The Race Face Turbine SL is a brand new addition to the line of mountain bike stems from the iconic North Shore-based brand. It builds on the success of the Turbine R, which is a quality item that we’ve used on many a test bike over the past few years. As the name implies, the Turbine SL goes even lighter with a heavily sculpted design that’s been optimised for XC and short travel trail bikes. It also features a nifty flip-flop profile that gives it a bit more utility compared to your average cockpit.
Race Face Turbine SL Stem
- Construction: 6000-Series Machined Alloy
- Lengths: 40, 50, & 60mm
- Offset: +/- 6mm
- Clamp: 35mm Diameter
- Colours: Black, Silver, Kashmoney, Orange, Red, Blue
- Claimed Weight: 112g (40mm), 125g (50mm), 136g (60mm)
- Actual Weight: 123g (50mm)
- Price: $179 AUD
The Race Face Turbine SL starts its life as a block of 6000-series alloy that is then machined to within an inch of its life. Material is removed internally and externally with incredible detail (seriously, you gotta take a look at the inside of one of these!), resulting in an impressively low weight of just 123g in the 50mm length.
Two 4mm hex bolts secure the stem to your fork’s steerer tube while four of the same bolts clamp down on the handlebar. Race Face has updated the faceplate with a top-lock design that requires you to cinch the top two bolts completely, before tightening the lower two to the recommended torque of 5Nm.
Flip-flop profile
Unlike the symmetrical profile of the Turbine R, the Turbine SL is asymmetric with a +/- 6mm offset. You can orient it upwards to provide a taller bar height for comfort and descending stability, or flip it around to drop the bar by 12mm for a more aggressive climbing position that’ll suit a racier vibe.
Of course you can adjust bar height on any mountain bike, providing you have enough headset spacers to play with in the first place. The advantage with the Turbine SL stem is that you can chop your steerer nice and short to maximise stiffness (and aesthetics), while still benefitting from the in-built adjustability.
Flow’s Take
Looks are of course subjective, but we think the Race Face Turbine SL stem is a gorgeous piece of hardware. It’s particularly sleek in the negative rise position with its flattened top, which also plays well with GPS mounts.
Perhaps the only downside is that there are only three lengths available at the time of launch. If you need shorter or longer than that, you’ll have to look towards the Turbine R stem. That’s not been a problem for us, as Mick is running a 40mm Turbine SL stem on his Santa Cruz Tallboy and Wil has a 50mm stem on his Specialized Chisel. Combined with the Race Face Era carbon handlebar, it’s a seriously tidy and lightweight setup for modern XC and trail bikes.
