What is the secret to bunny hopping?

[TigerMom]

I tried to bunny hop on my hybrid. Failed

I tried to hop just 1cm on my road bike. Failed

I know I have decently strong arms. What am I doing wrong? What is the secret? I can't even hop 1cm, let alone up a sidewalk curb.
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2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle
2010 Santa Cruz Juliana with R kit
2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle (sold)

[lph]

For me it's all about lifting with my feet, not my arms. What happens when you try?

[TigerMom]

I am not clipless on my MTB. But even clipped in on my road bike, my bike does not hop at all

I try to lean back with one leg down and I pull hard up and fast. But, the front of my bike lifts off only about 2mm.
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2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle
2010 Santa Cruz Juliana with R kit and Crampon pedals
2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle (sold)

[Irulan]

What exactly are you trying to do, lift both wheels at the same time? Lift front and then back, or just the front? They are all different lifts, and people use the term bunny hop for all of them. What **I** call a bunny hop is a front wheel lift followed by a rear wheel lift, that's perfect for getting over small logs and similar.
Anyway, it's about weight shift amd pressure on the pedals, not pulling up with the arms. Guys always say, compress and pull up with the arms, but it's a compression with a weight shift of the hips back , the unweighting of the front, that creates the lift.

[TigerMom]

What exactly are you trying to do, lift both wheels at the same time? Lift front and then back, or just the front? They are all different lifts, and people use the term bunny hop for all of them. What **I** call a bunny hop is a front wheel lift followed by a rear wheel lift, that's perfect for getting over small logs and similar.
Anyway, it's about weight shift amd pressure on the pedals, not pulling up with the arms. Guys always say, compress and pull up with the arms, but it's a compression with a weight shift of the hips back , the unweighting of the front, that creates the lift.

Well, I'm trying to pull up the front wheel only for now since I can only pull up my front wheel by 2mm. Once I get that correct, I want to be able to lift up the front wheel and then the back wheel to go over small logs.

As to lifting up the front wheel only, I did not know that I was supposed to compress down and then lift up. I'll give that a try next.
___________________________________________________________________
2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle
2010 Santa Cruz Juliana with R kit and Crampon pedals
2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle (sold)

[Irulan]

Technically, that is a front wheel lift. A rear wheel lift is a completely different move.
1. Get out of the saddle, neutral position. Don't be sitting.
2. Compress the fork, and at the same time you shift your hips back, pressuring through the legs and pedals.
3. It's the sudden shift of the weight/center of gravity back, combined with the release of the compression, that brings your front wheel up.

This is the position to practice from. Practice shifting your hips back and forth. Then, move them back and pressure the pedals. Then, add the compression. It's best to pedal some, slowly, and then coast, tyring the lift, and then pedal some more, coast, etc. Foam noodles are really good to practice: very forgiving.