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.

[TigerMom]

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.

I was practicing for about 20 min in my cul-de-sac, grunting like a tennis player.

Good news: I improved

Bad news: I can only lift up my front wheel about 2cm. If I am lucky, I can bunny hop over a twig.

Thank you Irulan for the foam noodle idea...although I am not even close to attempting that yet.

Currently my handle bars are on the lowest part without flipping the stem. My handle bars are about 2-3inches above my seat level (I have short legs, long torso). Do you think that maybe I can't lift my front wheel because I need to flip the stem on my handle bars because my handle bars are on the high side?


___________________________________________________________________
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]

Long torso? Try moving back more, and make sure you are extended through the legs, not crouching over your saddle. The move can be tough to get at first but I doubt it's an equipment issue. There are probably good videos on YouTube. Free Ride Fundamentals has a very good series but I haven't seen all of them.

[gnat23]

Eenteresting. The way I was taught was to try to minimize the pull from the arms. The front wheel lift was achieved by getting pedals into a power position and then kicking down really hard on that good foot and shifting your butt back a bit at the same time. When timed well with the compression of a front fork (a little harder on a road bike), the front wheel just naturally comes up.

Once there, then it's a matter of shifting your weight forward and sort of donkey kicking your feet, visualizing curling your toes underneath the pedals and lifting the back of the bike up. It's the subtle timing that transitions the front wheel lift to the rear wheel lift and you've got both wheels in the air at the time time, a bunny hop, QED.

[limewave]

Eenteresting. The way I was taught was to try to minimize the pull from the arms. The front wheel lift was achieved by getting pedals into a power position and then kicking down really hard on that good foot and shifting your butt back a bit at the same time. When timed well with the compression of a front fork (a little harder on a road bike), the front wheel just naturally comes up.

Once there, then it's a matter of shifting your weight forward and sort of donkey kicking your feet, visualizing curling your toes underneath the pedals and lifting the back of the bike up. It's the subtle timing that transitions the front wheel lift to the rear wheel lift and you've got both wheels in the air at the time time, a bunny hop, QED.

That is how DH has been trying to teach me for years. I have not spent time practicing this maneuver, just on occasion when I'm riding and feeling playful I'll give it a go. I'm starting to think this is a skill worth knowing--I should practice!

[Irulan]

You have done a better job of describing the foot part, which is important, better than I have.

(woo hoo we now have you tube inserts!!)
Excellent demo



as you can see it has not much to do with your arms. The way I was taught includes some compression, but it is so small you don't really think about it.

[Irulan]

Alison Gannett describes the body mechanics of the wheel lift well

[TigerMom]

Thanks Irulan for the great videos!

In Alison Dunlap's video, I laughed so hard that I nearly peed in my pants about the bikers that try to lift as hard as they can and then crash into the curb. That statement describes my bunny hops perfectly...including the crashing into curbs and then falling.

Both those videos helped a lot although they seem to have two different bunny hop methods. The first video seemed to pull with your rear end almost off the bike and stomping backwards. The second video has you stomping forwards and leaning back at the same time.

I'll try both those methods today.

Thank you, thank you Team Estrogen for the advice. I didn't know that legs were involved in the bunny hop at all.
___________________________________________________________________
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]

as you can see, there's more than one way to skin the cat. But this is NOT a bunny hop, its a front wheel lift.

[TigerMom]

Holy Crap! TE forums work miracles.

I tried both front wheel lift methods. The first method did not work for me. The second video with Allison Dunlap's method works great.

I actually lifted my front wheel 3 inches off of the ground (inconsistently but frequently)!!!!!!

Now I just have to work on the timing. Once I get my timing down, I'm ready to try the foam noodle and then a curb.

When I get the front wheel lift technique down, I will try to do the bunny hop. In fact, I'm going to see if I can change the title of this thread to front wheel lift. Sigh. I just tried to edit the title, but I am unable.
___________________________________________________________________
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)