Race Face has taken its Turbine R wheels, which are steeped in Enduro World Series/EDR race success, and added a hint of extra compliance without impacting strength.
The new alloy-rimmed wheels sit around the brand's Race Face Vault hubs, which have a tight 3-degree engagement angle
28 straight-pull spokes join hub to rim on these competitively weighted trail and enduro-ready mountain bike wheels.
Race Face subtly differs the construction of its front and rear rims, with the back wheel being built to offer more strength than the front, at the expense of a little compliance.
Both 6069 alloy rims have a (measured) 30mm internal width and the same 35.5mm external width, though the rear rim is a little deeper at 20mm compared to 18mm for the front.
The rim walls feature Race Face's Anvil Edge profile. This is a broadening of the rim wall at the outer edge, to 2.5mm – where the tyre meets the rim in the event of a hard impact.
The idea is to dissipate impact forces over a wider area, lessening the chance of punctures or damage.
The rim-well depth is 15.5mm.
The 28 straight-pull spokes are mounted asymmetrically in the rim to help Race Face build a wheel with more even spoke tension.
Sapim’s straight-pull double-butted spokes feature, with alloy nipples joining them to the rim.
Spokes are laced in a three-cross pattern, and the wheels come with five spare spokes.
At the centre of the wheel is Race Face’s Vault hub.
This has a distinctive broad-diameter hub shell, with associated larger-diameter flanges.
The hub’s 60t drive ring engages with six pawls in two groups of three, resulting in a 120-point engagement for a three-degree pickup angle.
The wheels are offered in common diameters, with both freehub standards, in Boost and wider SuperBoost widths.
Rotors attach via the six-bolt interface.
The wheels come pre-taped with valves attached – both have been fitted to a good standard from the factory.
Wheels are covered by Race Face’s lifetime warranty, including crash damage.
Day-to-day wear and tear (including small dings in the rim) isn't likely to be covered, and lifetime means "the expected usable life […] being ridden regularly". However, if you crash and damage your wheels, it sounds as though Race Face may cover them, but this will likely vary from scenario to scenario.
On the trail, I found it hard to discern any notable difference in feel between the Turbine wheelset and the Roval Traverse Alloy 350 and Reserve 30|HD I tested it alongside.
This is at odds with the likes of Crankbrothers’ Synthesis wheels, which are constructed in a similar way but can be felt more easily while riding.
Still, Race Face’s hoops offer ample stiffness for trail and enduro use, giving the bike a stable, accurate platform on which to roll.
Throwing the bike through rough and tough chunder, I never found myself wishing for a more compliant set of wheels.
Yes, there are probably ‘softer’ wheels out there, but much like their closest competitors, the Turbines sit happily in the middle of the comfort-versus-stiffness bell curve.
Once up to speed, the hubs spin easily, with no noticeable drag.
During testing, I took these wheels for a week’s thrashing in Finale Ligure, and despite taking some decidedly dodgy lines and trying to keep up with friends on long-travel rigs, they survived the beating.
Race Face Turbine bottom line
The Turbines are distinctive wheels, with their broad hub shell, larger graphics and buzzy freehub.
They don’t disappoint on the trail, even if mounting and then inflating the tyres is a little trickier than most.
They roll fast, pick up quickly and seem to resist punctures well.
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