The Lab: Race Face Turbine R Wheelset Review

In the “The Lab” we present the latest products and put them through their paces for you. Some undergo long-term tests, while we check others out only briefly. This time we reveal how the Race Face Turbine R wheels fared.

The Race Face Turbine R is a strikingly stylish wheelset, with massive hub bodies, Boost standard and 30 mm wide rims. At around 1,800 g, the weight is in perfect order for a 29er aluminium wheelset. Thanks to the pre-attached tubeless tape and the valves included in the delivery, it only takes a little bit of sealant to mount the tires tubeless. Race Face relies on an asymmetrical rim design with 4.5mm offset nipples for balanced spoke tension distribution. Here, the Canadians rely on 28 equally long straight-pull double butted spokes with a taper of 2.0 mm to 1.5 mm. Delivery includes five spare spokes.

Test rider Benjamin rode the Race Face Turbine R 29 wheelset for seven months and 1,300 km. Thanks to the wide rims, he could ride the tires at low air pressures (about 1.5bar v / h at 70 kg weight) without them constantly squirming or burping. The durability of the rims was convincing over the entire test period, despite slamming it on rocks there were no dents – nice! But not everything went smoothly: after just under 1,000 km, the spokes had to be re-tensioned. After a total of 1,300 km, the rear wheel began to creak loudly under load. After a futile search for the fault, we sent the wheel to the manufacturer for a service. Without success! After the first few kilometres, the annoying creaking set in again and became increasingly louder. After further inquiries, we were told that this problem only occurs with the very first batch of wheels – we are looking forward to further tests.

Conclusion

The Race Face Turbine R wheelset could have potential as a carefree package. Stylish, not too heavy, strong and easy to care for – if only it weren’t for the creaking!

This article is from ENDURO issue #031

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Words & Photos: Benjamin Werling