[MENTION=362748]SquidPuppet[/MENTION] Yes it's very challenging. I am using the ball of my foot when pedalling and I did try shifting foot position very slightly during the ride. I have a pair of Shimano MX80 pedals on order that were going to go on my hybrid bike but I'm going to install them on the Townie and see how they fare.

The other possibility is that the bike is relatively new to me and hasn't been ridden much so I'm still getting used to it.

The most comfortable pedals tend to be large and ugly, like I have on my other bikes. On the positive side, all other aspects of the bike were absolutely fantastic and, remarkably, my hands were completely pain-free throughout and after the ride. Once I've sorted the pedals out then everything will be fine.