Bunny Hops

Surf-Matt
Posts: 5,952
How are you all at bunny hops?
I seem to be able to get about 1.5ft off the ground using the "American" bunny hop (front wheel off the ground first then level off) technique but struggle to use them properly in high speed riding (get my timing wrong, then crash!).
SPD users - that's cheating. I mean hopping with flats! Used to be able to get a decent height with SPDs, but they released mid flight twice giving me a rather high pitched voice... :oops:
I seem to be able to get about 1.5ft off the ground using the "American" bunny hop (front wheel off the ground first then level off) technique but struggle to use them properly in high speed riding (get my timing wrong, then crash!).
SPD users - that's cheating. I mean hopping with flats! Used to be able to get a decent height with SPDs, but they released mid flight twice giving me a rather high pitched voice... :oops:

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Used to be fairly solid, but rode a small hardtail many moons ago. these days im lucky if i can hit a foot. and then i hit my bits on my saddle every time...0
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yip..... a foot, maybe a foot and a half.
depends though, that foot feels like more going downhill!
I know that i regularly clear a decent sized felled tree on a trail in the secret spot!Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.
H.G. Wells.0 -
About a foot when I'm on the flat, but tend to just wheelie or manual the front wheel and unweight the rear when out on the trail - as a proper bunnyhop feels too unstable when travelling towards an obstruction at speed.0
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well it depends on the bike n what not really
bmx - probably a clean hop onto a 2.5 foot block,
7" full sus bike - 1 foot or so (the suspension sucks all the pump out!)
pub bike - less than a foot no doubt.0 -
I could ollie about 2ft (maybe more) in my skateboarding days.
Then I hit a car, redecorated the road and gave up0 -
I've just learned the bunny hop. I've learned on Saturday.
So far I can get 0.5ft but there is a problem now.I've bended the rear legs of the bike frame
probably Saturday or some day before. I've found that yesterday
while I was cleaning the bike. For now only riding on the bike, not jumping.
It's an XC bike.0 -
dirtbiker100 wrote:well it depends on the bike n what not really
bmx - probably a clean hop onto a 2.5 foot block,
7" full sus bike - 1 foot or so (the suspension sucks all the pump out!)
pub bike - less than a foot no doubt.
I can manage around 2 and a half to three feet on my marin, with the saddle rammed, and when still, or moving slowly. I can;t seem to manage half as much when moving at speed for some reason.
The trick is - as far as I can tell - to actually jump and launch yourself up first, THEN pull the back wheel up, so that your rear wheel is actually off the floor before you start to pull it up.0 -
about three ish foot from standing and about 2 when out on trails0
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will have to whip my onza out reteach myself to hop, get my back hoping gap jumps and blunts back, been to many years out of some street skills!0
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i think the stupidly light front end on my 24/7 helps :P0
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I can do bunny hops, but not pro hops (front wheel first) on my Ransom, I cant seem to get the front wheel high enough in the air0
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I can't hop very well, just enough to clear roots and small logs. I always find that the whole bike takes off rather than the front wheel lifting obviously before the rear.
Ive recently converted to spds, so maybe I will be able to cheat my way higher0 -
To get the front to lift first, you have to physically lift it up, and then pick up the back with your feet.
Amos, it sounds like you've got the technique wrong somehow.0 -
:oops: I'm confused a bit here, i'm not the most skilled rider but am eager to learn
- I can do little" bunnyhops" by lifting the front and sort of tucking the rear up with my legs to get off the ground - but after reading this, i'm not even sure of what kind of bunnyhop I'm doing if at all!
What is the difference between "american" and "pro" and if you don't lift front first, what is that and how do you do it?? :? :shock:
......stop laughing.........i know i'm stupid
practice makes perfect!http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/ ... lurLT2.jpg
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/ ... c611a8.jpg0 -
american and pro are the same i think (never heard of "pro") and are lifting the front up first then the rear. and by the sounds of it thats the bunnyhop you're doing0
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hmm, maybe I'll try and get a video done this weekend to demonstrate!0
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Thanks for that, I feel a little better now - my bunnyhops have an identity 8)http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/ ... lurLT2.jpg
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/ ... c611a8.jpg0 -
yeehaamcgee wrote:To get the front to lift first, you have to physically lift it up, and then pick up the back with your feet.
Amos, it sounds like you've got the technique wrong somehow.
Yeah, I always seem to lift the rear as soon as the front is clear of what ever is on the trail.
I will have to practice lifting it higher, before picking up the back with my feet.0 -
SPD bunny hops are the best, proper impresser, can hop up all sorts aswell, can get around a foot on flats0
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i use the push down on the forks then spring up with them method and can prolly get about a foot off the fllor! similar your your height on sunday matt! - yes i was watching!;) quite impressive too!!!
i used to be able on a run up to hop ove the width of a single car road in the days of no suspension! (we had an entrance road at the outdoor ed. centre i worked at and some one bet i couldnt do it so did it a few times musch to my amasement as much as theirs!) i very much doubt i could do it now knowing it takes longer to heal when i do fall off! (quite a common occurence!)
i would love to have the skills some of the top bmx guys have at hopping though!Timmo.
After all, I am Cornish!
http://cornwallmtb.kk5.org/
Cotic Soul, The bike of Legends!Yes, I Am a bike tart!
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... 1#162974810 -
Tim - sorry, wasn't trying to big myself up (not that 1.5ft bunny hops are exactly "big!"), just annoyed that I can bunny hop okay but not use them properly on the trail!
Oh well, practise, practise, practise...
How did it feel to have a whole ride without any battle scars?!0 -
it is tough, i learnt alot of technique on street,
translating it on to dirt on the other hand is really hard. used of smooth running to set up0 -
Surf-Matt wrote:Tim - sorry, wasn't trying to big myself up (not that 1.5ft bunny hops are exactly "big!"), just annoyed that I can bunny hop okay but not use them properly on the trail!
Oh well, practise, practise, practise...
How did it feel to have a whole ride without any battle scars?!
Hahaha! was quite nice to come back Not bleeding for a change yes!
wasnt pushing on an ego boost, just that your bunny hops were impressive considering you were'nt moving!!! every time i try and purposely do ine it all goes wrong!! land witht he front wheel a bit wonky, bit too much pressure on the initial push on the forks, get a little off baalnce!! and is pretty much always when people are watching!!!
using them on the trail is a lot easier than you think! you havent got to go for the full effort as chances are the speed will carry you over enough! just needs a little hop!
have a practice over speed bumps matey! clear those and chances are you'll be able to clear most things ont he trail!Timmo.
After all, I am Cornish!
http://cornwallmtb.kk5.org/
Cotic Soul, The bike of Legends!Yes, I Am a bike tart!
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... 1#162974810 -
Can clear small stuff (say up to 6") okay(ish) but any bigger and I tend to splat myself.
Will set up a little course in the garden and have a go!0 -
Surf-Matt wrote:Used to be able to get a decent height with SPDs, but they released mid flight twice giving me a rather high pitched voice... :oops:
Yeah I did that over a little log/stick at the weekend, the Missus thought it was a strange 1 legged jump, still cleared it, heheOddly I feel more confident with flats on for bunny hopping and jumping, I get much less height but it's fairly predictable what's going to happen :?
I only get a couple of inches off the floor with flats on anyway :oops:0 -
Its all in the arms, once you get the front wheel up you tuck your legs and throw forward with your arms, well thats how i do it anyway.Me like trials biking me do0
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Same for me bikeperson, but I find some days it comes really easy and some it takes masses of effort. I also tend to pull my seatpost out for the purposes of practice. Less weight
But speedbumps are good to practice over.0 -
I can bunny hop on a hardtail but not my FS. Am I relying on SPDs too much or am I just crap?'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.0
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If you need SPDs to bunnyhop, then you're not doing it right.
Sadly at the moment, I can only hop about 4 inches as my wrist is a bit frigged. Any more, and it feels like my hand is going to fall off.0