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The Race Face Turbine handlebar is an all-mountain and enduro option which has been well tuned to offer a compliant ride whilst retaining a direct feel. The bar manages to take the sting out of square-edge hits and deflections whilst still feeling stable and not detracting from any steering feel. With a range of widths, rises and colours, Race Face has most bases covered as long as you have a 35mm diameter stem.

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Race Face Turbine Handlebar – Technical Details

The Turbine handlebar from Race Face is an all-mountain and enduro option which has been tuned to find the optimum ride characteristics. Made from 7075 aluminium, Race Face has paid special attention to the flex with its GL (Goldilocks) tune, which aims to hit the sweet spot where the feel is compliant without being too vague or flexible. This 2025 bar features a narrow clamp width of 60 mm, allowing the taper and rise to begin earlier to influence the stiffness tune. This does mean this bar isn't likely to be compatible with wide clamp stems such as direct mount variants.

Race Face Turbine bar_2.jpg, by Ty Rutherford

The Turbine uses an eight-degree back-sweep and five-degree up-sweep, which is right around what is considered common in today’s handlebars – a comfortable and familiar shape to many. With a claimed weight of 315g, this alloy bar is by no means heavy.

For peace of mind, this bar is covered under Race Face’s lifetime warranty, which covers against manufacturing defects and crash damage for the expected life of the product.

The Turbine bar comes in a 35mm diameter clamp with 10mm, 20mm or 40mm rises. Cutting down bars changes the stiffness, so there are three widths available to get the right feel for your size; these widths are 760mm, 780mm and 800mm. With seven colours to choose from, there is likely a size, rise and colour to suit all riders.

Race Face Turbine Handlebar – Performance

Upon fitting the bars, the quality of the finish was apparent. The cut marks were accurate (you’d be surprised how often this isn’t the case), and I really dig the subtle graphics even when the bright orange isn't so subtle itself.

Race Face Turbine bar_4.jpg, by Ty Rutherford

With pretty middle-of-the-road geometry, I felt right at home on the Turbine bar from the off. The bar on test measured with a 20mm rise and 800mm width, which felt a little wider than my usual, but after a quick trim down to 780mm, things felt more comfortable.

Race Face talks about its “Goldilocks” tune, which aims to be compliant yet direct. I hope this is the balance all handlebar manufacturers are aiming for, but Race Face’s approach works well. I’m happy to report the bar does a good job of numbing the sting out of sharp hits, such as a square edge rocks, where the fork doesn’t have much time to absorb it. You still know you’ve hit something, but there is a notable reduction in vibration transfer, which’ll keep your wrists intact for the next hit.

Race Face Turbine bar_3.jpg, by Ty Rutherford

In the heavy compressions and heavy post-jump touch-downs, the bar doesn’t feel too flexy, it has enough stiffness to keep things stable and controlled whilst you load it up.

Race Face Turbine bar_1.jpg, by Ty Rutherford

When it comes to steering, it’s a direct affair, never feeling vague, and I’ve not yet had issues with front-wheel deflecting forces causing discomfort through the bar. Overall, a great balance of stiffness where the bar feels direct and stable without being harsh or transmitting unwanted vibration spikes.  

Race Face Turbine Handlebar – Verdict

Retailing at £80, this bar is right on the money for a high-quality alloy mountain bike handlebar.

Other options available in the market include DMR’s Odub handlebar, which is a signature Olly Wilkins edition. This bar comes in both clamp diameters (31.8 and 35mm) along with a range of widths and rises, and has proven to be a versatile bar for all applications. At £75, they’re worth looking at.  

Another option worth considering should be the OneUp Components aluminium bar, which comes in at £87. It’s tuned to be vertically compliant whilst retaining steering stiffness. It’s available in 35mm clamp diameter only with a 20mm or 35mm rise at 800mm width.

The Race Face Turbine handlebar proves to be a well-sorted aluminium bar which balances a comfortable and compliant ride whilst retaining a direct feel. It comes in a range of sizes and colours, so it should suit most applications as long as you have a 35mm diameter stem.

• www.raceface.com
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