Race Face Turbine 35 Stem

When looking for a high-end stem, it’s easy to become flooded by all the types out there. It’s this type of feeling that leads to debilitation and causes one to go to sleep; okay, not really but the point I’m getting at is there is a lot of stems out there. How do you choose the right one? First off, there is “right one” for everyone. Stems are very much like bikes. You’ve got to pick one that matches your discipline. With that said, I’m a hearty enduroite and decided to try my luck with the Race Face Turbine 35 stem. After a month with this stem, here are my impressions:

Out of The Box:

Pulling the Race Face Turbine 35 stem out of it’s packaging, the first think I noticed was the amount of detail that Race Face put into it. From a perfectly machined profile (which you can see the CNC grooves from certain angles) to a carefully thought out and produced finish accompanied with attractive decals, it’s easy to see why this $100 stem is priced as such. Adding to the value, Race Face chose to use their highest grade aerospace (that’s right, aerospace) 7075 aluminum which is claimed to offer “high strength & fatigue resistance at a very light weight” taken from their website.

Speaking of weight, the claimed weight for the 60mm version is 150 grams but it came in at 159 grams on my scale. This weight difference isn’t as big of a deal for me and my 30 lb enduro bike but if someone is making their stem purchase purely based upon weight, they might be slightly upset.

On The Trail:

This stem is rated for XC/Trail/AM use and going on my Rocky Mountain Slayer, felt very strong and stable on mild to intermediate gravity fed trails. It was only on the roughest trails (Flying Monkey for example) that I felt the stem flex a bit more than I would have liked. At no fault to the Turbine 35 but if I were able to re-do my purchase, I would have gone with it’s bigger brother, the Race Face Atlas as it is slightly stiffer and would handle these situations better. If you place yourself into the XC/Trail/AM category, you will thoroughly enjoy the performance of this stem.

No matter what your riding style is, you will really enjoy the interlocking 4 bolt bar clamp that locks your bars in place on the Turbine 35. It’s very sturdy and evenly displaces pressure as to protect your carbon bars.

Things That Could Be Improved (IMO):

One thing I wish the Turbine line-up had were larger diameter bolts for the steer tube. The max torque these bolts are spec’d at is 5nm which really isn’t too much and if you go down, even as an XC rider, you most likely get back up with twisted handlebars. The Atlas bolts are 1mm wider and have a torque spec of 10 to 13 nm which is a huge difference in how well they keep the front wheel straight. Yeah, there may be a weight penalty by going this route but I feel the added weight of the larger bolts is by far worth not having your bars sliding or bolts breaking because they were over torqued (which has happened to me as well.)

Also, in a world of customization, the fact that the Turbine 35 comes in just one color (black) may hold a few riders back from picking it up. It would be nice to have this stem offered in multiple colorways.

Bottom Line:

The Race Face Turbine 35 stem is a real beaut to look at and to own. It’s a perfect component to add to a decked out XC/Trail/AM build. Although the Turbine 35 came in a little over it’s claimed weight (159 grams for the 60mm) it’s still a very light weight piece. The stem is very stiff and secure on XC/Trail/AM trails but starts to show a little flex on rougher DH ones. If you have a tendency to ride hard, I would recommend going with it’s bigger brother, the Race Face Atlas. The Turbine 35 clamps very well to the bars but the small torque specs of the steer bolts (at 5nm) doesn’t require a big spill to get twisted up. Going with a larger bolt to increase the torque spec would not only benefit Enduro or AM riders, but XC as well as we all tend to biff it from time to time. With this said, the Turbine 35 is an excellent stem.