I bought a Winspace SLC2 less than 2 years ago. Recently, the saddle clamp broke under normal use, I have always used a torque wrench and never exceeded 5 nm, something that should never happen. I contacted Winspace support expecting by email a warranty replacement.
Instead, here’s the exchange I had:
Me:
Dear Emma,
The saddle clamp has failed. Please note I have always used a torque wrench. This is really dangerous!
Best regards
And I attached pictures which clearly show the brittle fracture in the aluminium, typical of a a defective casting
Winspace (Emma):
Sorry to hear that. You can order the clamp from us. It is USD 15, and the shipping cost is USD 30. Please click this link and select the quantity as 15. For shipping option, please choose the USD30 option.
Me:
Are you serious? Your clamp broke and you want to sell one to me? This is outrageous. Please kindly reconsider — I also expect compensation.
Winspace (Emma):
According to our after-sales center, it broke after two years of use, it is not a quality issue. We can offer you one for replacement, but you need to afford the shipping cost USD 30.
Me:
A saddle clamp does not “wear out” after 2 years — this is clearly a metallurgical failure due to casting defects. I work in the metal industry and can provide expertise if you like. It’s astonishing that you refuse responsibility for a part worth less than $15. If you don’t reconsider, I’ll pursue legal avenues and post this publicly.
At this point, the case was “escalated” and I received this:
Winspace (Edward):
Please kindly advise your shipping address and telephone number. I will send you a seatpost clamp.
Me:
Before I give details, are you in agreement with the earlier messages suggesting it’s “normal” for a clamp to fail like this? How can Winspace be so stingy for a $10 part? What happens when there’s a more serious claim? I’d like to speak with senior management.
Winspace
After review by our technical team, we have determined that the failure you experienced is not indicative of a manufacturing defect or quality issue. Our products undergo rigorous testing. While we stand by our quality, as a gesture of goodwill we would be happy to provide a replacement clamp at no cost.
The Broken Clamp
This is a brittle fracture typical of defective aluminum casting. The granular break surface and absence of plastic deformation show that the material failed suddenly rather than being overloaded. The crack followed the thinnest section around the bolt bore, where stress concentrates, but a sound component should easily withstand this. The failure indicates casting porosity or metallurgical weakness — in short, a manufacturing defect, not wear, misuse, or excessive force.
My conclusion:
Winspace insists that a broken saddle clamp is not a defect — yet they’ll “generously” offer a free replacement. Only after I insisted. This is a ridiculous position: either the part is defective, or it isn’t. They can’t have it both ways.
I’ve declined their offer. I’ll buy a proper replacement myself and will also share this exchange so others can see how Winspace handles warranty claims. In my view, their after-sales service is dismissive, and damaging to their reputation.
⚠️ Warning to other riders: If this is how Winspace reacts to a $15 defective part (which probably costs them les then $5), imagine how they’ll respond to a serious warranty claim.
Luckily I did not suffer any damage as a consequence of this failure because clearly Winspace Cycling co.,ltd would have not accepted any liabilities despite the manufacturing defect is unquestionable.
They have recently increased they prices getting in close to Western brand but they are clearly behind in terms of quality, quality control and warranty.
They statement "After review by our technical team, we have determined that the failure you experienced is not indicative of a manufacturing defect or quality issue" is farcical to say the least...
