Winspace SLC 2 Bike Frame: Engineer’s Review
Introduction
The Winspace SLC 2 bike frame is a great option for riders looking for a durable and lightweight frame. Made with Toray T800 carbon fibre, this frame is strong and stiff, yet very lightweight. It also features an integrated headset and bottom bracket, which makes it easy to assemble. Overall, the Winspace SLC 2 is an excellent choice for riders who want a high-quality carbon frame that is built to last.
Winspace is a Chinese company based in Xiamen on the east cost of China. They were one of the first Chinese companies to proactively provide frames and wheels directly to consumers in the west and by using social media they greatly grew their market presence.
Bottom Bracket
The bottom bracket on this bike is a standard BB86 unit. The locating landings are fully reinforced which is a welcome addition. This results in an extremely stiff bottom bracket interface. BB86 has a nominal tolerance of 40.95 to 41.00mm. At the point of installation, this frame was measured at 40.97 to 40.98mm. A Hambini Racing BB86 Shimano bottom bracket was fitted to this frame.
It would be ill advised to use a BB86 DUB or 30mm bottom bracket in this frame. This frame has reinforced landings and thus the likelihood of a fault with DUB or 30mm axles is high. This article explains the technical problems with a BB86 and DUB/30mm combination
Overall Frame Construction
This frame uses Pre-preg (or Pre-impregnated) carbon fibre EPS for internal moulding features. This is in contrast to the Winspace T1500 which uses a pressurized bag. Both of these methods are considered to be inferior to the manufacturing system used by TIME which is RTM. The major drawback with RTM has been the prohibitive cost to manufacture.
Irrespective of the manufacturing system, the internal parts of this frame are exceptionally good and would easily out rank the established western brands that cost up to 10x more
Headset
The SLC uses a tapered headset arrangement. A larger bearing is fitted at the lower end of the headtube and a smaller bearing is fitted at the upper end of the headtube. The bearings feature conical seats to allow for a reasonable degree of misalignment and large amounts of preload. The fit on both bearing seats was acceptable.
Fork
The fork is a one piece moulded carbon unit with an integrated crown race. It has a round steerer tube. The compaction of the carbon fibre on the periphery was good. The centre stem was concentric to within 0.07mm of the exterior diameter. The fork is available in either disc brake or rim brake. The rim brake models use a direct mount two bolt fixing for the brake caliper
Seatpost
The frame uses a standard 27.2mm seat post with an integrated two bolt adjustment for the saddle rails. The seatpost is secured into the bike frame with a traditional band clamp.
Conclusion
The Winspace SLC is extremely well engineered and the fit and finish on the frame are excellent. This is a good choice for a lightweight climbing bike at an affordable price. There is little that is technically wrong with the frame. Given the cost of $2000 with a handlebar, it represents extremely good value for money
