The all-new Race Face Turbine SL makes official what many riders have been doing all along: flipping their stems. In its “default” orientation, the Turbine SL offers negative 6mm of rise for “better climbing control and pedaling power by prioritizing efficiency,” according to Race Face. And on the flip side, a positive 6mm offset is said to encourage better descending posture and improved comfort for some riders.
Riding the line between climbing efficiency and downhill performance, aka downcountry, the Race Face Turbine SL is positioned as a stem for short-travel trail bikes. It’s 12g lighter than the Turbine R and uses a no-top-gap design that’s easy to install.
There are no logos on the sides of the stem so that it never looks upside down. However, a quick Google search reveals that mountain bikers have preferences when it comes to the look of their cockpit, specifically that a positive rise just isn’t as “cool.” Clearly, many of the online comments are tongue-in-cheek, and this preference depends on the style of riding. In XC circles, a negative rise is seen as aggressive, while a positive rise is more often associated with upright cruising. Still, many mountain bikers have found that a taller bar setup is better for comfort and descending, particularly when it comes to riding long distances, for example, bikepacking.
Race Face notes that another advantage of running the Turbine SL stem with a negative rise is that it offers a flat spot for a stem-mounted GPS.
The 6000-series aluminum alloy Turbine SL stem, priced at $115, is available in three lengths — 40, 50, and 60mm — and six colors. Race Face says the stem is eMTB-ready, though it’s only “approved” for bikes with 140mm of suspension travel.
Over the past several seasons, mountain bikes and components have been updated to offer riders more fit and geometry options via features like in-frame flip chips and adjustable headsets. With the Race Face Turbine SL stem, mountain bikers have yet another option to experiment with.
Chipotle is said to offer more than 6M different burrito ingredient combinations, and with this, mountain bike fits are not far behind.
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