Race Face Turbine Flat Pedal

Race Face has been making quality flat pedals for a while now, with the 2nd generation of their Atlas model holding down a respectable if not spectacular position in our flat pedal rankings. Those rankings are in for a shake-up now though, as Race Face has recently introduced an all-new pedal that boasts some seriously impressive numbers and delivers an incredibly locked-in performance out on the trails. This is the 2025 Turbine.

Race Face Turbine Flat Pedal Highlights

• Chromoly steel axle
• Inboard bushing, outboard bearing
• 6061 aluminum body, steel pins
• Platform concavity: 3 mm
• Platform thickness: 20 mm at edge
• Pin height: 6 mm from platform
• 11 height-adjustable pins per side
• Platform L x W: 115 x 110 mm
• Weight: 419g per set (verified)
• Colors: Black, Red, Orange, Blue, Purple, Kashmoney, Silver
• Includes 4 spare pins and 44 pin washers (to shorten pins by 0.8 mm)
• MSRP: $180 USD

Initial Impressions

Turbine is Race Face’s family of components built for heavy hitters, and the new pedal really fits right in. Its shape is reminiscent of several high-performance pedals that we hold in high regard, like the DMR Vault for example, long the front runner in our rankings and only recently supplanted by a newcomer. It’s got a wider area towards the front of the pedal and it tapers off towards the rear, which follows the contour of the foot and also provides for a chamfered leading edge that can help it slide across obstacles more easily. The machining is complex and intricate, with great attention to detail and a smooth, deep and uniform finish.

In terms of measurements, the new Turbine is right up there with the roomiest pedals on the market today. With a “Pin-To-Axle” (or “PTA”) number of 117 mm (the distance between the outermost pin and the crank arm), it comes in second only to the Kona Wah Wah 2 (which still holds the record at 119 mm). Race Face have been very elaborate with the design though, and they’ve used a bunch of clever “tricks” to really optimize the available real estate. For example, the pins sit very close to the upper and outside edges, which leaves the pedal as compact as it could possibly be while retaining the generous PTA. The leading edge on the smaller side is twice as thick as the one up top, which means that the most exposed pins benefit from a very solid foundation with lots of material to thread into (the heads of the pins are even countersunk here to really stabilize them). We think this is a great plan, as these pins are the ones that see a lot of direct impacts on the trail, and this particular area is notoriously prone to damage on the aforementioned Vault, for example.

As we just mentioned, the pins bolt in from the back. They are of the same design as those found on Race Face’s Atlas pedal, in other words they have an angular shape and are very sharp indeed (our calves can testify…). The pins are placed around the edges in a patterns that it very close to that of the Vault, to mention but that one again, and the pronounced shape of the body itself further accentuates the overall concavity of the pedal. The Turbine is delivered with four spare pins and a full set of pin washers that can be used to reduce the height of the pins by 0.8 mm and tone the grip down a fraction.

Race Face went with an inboard bushing to eliminate any inside bulge on the axle, which means you are free to use the whole platform of the pedal – whether you like to hang your feet off the edges or prefer your ankles up snug to the crank arms. The pedal spins on a chromoly spindle with a classic design. There’s a double-lip axle seal that sits tight up against the pedal body to prevent ingress of dirt and moisture.

On The Trail

On the trail, the new Turbine had us convinced from the very first pedal strokes. The platform is very roomy, and provides for a completely locked-in feel as soon as you place your foot on it. You can really feel the concavity, and if we keep mentioning the DMR Vault in this review it’s because the two pedals feel very similar.

As we mentioned in the previous section, the pins are of the very sharp kind that Race Face has been using for years already on other pedals. They dig in and cling on with the best of them, and they will do damage if you let them anywhere near your skin with less than honorable intentions. Together with the pronounced concavity of the pedal body, you end up with a pedal that sticks to the soles of your feet in any circumstances – if you like to move your feet around a bit on the pedals to reposition them every now and then, forget about it. You’ll have to lift the foot off almost completely to complete that maneuver.

So how does it stack up? In short, it’s like a slightly larger and seemingly quite a bit more robust version of the DMR Vault. Race Face has done a great job with shaping the profile to provide more support for the pins towards the bottom front of the pedal, and if they have specced bushings that are not made of cheese, it may well also stay slop-free in the spindle a lot longer than the Vault (which does have a pretty poor record in this regard, it must be said). We’ve had our test samples out on the trails for two months by now, and they are still as solid as on day one (which was never really the case with the Atlas pedals, for example). They have scuffed up from impact in a few spots, but despite taking a few dingers, the pins are still straight and crucially, the pin threads are in perfect condition. The pins also do not appear to want to work themselves loose over time, which is a bonus. We should point out here that the Turbine pedal is covered by the Race Face Lifetime Warranty program – including crashes. Yep, that’s right, if you damage your new pedal in a legit crash or some manufacturing defect manifests itself down the line, Race Face will replace the pedal for you for free (regular wear and tear, not included).

In terms of feel and grip, the Turbine gives up nothing to anybody. We already mentioned the Vault as one of the likely inspirations for the design of the Turbine, and the likeness can be felt on the trail. The Hope F22 feels similar in terms of shape, albeit a bit more compact. The current front-runner in our Flat Pedal Face Off, the Deity Supervillain, feels a little bit different thanks to the symmetrical platform, but in terms of grip, it’s an even race. The pedals mentioned here are the current podium finishers in our rankings, so you may well have guessed it by now – the new Turbine is going to give them all a run for their money.

What’s The Bottom Line?

We’ll cut straight to the chase here – the new Turbine is one of the absolute best flat pedals on the market at present. It is roomy without being too bulky, and the pronounced concavity procures near-endless amounts of grip. The construction appears to be very solid, with Race Face adding material in key areas to ensure it will stand up to abuse as well. After two months of testing, we’re in no hurry to take it off our bike, that much is certain!

More information at: www.raceface.com.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 52 // Years Riding MTB: 20 // Weight: 190-pounds (87 kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.

Photos by Johan Hjord