Race Face Turbine Dropper Post - Review
Dropper posts have rapidly become a necessity rather than an accessory for many mountain bikers, and the number of options on the market continues to climb. Race Face decided to join the fray late last summer with the announcement of their Turbine dropper post, a cable-actuated affair that uses technology licensed from 9Point8, the small Canadian company best known for their Fall Line dropper post. That technology, called DropLoc, involves the use of an expanding brake to hold the moveable portion of the post at any point in its 100, 125, or 150mm of travel, and there's a version with 175mm of drop scheduled to arrive later this summer.
Turbine Dropper Details
• Size: 30.9, 31.6mm
• Length: 350, 375, 415, 440mm
• Travel: 100, 125, 150mm
• Lever actuation: mechanical
• Weight: 520 grams w/o lever or cable (150mm)
• Price: $469.99 USD
• www.raceface.com
• Size: 30.9, 31.6mm
• Length: 350, 375, 415, 440mm
• Travel: 100, 125, 150mm
• Lever actuation: mechanical
• Weight: 520 grams w/o lever or cable (150mm)
• Price: $469.99 USD
• www.raceface.com
The Turbine post ships with a paddle-shaped thumb lever that can run on either side of the handlebar, but a shift lever-style remote is available as a $60 upgrade in a wide range of anodized colors. With the standard remote, the Turbine post retails for $469.99 USD.
Numbered lines on the post's body make it easy to ensure that it's at the right height in the frame.
The air valve is hidden inside the top of the post, under the seat clamp.
Turbine Details
Inside the Turbine's stanchion there's a spring-loaded, fluid-filled brake that expands against the side of the tube to hold it into place. Depressing the handlebar mounted lever sets off a chain of events that results in a decrease in the pressure inside the brake, allowing the post to move downwards under a rider's weight. When there isn't any weight on the seat and the lever is depressed, an air spring provides the force necessary to return the post back to full extension. Air pressure (between 20-40psi) is added via a Shrader valve hidden under a rubber cap at the top of the post, under the seat clamp.
The beauty of the Turbine's design is that even if all of that air somehow leaked out the expanding brake should keep the post in place, allowing riders to make it home without needing to pedal with their knees up around their ears.
This is the tricky part of the installation process - getting the cable trimmed and tensioned to just the right amount.
No tools are required to remove the actuator mechanism from the bottom of the post.
Installation
Installation of the Turbine dropper post doesn't require any special tools, just a few allen wrenches and set of cable cutters, but it is a bit more time consuming than other posts. It's worth taking the time to look over the illustrated instructions that are included with the post, and watching the instructional video that Race Face have created wouldn't be a bad idea either.
The key point to remember is that the two set screws that clamp down on the cable need to be equally tightened so that they end up flush with the sides of the activation mechanism. It's also important to remember to line up the t-shaped piece that the housing threads into with the mark on the outer cylinder before cutting the cable, or you'll needing to repeat the whole process. I'd also recommend saving a little patience for when it's time to install the seat - there's a very, very generous amount of Loctite on the two bolts that clamp the seat into place, which makes it slow going loosening and then tightening everything down.
Once the post is installed it's an easy procedure to unscrew it from the cable mechanism. It's not something I'd want to do all the time, but since it doesn't require any tools and only takes a couple of minutes, it is feasible that you could buy two actuator mechanisms and swap the post between two different bikes.
Performance
Out of the box, the Turbine dropper return speed was a little too violent for my liking, so to ease my castration anxiety I dropped the air pressure down to 22 psi. At this pressure the post still returned quickly, but not fast enough that I had to worry about any soft tissue damage. There's a slight 'thwunk' when it reaches the top of it' travel, just enough to let you know it's in the full upright and locked position.
On the trail, the shifter-style lever was easy to reach without a second thought, although I wouldn't mind if it required a little less force to push it through its stroke. It works well, but it's not quite as easy to activate as Specialized's category-leading Command Post remote. Releasing the lever stops the post at any point in its 150mm of travel, and for the first three months of use the post worked flawlessly, with no cable adjustments or fiddling required. The post felt satisfyingly solid, with very smooth action and minimal side to side play. There were never any unwanted creaks or groans from the seat clamp, even after multiple muddy rides in a row.
The 1x lever upgrade sits where a front shifter used to, and is available in six color options.
A simple but effective two bolt clamp system holds the seat in place.
Issues
After about three months of use the mechanical brake began slipping intermittently, causing the seat to move downwards underneath my body weight. After consulting Race Face, they recommended resetting the brake, which involves setting the post to the top of its travel, and then taking any slack out of the cable with the barrel adjuster. The next step is to depress the lever fully for three seconds, release it, and then back off the cable tension until there is 1-2 millimeters of free play in the lever.
This procedure worked, but for a couple of weeks I had to perform it a handful of additional times to prevent the post from slipping downwards. Sometimes the reset worked for multiple rides in a row, while other times the issue returned the next day. I checked and double-checked the cable tension and actuator positioning, and everything was correct - there seemed to be something going on with the brake that was more than a setup issue, although a visit to Race Face's headquarters didn't reveal any glaring problems. They did recommend performing the brake reset before each ride, since it only takes three seconds, and it helps to ensure that the brake is fully expanded and much less likely to slip. Another technique is to perform the brake equalization procedure with the seat height set to the area where any slippage is occurring, which helps to compensate for any potential differences in the thickness of the tube that the brake is housed in. This procedure did the trick, and the post has been trouble free for the last month of use.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | When it comes to dropper posts, the number of options is higher than ever, which makes it even more important that a post work perfectly in order for it to stand out from the crowd. The Turbine's performance has been a little finicky, and there's also the fact that its price is on the high side of the scale, even before you factor in the $60 required for the shifter-style lever, a part that I think should be included in the stock configuration. The design does have potential, but at the end of the day, there a few issues that hold the Turbine back from being a truly great dropper post.- Mike Kazimer |
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Are you kidding me? What a nightmare but I guess it needs to go somewhere.
RACEFACE---Help out @DirtyHal!
But they come as OE on a lot of bikes and they are way cool.
When you see stuff like these posts sold by companies with great reputations. You have to wonder who is boss. Certainly not mtn. bikers. How ever. Many name brand and others have dropped the ball with dropper posts.
I'm eager to see how foxes new post stands up. We may finally have a winner.
The 5 inch version is the maximum i can use on my Flux, otherwise the seat will be too high in fully extended mode.
I hope some day GD makes a full mechanical internally routed version ...
The 4 inch version on my hardtail is still going strong after 6 years of use and abuse.
Seems like most folk buying a dropper also get a new bike every other year, so who cares that the dropper will last forever? Don't wanna uggle up the new whip.
Indeed they are fugly 90s looking with the rubber boot and the lever can improve but they work.
I just ordered a Fox Transfer control unit to replace the GD lever on my new dropper, the old dropper has already a KS lever.
I've been on the updated (2016) post riding hard for months now and all it needs is to be wiped clean after you are done with it.
I've tried the reverb and KS which kept failing on my. Sending them in time and time again. Finally had someone recommend the revised Giant Contact, although heavier, has a cheaper cartridge to replace that can be done by anyone that can tighten an allen bolt. Even though its a giant branded post it is all blacked out and has a nice finish to it.
I do like this post and would recommend it, and I have no issues with the feel of the post (speed of return, lever feel etc.), although it does feel quite difficult to depress the post all the way on one of mine (ramps up pretty hard), however my other post feels very linear. They are both, funnily enough, at the same pressure, but feel quite different. One is 30.9mm and the other is 31.6mm, so that may have something to do with it perhaps. Honestly I don't prefer one feel over the other. One is easier to depress all the way but the other cushions the last inch of travel so that your body weight does not cause a harsh clunk when you drop the post all the way down.
My only problem is that the post on my fatbike developed a creak, more like a ticking noise actually, that became very annoying. I troubleshooted the noise to find it wasn't the saddle rails, frame-post interface etc., and was definitely coming from the post because when I stood up the noise went away. I even put the post in another frame with a new saddle and the sound persisted, so I sent it back to Raceface under warranty. A few weeks had gone by, and the same problem developed on my other bike, so I scoured the Internet for people who have had similar issues, and yet I couldn't find anything. I did find a thread about 9point8's fall line post, and they recommended lubricating the main nut seal. I could not find any service instructions provided by Raceface so I followed the instructions from 9point8 to remove the cap with the seal just below the stanchion to get at the foam ring that lubricates the post. Basically you use a strap wrench to unscrew the main but. However, I found that the foam ring was completely bone dry!!!! Raceface had not bothered to lubricate the post at all during assembly. The entire purpose of a foam ring is to hold a lubricant (P10L grease as recommended by 9point8, although I used slick honey) and yet they hadn't lubricated it. After lubricting the whole assembly the problem instantly went away and I found the post required much less air pressure for the same return speed, which meant I could use the recommended 20-40 psi, I ended up using around 30-35 in the end.
I did the same procedure on my other post, which was returned to me from Raceface after they told me they couldn't find a problem with it. They used one of their own saddles and could not replicate the noise, in their own words. Every one of my colleagues at the bike shop I work at agrees with me that that level of noise is unacceptable, and Raceface denies the probem even existed and did nothing to solve it or to recommend a solution. To no surprise I found the foam ring in that post had no form of lubrication either.
To date I have installed 6 or 7 turbine posts fresh out of the box and not one of them had any lubrication at the main nut seal to keep them operating smoothly and silently.
I am very happy with my purchase however, and believe this is one of the more durable posts on the market, in terms of the droploc mechanism, even if it requires a little more maintenance than others at the seal, which is actually a very easy service to carry out yourself. Just make sure you let the air out first.
My name is Dan and I am the warehouse manager at Revolution Cycle in Edmonton. If you have any questions you want me to answer, you can contact me at the shop at 780-996-1890.
It doesn't have the righteous dude factor of raceface though.
If ya give my $25 I will take your crank bros stuff to the recycling bin for ya.
Maybe try adding a couple of clicks of cable tension via the barrel adjust & see if it gets easier? report back here if you do, I'm super curious if that's what's going on.
9point8 is the new guy.
I love RF gear, but this sounds like a miss.
And BTW, Raceface has a big name backer (owner) called Easton.
Race Face's owners bought Easton's cycling division and then Fox bought RaceFace and Easton.
holy fak
On a positive note i do hear many good things about the 9point8! ..........might be worth a look. ?
I handle the warranty at my local shop and see countless dropper isssues. So far (knock on wood) I have yet to see any of the raceface/easton/9point8 posts that we've come back with problems. ALL of the ones that have been returned to us have been home-installations. I suspect that incorrect initial set up results in the brake not functioning as designed after a period of time leading to problems like the reviewer encountered.
I recently got off the reverb train and BOUGHT a giant conect post (I do NOT work for a giant dealer). I did so because it is teh least expensive post available & it is dirt simple to maintain. There is no need to send it in to a service center when it stops working. One simply removes a cartridge and installs a new one. When the bontrager post is released I'll likely get one of those (I suspect it will be very similar in design to giant based on info / pictured released).
Clearly this seat post does this for everyone.
Don't you just love paying for expensive junk? I'm look at you, SRAM Eagle Drive Train.
The post is quite nice when it works even if the access to the air valve is a total PITA (it's too deep, I cannot remove the cap without pliers), the saddle clamp still sheds metal shavings when tightening the bolts, and saddle has been slipping back in the clamp. No fore/aft play, no creaking. The remote is a total PITA though and I used a Southpaw instead. The required slack in the cable makes the remote rattle a lot - not for the OCD people among us.
I believe this is the first time I've read a Pinkbike review(especially on a heavy-advertising client) that called it the way they actually saw it, i.e. the product had problems and it was called out for it.
FWIW, PB, I wholeheartedly agree. A part should work without the need to perform maintenance on it before EVERY ride.
Ever since the first dropper I bought(actually came with a Trek Slash)- SRAM Reverb- took a dump for no reason necessitating replacement, I've been using KS Levs on all my bikes and haven't had any problems whatsoever. I don't even remember having to add or remove air. Heck, I don't even know if they use air, I'm just assuming it because of the mechanical cable.
Anyway, Race Face owes it to their customers who've purchased their -first run- dropper to do a voluntary recall to sort out the problem. They[sure as hell better] know what the problem is, and one would think they'd want all of their products out in the world performing as they should. After all, the best/worst kind of marketing is how your products work in the real world.
KS: randomly reliable
RS: don't like it
I need 150mm, so that excludes quite a few options.
9.8: same thing as this and harder to get
Thomson, Giant, Crankbrothers: not avail in 150mm
Thinking I'll take a gamble with the Fox. Priced better. Are they available yet?
I'm really not sure what's going on with Easton/Race Face right now but it doesn't appear to be good. I'm hoping they turn it around.
Holding my breath for long-term Highline reviews.
The kronolog, OTOH, had the brilliant concept of using a sharp steel piece against an aluminum post... & expecting no wear. I'm actually surprised nobody snapped a kronolog due to weakness from wear, though maybe none of them kept working long enough for that to happen.
The head moves so they went out of business .
That movement has no effect on riding .