbs, as I have broken numerous personal records on Strava since putting these pedals on my bike. I had no trouble adapting to the mid foot placement, as I was probably riding very close to that foot position anyway."

Regards
Mark Wakelin

"These pedals are the best thing I have ever fitted to a bike, more power, more support more secure, I have swapped my pair between 3 of my bikes and improved my riding on each of them, I will be ordering a couple more sets very soon these pedals are the best thing I have ever fitted to a bike, more power, more support more secure, I have swapped my pair between 3 of my bikes and improved my riding on each of them, I will be ordering a couple more sets very soon."

Brad Gray

“I am really liking the pedals. We had just got back to back snowfalls when I received these so the first couple rides were off road on snowy trails.

These are on my fatbike by the way. The stability in an off road situation like this is really great, a nice platform for winter cycling boots and power for churning through the snow. I have put in some pavement miles as well, and again, really like the foot placement and the stable platform.

Although I heard people say they had more power with these that was a claim I was skeptical about. But I can really feel a difference in power transfer to the bike. I was basically used to them in a couple rides and can’t really imagine going back to any other pedal now especially on the fat bike.

Thanks a lot, and I really appreciate the follow up from you as well.”

Frankie Corritore