Wil reviews the Race Face Turbine wheelset
Earlier this year saw the arrival of the Race Face Era wheelset. Featuring unique carbon fibre rims front and rear, the Era promised the optimal amount of compliance and stiffness where it counts. We’ve been thrashing two Era wheelsets all year long and have been impressed by their smooth and quiet ride feel as well as their ability to shrug off a tonne of abuse.
As good as they’ve been, we couldn’t help but notice that top-level Race Face sponsored riders weren’t competing with the Era wheels. Instead they’ve been electing for the Turbine wheelset, which features slightly heavier alloy rims and comes in at almost half the price.
So what exactly are the advantages and disadvantages of going all-metal? And how do the Turbines compare out on the trail?


An overview of the Race Face Turbine wheelset
The Race Face Turbine wheelset is effectively the alloy version of the Era. Both are designed for trail riding and enduro racing with the aim of balancing a reasonably low weight with high strength and durability.
Race Face utilises a 6069 alloy blend for the Turbine rims along with its subtle Anvil Edge profile. This sees the top of the rim sidewall flaring out slightly to create a thicker and more rounded edge that is said to better dissipate impact energy and reduce the chance of pinch-flatting. It’s a similar concept to the Era, but in the case of the Turbine each bead is notably thinner (2.65mm vs 4.5mm), likely to keep the overall weight in check.

Also carried over to the Turbine rim is a tailored profile front and rear. The front gets a shallower 18mm depth that has been chosen for maximum compliance to improve off-camber grip and rider comfort. The rear rim had a taller 20mm depth and utilises thicker-walled alloy to elevate strength and rigidity. Race Face isn’t the first brand to pursue this concept, with the Crank Brothers Synthesis wheel range being the most well-known example in recent times.
Otherwise the Turbine wheelset is equipped with the same Vault hubs and Sapim straight-pull spokes as the Era. Spoke tensions have been balanced out thanks to a 4mm offset at the rim, which should produce a more reliable wheel build.

Race Face Turbine wheelset price & specs
- Use | Trail Riding, Enduro Racing & e-MTB
- Wheel Size | 27.5in & 29in
- Rim Type | Asymmetric 6069 Alloy w/Specific Front & Rear Profiles
- Internal Rim Width | 30mm
- External Rim Width | 35.3mm
- Beads | 2.65mm Thick w/Anvil Edge Profile
- Rim Depth | 18mm Front & 20mm Rear
- Hubs | Race Face Vault
- Freehub Mechanism | 6-Pawl w/120pt Engagement
- Brake Mount | 6-Bolt
- Spokes | 28 x Sapim D-Light Straight-Pull
- Nipples | Sapim Secure Lock Alloy
- Warranty | Lifetime
- Claimed Weight | 1,802g (27.5in) – 1,865g (29in)
- Confirmed Weight | 1,914g (29in, including tubeless tape)
- Price | $1,668 AUD

Setting up
Race Face Turbine wheels are sold individually so you can mix and match as required. Rims are available in 27.5in and 29in diameters, while hubs are offered with Boost or Super Boost spacing and with a SRAM XD or Shimano Micro Spline freehub. All wheelsets feature a 6-bolt rotor interface.
You get five spare spokes in the box with each wheel, which is a really nice touch. Rims are pre-taped from the factory and tubeless valves are included.
Fitted to my Trek Top Fuel LT test bike, I set up our 29in Race Face Turbine test wheelset with a pair of 2.4in wide Bontrager Brevard RSL XT tyres and a CushCore Trail insert in the rear. Tubeless inflation proved to be problem-free despite the offset spoke bed.

I’ll note that I did encounter such an issue with the Era wheelset when fitting a slightly looser tyre. This is because air can escape through the small divots that form between the tyre bead and each spoke hole where the tubeless tape depresses slightly. An air compressor will usually blast in enough pressure to get the tyre to seat, but if you’re at home with a floor pump then it may be necessary to install a tube first to seat the tyre beads. You’ll then need to deflate the tube and pop the tyre bead that is furthest away from the spoke holes, remove the tube, add sealant then re-inflate to seat the tyre. It’s a more time-consuming process that is the main downside of an asymmetric rim profile.
Thankfully I had no such trouble with the Bontrager tyres, which I aired up to 17-19psi up front and 19-21psi out back, depending on the trail conditions.

On the trail
Having replaced the stock Bontrager Line Comp wheels on my Trek Top Fuel 9.8 GX AXS test bike, the Race Face Turbine wheelset saw a healthy weight reduction of close to 200g (1,914g vs 2,094g). As you’d expect, this produced an immediately noticeable improvement in acceleration and general nippiness on the trail.
Aiding power transfer, the Vault’s 6-pawl freehub delivers just 3° between each click to provide speedy engagement when ratcheting at the pedals. Thankfully the buzz isn’t obnoxiously loud, though it does emit a more tinny sound quality compared to the chunky drawl of a DT Swiss Star Ratchet.
More noteworthy has been the Turbine’s beautifully smooth ride quality thanks to those low profile alloy rims. These help to minimise harshness when bouncing across rocky trail surfaces, giving the whole bike a settled and planted feel when tracking through off-camber sections. There’s less deflection when the front wheel glances off baby-head size rocks, resulting in reduced fatigue on longer rides as I found I didn’t need to wrestle with the bike as much. That’s ideal for riders who like to frequent big descents on really rugged and natural terrain.

Indeed the Race Face Turbine stands as one of the most compliant wheelsets I’ve tested. There’s less feedback compared to the Era, though I will say the Turbines aren’t quite as zippy and they’re also noisier.
Hard compressions are sometimes met with a ‘ding!’ that sounds a bit like a rim impact, but is actually from the straight-pull spokes unloading slightly and being pulled back into place. This resettling of the spoke head leads to a metallic noise that seems to be amplified through the large Vault hub shell. It’s not the end of the world, but it is noticeable over the Era wheelset. I suspect the difference is due to the alloy rims deforming more during a heavy impact.
Despite this compliance, I should note that the Turbines have never felt soft or vague to me. They track well and accelerate promptly, hitting a nice sweet spot between handling response and damping.
However, I do say this as someone who weighs 68kg ready to ride. Heavier folks and those who have a reputation for punishing wheels and tyre casings may want to consider the burlier Turbine e-MTB wheelset. These feature thicker walled alloy rims and J-bend spokes that should offer greater stiffness and strength along with less noise. They are quite a bit heavier at 2,185g (claimed), but the extra meat will be beneficial for harder-hitting folks and those with electric mountain bikes.

Durability
The Race Face Turbine wheelset has performed well throughout testing with no damage to speak of. I did manage to put a nasty cut into the rear tyre that required three jumbo tubeless plugs to seal, but impressively there was no damage to the rim during this arse-clenching event.
Having inflicted many dings and flat spots on Race Face rims of old, I’m happy to report that the newer 6069 series alloy is a vast improvement in terms of durability. It has a higher strength-to-weight ratio compared to the 6061 alloy used on the Canadian brand’s cheaper rims, resulting in a much tougher overall wheelset.

Of course you can still break them, and it’s worth noting that carbon does hold the advantage when it comes to ultimate strength. But while a carbon rim will be stiffer and better at remaining true, the material itself is generally more brittle than alloy. This means it can handle a heap of punishment up to a point, though beyond that it’s likely to crack in a potentially more catastrophic manner. In comparison, alloy rims tend to ding up more easily before they fail, making them desirable for enduro racers who’d prefer to finish a stage with a wobbly wheel than a cracked carbon rim.
On the topic of trailside whoopsies, it’s worth acknowledging Race Face’s lifetime warranty on the Turbine wheelset. Incredibly, this does include damage inflicted from crashing, so if you taco a wheel coming up short on a double then you’ll be looked after. Take a gander at the Race Face lifetime warranty for the ins and outs.

Serviceability
I should also point out that I’m yet to touch either wheel with a spoke key, which is good because truing straight-pull spokes is a more involved process. You’ll need a specific tool to hold the spoke and stop it from twisting as you adjust each nipple, which can be an annoying realisation to have on the side of the trail. At least there’s nothing proprietary about the spokes or nipples, and as mentioned before it’s great to see spares being included in the box.
As with the two Era wheelsets we’ve been testing throughout the year, the Vault hubs on the Turbines have been absolutely bulletproof. No creaking or play has developed with any of the hubs, and the large diameter 6902 bearings are as smooth as they were new despite all the filth these wheels have been subjected to.
Servicing the freehub is straightforward since no tools are required for disassembly. The way that Race Face has flipped the ratchet ring and pawl orientation is part of the reason why the hubshells are so oversized, and it’s also what allows the drive-side hub bearing to be spaced wider than in a conventional rear hub. All up it makes for a sturdy and stiff interface for the rims and spokes to anchor to.
How’s the value for money?
While performance and durability has been impressive, it’s important to acknowledge that the Race Face Turbine is on the expensive side for an alloy wheelset. There are two competitors that come to mind in this space, both of which sell for quite a bit less money;
- Roval Traverse Alloy (1,904g claimed weight) – $1,300 AUD
- Reserve 30|SL AL (1,840g claimed weight) – $1,199 AUD
Both of these wheelsets feature well-proven DT Swiss 350 hubs as well as J-bend spokes, the latter of which I prefer from an ease-of-service perspective. It’s also worth noting that the Reserve wheels utilise the same 6069 grade of alloy for their rims, though I’ve not had the opportunity to ride a set to provide an on-trail comparison to the Turbines.
For riders who are interested in carbon at this price point, it is possible to spend less on a Bontrager Line Elite wheelset. Coming in at a cheaper price ($1,580 AUD) and similar weight (1,890g claimed), the Line Elite is notably stiffer thanks to its thick OCLV carbon rims. In my experience they transmit way more feedback compared to the alloy Turbines, though as we discussed earlier the added rigidity may be preferable for heavier riders who frequently put wheels out of true.
Of course the Turbine wheelset is addressing a different set of needs, so it’s not totally comparable. It is still worthy of mention though, as Race Face would be a lot more competitive if it could bring the price down to be more in-line with the likes of Roval and Reserve.

Flow’s Verdict
It’s true that alloy wheels often get overlooked by carbon when it comes time for an upgrade, and that means they don’t really have to be anything other than cheap. Race Face ignored that with the Turbine wheelset however, as it delivers a really high quality riding experience that offers something different to most carbon wheels on the market.
They are expensive relative to the competition, which unfortunately may see them being overlooked by potential buyers. Still, they’re decently lightweight for alloy hoops and the Vault hubs have impressed us with their durability and speedy engagement. Along with the crash-friendly lifetime warranty, Race Face is doing a lot to try and justify the price tag.
Really though, it’s the compliance and damped ride feel that makes the Turbine wheelset stand out. For riders who are looking to minimise feedback for more comfort and grip on long rides across rough terrain, I’d be hard-pressed to recommend a better set of wheels.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER - Wil Barrett
Bendigo, Victoria
175cm
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