Bunny Hopping Road Bikes?

[tulip]

I love bunnyhopping. I stared out in BMX in the 70s, so it just comes naturally to me, but I can't do curbs. Never could do curbs.

[velogirl]

think of your body as a spring.

try this:

stand up rigid (not on the bike) and try to jump. not much vertical, eh?

now, bend at the ankles, knees, and hips, and think of yourself as a coiled spring. now jump. what happens? much more vertical.

you need to do the same thing on the bike. coil down to bunny hop. keep your center of gravity over the bottom bracket. make adjustments if needed (ie front or rear lifts or lands more).

and, of course, don't look down at your bike -- look ahead where you want to go.

[Julibird]

think of your body as a spring.

try this:

stand up rigid (not on the bike) and try to jump. not much vertical, eh?

now, bend at the ankles, knees, and hips, and think of yourself as a coiled spring. now jump. what happens? much more vertical.

you need to do the same thing on the bike. coil down to bunny hop. keep your center of gravity over the bottom bracket. make adjustments if needed (ie front or rear lifts or lands more).

and, of course, don't look down at your bike -- look ahead where you want to go.

Thanks, Velogirl and all for the tips. I was out practicing today, and the cue about thinking/moving like a spring was what clicked. I am going to practice it some more and build some muscle memory of the movement so that I will be able to execute the hop with confidence in a group. Need practice!

Love this place!

[mimitabby]

what would be the best speed for this? really fast, really slow?
( i want to learn too)

[velogirl]

speed? pretty much everything is better on the bike with a bit of speed. momentum is what keeps the bike upright. I'd say 8-10mph minimum.

now, even though I teach bunny hops in my clinics, I don't recommend them for group rides or racing, especially if you're in a tight pack or paceline. timing is difficult and unless you really perfect the skill the chance of landing off-line (ie to one side or the other) or directly on the obstacle you're trying to avoid, is pretty high. I don't think this is a safe skill for group riding.

just my opinion.

second reason not to bunny hop? I've cracked hubs (Chris King), broken spokes (DT Swiss and Wheelsmith), and cracked rims (Velocity). granted, I put a lot of stress on my bikes, and I ride on and off curbs in addition to hopping. but the reality is that it can put a lot of stress on your wheels (and potentially other parts of your bike).

again, just my opinion.

[bluebug32]

Get a mtb and then you can bunny hop all you like! I have to really hold back when I'm on my road bike. After learning on a mtb, I find myself wanting to hop over everything in the road

[aicabsolut]

speed? pretty much everything is better on the bike with a bit of speed. momentum is what keeps the bike upright. I'd say 8-10mph minimum.

now, even though I teach bunny hops in my clinics, I don't recommend them for group rides or racing, especially if you're in a tight pack or paceline. timing is difficult and unless you really perfect the skill the chance of landing off-line (ie to one side or the other) or directly on the obstacle you're trying to avoid, is pretty high. I don't think this is a safe skill for group riding.

just my opinion.

+1 I've seen the aftermath of a NASTY crash in a race (and heard of a few others in races and group rides) from a bunny hop gone bad. Also, it can really suck for the person behind you who runs into the obstacle you just hopped over.

[Zelda_K]

think of your body as a spring.

try this:

stand up rigid (not on the bike) and try to jump. not much vertical, eh?

now, bend at the ankles, knees, and hips, and think of yourself as a coiled spring. now jump. what happens? much more vertical.

you need to do the same thing on the bike. coil down to bunny hop. keep your center of gravity over the bottom bracket. make adjustments if needed (ie front or rear lifts or lands more).

and, of course, don't look down at your bike -- look ahead where you want to go.

Thanks a lot for these explanations. They helped me to do my first bunny hop (on the mtb though) and now I am extremely proud and happy. Before this I had really resigned and thought I would never learn it (being too old and too mellow etc ....).

[SpinSpinSugar]

I wish I could bunny hop, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't get the front wheel off the ground. I end up springing up OFF the pedals instead of picking up the bike. Like a little kid going over a jump on a horse without a good grip.

I can do a tiny bunny hop if I'm going off a curb at a decent speed.. but no way can I hop back up a curb or over a pothole on the flat ground. All the while my DBF is hopping and bouncing up over every curb, hole, and just for fun. grrrrrrr - show off!

Any suggestions ladies? Thanks in advance!

SpinSpinSugar

[bmccasland]

I've only done small hops over rough railroad crossings and floodgate wall tracks. "Flush with the road surface" only exists as reality on the engineer's plans. Didn't actually plan on doing a hop, it was more like an evasive reaction to a bad road condition that I couldn't maneuver around otherwise.

[OakLeaf]

I wish I could bunny hop, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't get the front wheel off the ground. I end up springing up OFF the pedals instead of picking up the bike. Like a little kid going over a jump on a horse without a good grip.

I can do a tiny bunny hop if I'm going off a curb at a decent speed.. but no way can I hop back up a curb or over a pothole on the flat ground. All the while my DBF is hopping and bouncing up over every curb, hole, and just for fun. grrrrrrr - show off!

Any suggestions ladies? Thanks in advance!

SpinSpinSugar

Are you inadvertently pushing down with your arms?

I don't think I could jump a curb! And it seems risky enough that I don't plan to try. I just haven't got the whole soft landing thing down. Most of the time bunny hopping jars me as much as just running over whatever (usually a very uneven bridge expansion joint).

I certainly couldn't get enough horizontal distance to clear a set of railroad tracks! What's the secret to that? Just starting at high speed?

[alpinerabbit]

I wish I could bunny hop, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't get the front wheel off the ground. I end up springing up OFF the pedals instead of picking up the bike.

You are using clipless pedals, aren't you?

I'd love to be able to clear some tracks, at least the ones set into the pavement - we have that 2x on my favorite loop, and in town sometimes I need to get over tram tracks at a steep angle, freaks me out every time.

[SpinSpinSugar]

Hi ladies thanks for the replies. I didn't mean to thread-jack. No I do not use clipless pedals - they're BMX pedals - the spikey kind. And I don't think I'm pushing down on the handlebars... it's more like I can spring my body up, but the bike is too heavy to lift off the ground.

My BF can bunny hop the same bike all over the place - even standing in one place! so I know it can be done..... errrrrrrr... very frustrating indeed!

SpinSpinSugar

[JH-NV]

After reading this thread, I thought I would share my "bunny-hopping" onto the sidewalk, while instructing DH and children (10 & 12 at the time) to "WATCH MOM DO A NEAT TRICK!!!"story.

I accelerated across the street, aiming for the sidewalk, approaching at an angle on my new mtb. Apparently, I did not lift my front tire off the street and onto the curb as planned. I flew over the handlebars and landed on my chest (cracked a couple of ribs) had the wind knocked out of me and...my "evil" spawn were laughing their heads off. DH was sincerely concerned (he's my favorite.)
To this day, my kids almost cry with laughter when retelling the story of their mom showing off.
That was my last bunny-hop onto a sidwalk. I stick to 1-2" distance now.....