Bunny Hopping Road Bikes?

[Julibird]

I want to be like the cool kids in my Monday Night Ride, and hop my bike over the potholes!

Please teach me!

[7rider]

See:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...4134133AAR7Drb

Can you bunny hop a mtb.?

[alpinerabbit]

Do you ride clipless? then you can. try it over speedbumps.

[maillotpois]

When I started riding, I had the hardest time figuring out how to do this. Then suddenly the epiphany: get your butt off the saddle!!! Duh. Once you figure it out, it's pretty easy.

[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

[TxDoc]

I want to be like the cool kids in my Monday Night Ride, and hop my bike over the potholes!

Please teach me!

I would think twice before bunnyhopping too much with a nice road bike - especially if you have expensive wheels... you may end up having to face costly repairs after a while. I would suggest to ride around the potholes if you can

[mimitabby]

I have Peter White wheels. I told him i didn't want to mess around with delicate wheels - to build me something that would last.

thanks Velogirl, your opinion is VERY welcome

[alpinerabbit]

A good set of rims will take a jump. It's better than crashing into the speedbumps.

I was taught by a former elite racer. She should know?

[Kalidurga]

Since I'm a semi-weenie, would you recommend trying this out on grass first, or is it easy enough to be able to practice on pavement without falling over and busting myself up?



(Hey, alpinerabbit: Gooood signature.)

[velogirl]

AlpineRabbit, sometimes elite racers know how to ride their bikes. Sometimes they just have big fitness. In either case, if she's a pro, she's probably getting her equipment free and not too worried about trashing her rims.

In my case, because I teach these skills so frequently, I'm putting lots of stress on my equipment. In reality, a typical rider might use this skill a couple of times a year.

Kalidurga, are you comfortable riding on the grass? Are you able to get some speed on the grass? If so, you could try it on the grass. I would personally suggest you just try it in a safe parking lot somewhere. I teach this skill on pavement -- have never thought to teach it on the grass.