NEW: Darkwatt, a full-motion indoor trainer platform set to take the local market by storm
DARKWATT is an all-new indoor trainer platform.
Designed and manufactured in Cape Town by cycling veteran Brett Wooldridge, DARKWATT, is a moving wooden indoor trainer platform that fully replicates real-world cycling motion.
According to Wooldridge the name says exactly what it is: “Indoor training can be a very uncomfortable, ‘dark’ place when you have to push out ‘watts’ for a length of time.” The DARKWATT Full Motion Platform aims to make light of that by bringing a rider’s natural outside ride style, movements and sensation, to indoor training. It provides realistic side-to-side and fore-and-aft movement. It is manufactured from a combination of non-skid, water-resistant Birch resin plywood called HexaGrip and features aluminium tracks for the tie downs to slide and secure the trainer.
With over 20 years’ experience in the cycling world, the DARKWATT Full Motion Platform was born out of Wooldridge’s own need to improve his indoor training experience. “I believe anybody who rides on an indoor trainer should be coupled to a Full Motion Platform,” Woolridge said, explaining how he, like so many others, was forced onto the indoor trainer during lockdowns in 2020. “Apps such as ZWIFT and FullGaz have improved the indoor training experience and I loved the idea of riding indoors but I wanted to find a way to bring more of the real-world feeling and motions into the workouts.”
He was immediately inspired to design a full-motion platform. “Allowing the bike to move improves comfort when cycling indoors and definitely helps reduce stress on the bike and body,” he said, outlining how the net effect is whether a rider is performing short, long, seated or standing efforts DARKWATT remains fully active, recruiting more stabilizer muscles and offering a more comfortable training experience. “The belief, passion and improvement I’ve seen in my own cycling inspired me to turn this into a business opportunity and this is how DARKWATT was born.”
From initial concept to final product, the DARKWATT trainer platform went through a process of refinement to mimic the dynamic motion of real-world riding by combining side-to-side movement with fore-aft motion. It is road bike and MTB ready and features adapters for Quick Release skewers, Boost and non-Boost through-axle forks. Thanks to the positions and placement of the aluminium tracks, allowance has been made for multiple configurations to tie down older and more modern smart trainers. According to Wooldridge the platform will benefit riders of all fitness levels, aid and improve their training. “From doing 45min to 1hr intervals, I’m now doing 2.5hr sessions when I need to,” he said of his own experience.
LEARN MORE: darkwatt.com / SHOP: capecycles.co.za
| IMAGES: Gary Perkin |