# Finally got my GI 60 - mini review.



## crakbot (Nov 5, 2005)

Well, I finally got my Atom Lab GI 60 fork after about a month but I guess to all that were wondering, they are in stock.

I only rode it around the street but I'm taking it to the local BMX track to do more testing so I'll post a more in depth review tomorrow.

First Impressions:

Pretty stiff laterally. I'd say the fork is about as stiff as a rigid. Probably the stiffest fork I've ever ridden.

Rebound seems really fast but doesn't pogo or anything. I'm curious to try it in a rhythm section. But when you pull up the front end you can feel it top out as the wheel comes off the ground. 

The steerer tube is only 7.5 inches. May not be a big deal for most people but I had a bunch of spacers on my old setup to raise the bars so I now I have to buy taller bars since I can't run any more spacers.

Atom Lab needs to invest in some packaging. The thing was just lying in a thin carboard box without any foam inserts or anything so the brake tab was sticking out of the box and get bent when every other box was stacked on top of it. I don't run a front brake but I'll get UPS to buy me some new lowers so I'll at least have the option.

Anyway, I'll post an actual review for anyone interested tomorrow. But my first impression seems to be it's exactly what it says it is. If they could shave a 1/2 lb and $40 off the price I say it would probably be a steal.


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## dd13 (Oct 6, 2005)

sounds pretty sweet.whered you get it form,local shop on online?post some pics of it on the bike!


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## A Grove (Nov 12, 2006)

Pics!


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

awesome. Looking forward to hearing more, and seeing some pics of it set-up.


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## Iggz (Nov 22, 2006)

How bad is the top out? Sounds sick though


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## defconfour (Sep 30, 2004)

I just got a quick driveway spin with my GI60 and agree w/ a lot of whate crakbot said.

According to my scale - weight is 5.9lbs. Axle to crown is 18.5".

What I really like so far:

- Build - simple, straight forward, clean design
- 20mm axle - again simple straight forward, clean design. The only bummer is you need a fairly big wrench to tighten. But that goes with having a 20mm axle and the design they went with - which I would rather have.
- Burly - I love chromo parts and although I would never run pegs - it looks like this fork would have no problems. Laterally feels very stiff. 180 b-hops felt solid. Need more testing time but I think I will really like the overall lateral feel of this fork.

What I wouldn't mind seeing but it's not too bad as is
- Weight - 5.9lbs. Not a deal breaker but a 1/2 pound off would be the treats.
- Axle to crown height. Making it adjustable would be the best. 18.5" is a decent start number but I'd like to see it a little lower and I know other 24" users (maybe some 26" riders) would like to see it go down to as low as 17.5" I took the fork apart last night and it looks pretty simple - some sort of spring/spacer option might be able to solve it.
- Disk tabs - it would be great to have the option to get the fork without them. I would guess most riders using this fork will not be running front disks and it looks unclean with the tab on the lower.

What I don't dig so far:
- Graphics. I think Atomlab overdoes it with their graphics for the most part. It's probably fine for most people but I like more basic/smaller stuff. That's fine different taste and all that....But what really urks me is the clearcoat on top of the stickers. I can't just peel off the stickers to get the look I want but now have to get the uppers painted. Do what USB and some other companies do - give the stickers seperately and let the rider figure out how they want them on.
- Top out. In the shop the fork feels nice and stiff but after pulling the first manual I felt the dreaded top out just like crakbot said. It was worse when I tried a bunnyhop. It's a sucky feeling to be honest and really got me bummed about the fork. I can grind off disk tabs and repaint but what am I going to do with the top out? I can't imagine Hacksaw and the rest of the Atomlab crew signed off on a fork with this top out feeling and sound. I am 210 lbs so I'm not sure if the 4.0 spring would make an improvement. I'll email Mike about it.

Overall, I like most of the fork. If I didn't feel the top out I'd be really happy with it. I'm going to test it on some dirt jumps and on my mini ramp tomorrow but will be surprised if I don't just go back to my Manitou Jumper by the end of the day. Feeling top out drives me buggy.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

defconfour said:


> I just got a quick driveway spin with my GI60 and agree w/ a lot of whate crakbot said.
> 
> According to my scale - weight is 5.9lbs. Axle to crown is 18.5".
> 
> ...


Nice write up. Honest.

So.... a little taller than the hype was telling us... a little heavier than the lead up hype was also telling us... a little later than the hype was... 
The top-out issue, ouch.... Well, maybe it should have been even a bit later on release date, haha... rushed onto the scene for the demand, ended up with lack of dampening to match the elastomers or whatever is in there.
Still cool to see some thinking outside the box and variety out there though.


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## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

sounds decent. i had a bad feeling top out was going to be a problem, which i too can not stand because of how crappy it makes manuals and hopping feel. i'm sure it's no worse then a dj3 though. long term review would be great after time passes.


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## crakbot (Nov 5, 2005)

Defconfour beat me to the punch  but he's spot on.

The weight issue is a problem for me, not because of the actual weight, but I picked it up because it would be 1/2 lb lighter than a DJ since the site says 5.5 lbs. That may be without the axle hardware and the steerer tube cut really short. So as is, there is no weight benefit to this over a standard fork. It is bombproof and I have no nervousness about this breaking so that makes it acceptable in my eyes. When I run conventional forks I always have a little spot in the back of mind that is scared of it breaking.

I did take it out on a BMX track for about two hours today before I got rained out. It actually performed really well on the track. I thought it would get really bad in a fast rhythm section without real damping but it handled it well, better than my old 100mm fork. I could pump the rollers really hard and it would never spring back harshly. I do quite a bit of pumping so I'm very sensitive to that and it always felt in control. So I was impressed with that. A BMX kid took it for a spin and I asked him about the fork and he said he didn't even notice it. When a BMX'r rides a standard 100mm fork they usually totally notice it.

The top out was actually less noticeable on jumps and manuals through rollers than on flat ground. In fact, I didn't notice the top out at all after a few laps. BUT, if I payed attention you do feel it when leaving a lip. It doesn't pitch the bike but you feel it come through the handlebars. I am just as surprised as defconfour was that this was not an issue during testing and fixed. For street, I can see this getting really annoying as you're constantly leaving flat ground and that's when it is very noticeable. For park or DJ, it's not really bad at all and almost not noticeable. This should be able to be fixed so maybe something will come out.

Overall, based on the performance at the track I feel I got my money's worth. I race in the cruiser class and this fork will be faster than my old conventional fork. I felt I did carry more speed on backsides and through rollers. 

A few minor issues but overall a solid performer for the price and it does exactly what is advertised, except for the weight.

If version two can:

a) Lower the weight

b) Fix the top out issue

and keep the price the same, it would be a no brainer over any other fork under $300 to be used for DJ.

I'll try to snap some pictures tomorrow.

P.S. I agree about the disc tabs. Should be optional as it looks a bit ugly.


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## Demo-9 (Mar 24, 2006)

2 in-depth reviews and no pics?

So far it sounds like this is a fork I do not want. 5.9 lb fork (claimed 5.4) that has a nasty top-out. No thanks.

The thing looks super beefy and stiff but the main thing I like about my Argyle is that I set it up so you don't realize you have a suspension fork. I lock it out in the park and some DJ unti I want the travel to kick in - then I turn off the lock-out.


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## defconfour (Sep 30, 2004)

BikeSATORI said:


> Nice write up. Honest.
> 
> So.... a little taller than the hype was telling us... a little heavier than the lead up hype was also telling us... a little later than the hype was...
> The top-out issue, ouch.... Well, maybe it should have been even a bit later on release date, haha... rushed onto the scene for the demand, ended up with lack of dampening to match the elastomers or whatever is in there.
> Still cool to see some thinking outside the box and variety out there though.


I really want to like this fork - like you said outside the box, and it's simple and burly - which goes with the what a lot of us want in a 24/26" setup these days.

I wouldn't mind seeing what Brad @ NemPro could do with one. I'm sure he could handle the fab work - maybe with SuperRat for some pieces. And his suspension knowledge might be able to get the top-out feeling right. I know the NemPro Marz tunes feel great.

I think Atomlab's product is 65-70% there right now and I know it's the first release of the fork so they might be able to get it a lot more dialed with some few changes. They should have sent protoypes to people like you and a few others on the message boards to get a sweet end product out on the first round.

Demo-9 - I know Argyle's and Marz Z1's feel awesome - but... this Atomlab fork is half the price. And I like the chromo/burly setup better for dirt and park and especially street (if I rode street).

So Atomlab - fix some of these small issues and the main top out feeling and you'll have a kick ass fork. O yeah, one more thing - have it made in the US for a really kick ass product!


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## the_godfather (Jan 19, 2007)

i like my argyle. it hasn't broke yet, saves my wirsts and is about the same weight maybe lighter. and more adjustable. to be fair i haven't actually weighed the fork, only going by the claimed weight so it could be a bit out


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## crakbot (Nov 5, 2005)

Just to be fair, if someone posted a review of any other $250 fork, it would get some negative points as well.

The top out seems to be getting less. I rode it again today and it's not as noticeable. Could be the elastomers need to time to loosen up a bit. For jumping and pulling manuals through a rhythm section I don't feel it at all now. Still feel it when lifting off of flat ground.

I guess after riding it I would say for riders on a budget who mee the following criteria, it's a decent choice.

a) You only have $250 bucks and need a fork that won't break or leak in a year.

b) don't fiddle around with adjusting your fork every ride.

c) ride mainly DJ and some park but don't really ride street.

I'd say if that describes you, you'll be pretty happy with it. If not, you may not be too happy. 

But a cool idea and with a little tweaking could work nearly perfect.


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## Demo-9 (Mar 24, 2006)

It actually looks like a great fork for the intended use. A lot of people, including me, need to get the fork dialed in to match the riding style. I need to have the ability to control compression and rebound. In addition I like to have the option to control lock-out or not. When I hit the park I lock it out. When I hit the DJ or pump track I take it off a bit and have a really stiff set-up.

The only adjustment I can see on these things is a normal and heavier spring. That's it. it is what it is. Sure for $250 it is less than most suspension forks. But unless they weighed closer to 5lbs I don't see a lot of people selling their forks for this.

But the non-adjustability also has a positive. If it works out of the box for your liking you don't have to mess with anything.

As far as aesthetics, I don't like the look of it. The chrome lowers looks Wal-Mart-esque. Just my opinion.


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

defconfour said:


> I just got a quick driveway spin with my GI60 and agree w/ a lot of whate crakbot said.
> 
> According to my scale - weight is 5.9lbs. Axle to crown is 18.5".


That's weird. The Atomlab website says 5.4 lbs. and the BTI-USA.COM distributor website says 5.0 lbs. 
http://www.bti-usa.com/public/category/FK/FKSF/AL


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## A Grove (Nov 12, 2006)

BTI and QBP always are a bit sketch on their weights. Never trust anything but your own scale  Speaking of which, I need to go and weigh my pike to see exactly what it does weigh.

I am loving my pike ever since I figured out what I was doing with the adjustments  This fork might be prime for someone like me who doesnt understand nor care to understand all the fancy adjustments that come with these newer forks. Heck, compression, rebound, and floodgate were enough to get me "confused" at what I was doing.

I'll stick to my pike locked out


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## defconfour (Sep 30, 2004)

Very good points Demo-9. 

FWIW, I took the GI60 out on my back yard mini/spine/dirt jump/berm zone. It's hard to explain but it's a tight little setup that's a great test bed right out the door of my house. I took pics of the fork and the backyard so I'll try to post them when I get a chunk of free time.

At any rate, I wasn't too keen on the GI60 feel after a couple runs in the backyard. I was going to my trail spot later in the day and wanted to ride some new jumps there so I threw back on the trusty Manitou Jumper. The GI60's top out gave a weird feeling going off the lips and felt really weird on my little spine. I'm not great at spines so I need everything to be dialed.

I have a feeling the inverted stantion design might actually cause some flex as I got a weird feeling on the spine - with the whip to the side spine style jumping, the front wheel get's a lot of force put on it - especially with me being 210 lbs. When the front axle is off the GI60, the lowers have no problem spinning around. And the axle is round with no pinch bolts. Like I said before, it's a simple design which I like but IIRC, Manitou and Marz inverted forks have pinch bolts to maybe solve this problem of axle spin/flex?

Also, I measured travel at 45mm. I can't see how this thing could get 60mm as that puts it into the painted area on the lower. That's not that big of a deal but...weight, axle to crown, travel? Maybe I'm measuring stuff wrong.

After thinking about the fork design yesterday, I thought that the concept is great - steel fork and simple but If I had a wish list I would do the following:

- Use a non-inverted lower with an arch. it could be made of chromoly for burliness
- 2" travel
- Have the upper crown a bolt on like the old Brooklyn BMX forks/ original Bontrager
- Use a proven internal elastomer/spring from another fork - RS Judy? Just firmed up and make sure there is no top-out.
- On the 20mm axle - have one side hex style bolt head and have it slid into a hex hole - like the Manitou Jumper. The other side would have the current nut that's on the Atomlab as it's simple and quick.


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## defconfour (Sep 30, 2004)

cmc4130 said:


> That's weird. The Atomlab website says 5.4 lbs. and the BTI-USA.COM distributor website says 5.0 lbs.
> http://www.bti-usa.com/public/category/FK/FKSF/AL


Thinking my bike scale might be off I measure the GI60 again but with my 10lb digital postal scale w/ a fresh 9volt battery.

Here are the following:
Manitou Jumper - 5lbs 9.8oz, 2550g
Marz Z1 - 5lbs 7.2oz, 2475g
AtomLab GI60 - 5lb 14.6oz, 2680g

All forks have almost identical steerer tube lengths (a few mm off) and had a star nut in each of them. All weights WITH axles. You could probably get to the Atomlab/BTI weight if you took off the axle on the GI60...


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## ScaryJerry (Jan 12, 2004)

Then it's settled...worst fork ever?


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## joelalamo45 (Aug 3, 2006)

What I don't get, is if you want a cheap fork, and this thing only has 45mm of actual travel, then why not save yourself $100 and just go rigid? I mean 45mm of stiff ass travel in a really heavy package doesn't interest me at all.


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## A Grove (Nov 12, 2006)

joelalamo45 said:


> What I don't get, is if you want a cheap fork, and this thing only has 45mm of actual travel, then why not save yourself $100 and just go rigid? I mean 45mm of stiff ass travel in a really heavy package doesn't interest me at all.


Quoted for the GD truth :thumbsup:


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## Evil4bc (Apr 13, 2004)

defconfour said:


> I wouldn't mind seeing what Brad @ NemPro could do with one. I'm sure he could handle the fab work - maybe with SuperRat for some pieces. And his suspension knowledge might be able to get the top-out feeling right. I know the NemPro Marz tunes feel great.




Yea I have some things i could do to the internals to help the top out and damping feel .
I havent opened one up yet , but if it's as simple as i believe it too be on the inside there might be a sealed cartrige alternitive that would help the overall feel of this fork.

thanks for thinking of me too


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## defconfour (Sep 30, 2004)

joelalamo45 said:


> What I don't get, is if you want a cheap fork, and this thing only has 45mm of actual travel, then why not save yourself $100 and just go rigid? I mean 45mm of stiff ass travel in a really heavy package doesn't interest me at all.


Great point and I was thinking the same thing last night. But to bring it even one more steap - I thought if I was going to go rigid, then f**k, I should just go 24" cruiser w/ some 5" bars and room for turndowns (although those would probably be seen solely into foam as I'm so rusty with them). Then I'd have to get a custom frame built as I'm so used to the tight USB geometry and no one builds a cruiser like that. Although I could use those red S&M Original Gay Bars that are sitting in the shop.

Even though 45mm isn't much, I do like having a little give in certain situations. Main one being coming into the landing a little short and popping the nose on top - which happened last night a couple time with the still soft new sets.

I've done it on 20" and fallen straight down. 24" wheels will usually run over but may feel some in the wrist. 24" w/ a little travel - not bad at all. Guess I'm just getting old


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## defconfour (Sep 30, 2004)

Evil4bc said:


> Yea I have some things i could do to the internals to help the top out and damping feel .
> I havent opened one up yet , but if it's as simple as i believe it too be on the inside there might be a sealed cartrige alternitive that would help the overall feel of this fork.
> 
> thanks for thinking of me too


mmm, I'll get an email or PM over to you soon and see if something could be figured out. I still think this fork has potential - just needs certain people to look at it...


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## crakbot (Nov 5, 2005)

I would say it's not the worst fork ever as someone said earlier. In fact, I think with a little tweaking it can be really good, especially for the price.

I've ridden it a lot the last three days and it's not really a bad little fork. As for just going rigid, no way. After a day of riding you feel the difference between this and a rigid in your hands and wrists, and even your back and legs. I have a rigid 24 inch cruiser and after about two hours my hands and wrists are shot. So the little bit of travel does help. Different people will react differently, but if your wrists have taken a lifetime of cased jumps and you're rocking a 33 year old body, that little bit of travel helps a ton.

Remember what the Atom Lab site says though. It says this is NOT a suspension fork but a fork to just take the bite out of hard landings yet pretty much perform like a rigid fork the rest of the time. It pretty much delivers on that.

If you want perfection, you're not going to get it with this fork. Personally it seems to be working for me. I hate wrenching on my bike so with this fork and my single speed setup, I just leave my bike in my truck and whenever I get a chance to ride, I just go (as long as it holds up)

I'm not trying to sell anybody on it as I think most people would probably be unhappy with it if you expect the performance of a $500 fork, but I don't think it was ever sold as that.

Once again, if they can lower the weight and fix the top out issue, this will be a good fork for certain people.


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## Evil4bc (Apr 13, 2004)

defconfour said:


> mmm, I'll get an email or PM over to you soon and see if something could be figured out. I still think this fork has potential - just needs certain people to look at it...


I also have contacts with KOWA Japan and could possibly have a custom aftermarket damping unit made that would be a straight plug/ play upgrade once i can get my hands on one of these too see the cartrige interface works it's all over :thumbsup:


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## A Grove (Nov 12, 2006)

No offence - but doesn't that kinda defeat the purpose of the fork? To be a cheap alternative, etc?

Me, myself - I won't be putting money down on one until I can ride one and be sure that the "problems" aren't going to piss me off. Which is exactly why I didn't follow the hype that was being dished out by A-Lab from the get-go.


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