With a new carbon construction, the SLC3 is lighter than its predecessor
Winspace has revealed the next generation of its climbing bike at Eurobike 2024.
The new SLC3 makes several improvements over the outgoing SLC2.0, according to Winspace. It shaves weight, and increases stiffness and comfort, while retaining an attractive price tag.
The Chinese brand says the new climbing bike should be available in a few weeks, but it only had an SLC3 frameset on display at Eurobike rather than a complete bike.
Low weight and low price
Winspace says the new SLC3 frame weighs a claimed 700g unpainted in a size medium, which is 80g lighter than its predecessor.
Speaking to BikeRadar at Eurobike, Winspace’s Fred Zou explained how the brand has reduced the weight partly through a change to a “better material”.
While the SLC2.0 uses Toray’s T800 and T700 carbon fibres, the SLC3 uses Toray’s T1100 and T1000 high-modulus carbon fibres.
Zhou says an exact price is to be confirmed but we can expect the SLC3 frameset to cost roughly $2,000. This is around $500 more than the SLC2.0, but still much cheaper than similar framesets from bigger cycling brands.
Greater stiffness
The SLC3 uses a one-piece moulding process to increase stiffness.
Compared to the SLC2.0, Winspace says the SLC3’s head tube is 31.8 per cent stiffer, while the bottom bracket shell is said to be 36 per cent stiffer.
Like the SLC2.0, Winspace says its new climbing bike also has an asymmetrical design for stiffness and, Zou says, “driving performance”.
The bike also has what Winspace calls an “Optimised Rear Centre design” to aid power transfer.
We don’t have details yet, but Zou says Winspace has tweaked the geometry to make the SLC3 more comfortable than the SLC2.0.
Frame features
The SLC3 frameset shares similar features with Winspace’s other road bikes.
The frameset has dropped seatstays that kink to a horizontal position where they meet the seat tube. This is the same as the seatstays on Winspace’s all-rounder C5 road bike and its T1550 aero bike.
Winspace conceals the thru-axle dropouts on the driveside on SLC3 and its other disc-brake road bikes – a feature that’s similar to BMC’s Stealth Dropout Design.
The SLC3 routes all cables and hoses internally. It seems like these will also run through the bike’s handlebar.
All these features mean the SLC3 is like many of the latest and greatest road bikes. However, the SLC3 differs in one regard. Instead of using a proprietary seatpost – now common on many carbon bikes – the SLC3 uses a standard round 27.2mm post.
Second-generation Winspace T1550 aero road bike
Also on display at Winspace’s Eurobike stand is its second-generation T1550 aero road bike. The Winspace Women Cycling Team raced the bike at La Vuelta Feminina and Paris-Roubaix Femme.
Like the SLC3, Winspace says its latest aero road bike is lighter and stiffer than its predecessor. No surprises there, then.
Winspace says the bike shed 50g in weight, which is 6 per cent lighter than the previous model.
The rear triangle stiffness has increased by 36 per cent, according to Winspace, while the bottom bracket is 7 per cent stiffer and the head tube is 33 per cent stiffer than before.
We’re used to seeing bike brands make bold claims about their latest machines, so there’s nothing unusual going on here. The proof is in the ride, of course, and Winspace is an intriguing brand that we’re keen to see more of.