The way Race Face sees it, stems have missed the boat on the “light trail” category. There are burly all-mountain stems handling everything from big trail to enduro, and there are lightweight stems for XC bikes. But nothing in between.
Oh, and the current crop of XC stems haven’t really kept up with the slacker angles and longer reach of modern race bikes.
So they made the new Turbine SL stem, giving it a design that goes from XC race day to backcountry fun day and looks good doing it. Here’s what you need to know…
Race Face isn’t new to making very good, strong, and durable stems. They’ve come as OEM spec on so many bikes for so many years that it’s just a no brainer to get one if/when you need to change your bike’s fit, update its looks, or upgrade from something generic.
The Turbine SL is machined, just like their heavier duty Turbine R stems, except it’s made with 6000-series aluminum rather than heavier (but also stronger) 7075. This makes the SL version a bit lighter, but plenty strong enough for the application.
What really sets it apart from their other stems is the +/-6mm offset at the bar clamp, giving you 12mm of handlebar height adjustment simply by flipping it over.
Set it low for a racier position, or flip it up for a more upright, trail position. It works and looks just as good in either, so you can dial in your position based on the trails du jour.
Specs & Features:
By the numbers, here’s how the Turbine SL stem stacks up:
- Material: 6000-series machined aluminum
- Offset: +/- 6mm
- Sizes: 40mm / 50mm / 60mm lengths.
- Weights: 112g (40mm) / 125g (50mm) / 136g (60mm)
- Bar Clamp: 35mm
- Stack Height: 40mm
- Clamp Width: 48mm
- Colors: Black, Silver, Kashmoney, Orange, Red, Blue.
Other key features
While it’s light enough for cross country bikes, it’s rated for trail use on bikes up to 140mm of travel, including e-bikes. 6000-series aluminum is naturally corrosion resistant, and the included steel bolts have a corrosion-resistant treatment, too.
The faceplate uses a “Top Lock” design that you tighten flush against the stem’s body, regardless of how you flip it. That gives you a very clean look as you gaze down from the saddle – just make sure you keep the face plate “top up” if you flip the stem, it’s designed so the logo stays on the non-drive side of the bike.
Lastly, like all Race Face products, they come with a lifetime warranty, crashes included.
Turbine SL Stem Review
I’ve been running the new Turbine SL Stem on the all-new Ari Signal Peak. But unlike Jordan’s build, mine’s a little more downcountry with a 130mm fork on it. It’s still a light bike, with lightweight wheels and an XTR group, but paired with Eras cranks and meatier tires.
In other words, the exact kind of bike Race Face designed this stem for. Unfortunately, I can’t show you closeups of the complete bike because some of those other things I mentioned aren’t released yet, but I can say that the stem is exactly what it should be.
We rode through the rocky, techy desert terrain of Scottsdale, AZ, testing all manner of Fox and Race Face goods. Even with the very lightweight Race Face Next SL handlebar, the new Turbine SL stem kept everything stiff and stable.
The clamp width is sufficient to prevent unwanted torsional flex of the handlebar, but not so wide it deadens the bar’s ability to dampen trail chatter. While the Next SL bar isn’t quite as trail tuned for vertical compliance as their Eras handlebars, it does have some, and I like to use it.
It’s also not so wide that it encumbers out-front computer or light mounts, even those with broader clamp sections like the KOM Cycling shown above or Quad Lock’s phone mounts.
I’m riding the 50mm length, but I think I’m going to switch to a 60mm – this is an XC bike, after all.
While I don’t anticipate flipping the stem upward, I like that it has any negative offset at all. Many MTB stems these days, especially shorter ones, are straight, leaving you with only the steerer tube and spacers to adjust height. Or, if they do have a negative drop, they’re not designed to be flipped.
There’s an unexpected benefit of this design – it creates a perfectly flat top in XC mode. This makes it really easy to use K-Edge’s lightweight stem cap computer mount, even the lightest ones without the adjustable angle, saving weight over a typical out-front mount and better protecting your computer.
It’s hard to write a lot of words about a stem. They’re mostly drama free, and most stems are more than strong enough these days. So it’s nice to see a bit of innovation here. Plus, it comes in colors to match all the other Race Face components. All in, the Turbine SL Stem is a win.
