Bunny Hopping

Mare

Well-Known Member
On a good day I can get up big hills, over lots of obstacles, but no matter how good my day is, I cannot freaking bunny hop large logs that my chain rings will otherwise crash into. Any women out there who have mastered this technique? It would help my riding greatly if I could learn to do this already!

Women's forum, but guys, please chime in also if you are reading this :)

And please don't just tell me to lift my front wheel and then my back. I get the concept, but I have not been able to learn to actually do it yet.
 
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TonyC

Active Member
Mare,
Now only if you can teach my wife to pop a wheelie. :)

Bunny hop/ Bronco.
When you manual a wheelie just spring your body up pull hard on the handlebars then push forward to get the back wheel off the ground.
Takes lots of practice.
I'm sure you can master it.

later
T
 

Mare

Well-Known Member
Thanks for that stuff!!

The video was really helpful because...umm...dare I say why and risk sounding like a ditz? Because it tells you to go into it standing. That explains why I could get my front wheel up, but could never act fast enough to throw my weight forward and lift up the back. I was doing it from a seated position which really screws it up!

Now to stop the rain so I can go practice.
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
A prequel to just straight-up hopping a log is to do the little front wheel tap on it first and then pop the back wheel up...In the trials world this move is called a "JapTap"...It's pretty easy to do, yet hard to explain what is actually happening...Here's the basic idea...

Stand. Lean back slightly and pull up the front-end high enough to land on the top of the obstacle. As soon as there is contact between the front wheel and said obstacle, lean forward a bit and pull the rear wheel up while allowing the front wheel to roll off the backside. You're rear wheel should hit the obstacle as your front wheel hits the ground and you just roll off. It takes a little bit to get the timing right, but once you get it this works at any speed in pretty much any combination, like off-camber logs, uphill logs, logs in corners, etc...

Like I said, this is easier to do than explain so I'd just find a smaller log (something you could just run over) and practice the concept. Or even find a wood block and practice in front of your house.

-Jim.
 
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ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
A prequel to just straight-up hopping a log is to do the little front wheel tap on it first and then pop the back wheel up...It's pretty easy to do, yet hard to explain what is actually happening...Here's the basic idea...

Stand. Lean back slightly and pull up the front-end high enough to land on the top of the obstacle. As soon as there is contact between the front wheel and said obstacle, lean forward a bit and pull the rear wheel up while allowing the front wheel to roll off the backside. You're rear wheel should hit the obstacle as your front wheel hits the ground and you just roll off. It takes a little bit to get the timing right, but once you get it this works at any speed in pretty much any combination, like off-camber logs, uphill logs, logs in corners, etc...

Like I said, this is easier to do than explain so I'd just find a smaller log (something you could just run over) and practice the concept. Or even find a wood block and practice in front of your house.

-Jim.
Learning to do this was crucial to me getting out of bashing the ring into larger logs and whatnot. I can still clearly remember seeing one of my more experienced riding buddies doing it and having one of those "A-ha!" moments.
 

TonyC

Active Member
A prequel to just straight-up hopping a log is to do the little front wheel tap on it first and then pop the back wheel up...In the trials world this move is called a "JapTap"...It's pretty easy to do, yet hard to explain what is actually happening...Here's the basic idea...

Stand. Lean back slightly and pull up the front-end high enough to land on the top of the obstacle. As soon as there is contact between the front wheel and said obstacle, lean forward a bit and pull the rear wheel up while allowing the front wheel to roll off the backside. You're rear wheel should hit the obstacle as your front wheel hits the ground and you just roll off. It takes a little bit to get the timing right, but once you get it this works at any speed in pretty much any combination, like off-camber logs, uphill logs, logs in corners, etc...

Like I said, this is easier to do than explain so I'd just find a smaller log (something you could just run over) and practice the concept. Or even find a wood block and practice in front of your house.

-Jim.

Jim,
was that you at Hartshorne yest morning hammering along just about to enter Rocky Pt trail going Clockwise? I was by the wood fence waiting for my riding buddy to come up the trail. I didn't want to call out because you looked pretty serious.
T.
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
bunnyhopping is much easier to learn with the saddle dropped a bit. once you get it down like that try doing it with the saddle in normal xc position.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Stand. Lean back slightly and pull up the front-end high enough to land on the top of the obstacle. As soon as there is contact between the front wheel and said obstacle, lean forward a bit and pull the rear wheel up while allowing the front wheel to roll off the backside. You're rear wheel should hit the obstacle as your front wheel hits the ground and you just roll off. It takes a little bit to get the timing right, but once you get it this works at any speed in pretty much any combination, like off-camber logs, uphill logs, logs in corners, etc...

-Jim.

This is usually more efficient that bunnyhopping the whole log also, unless you are going pretty fast. If you have front suspension you can also use the rebound or your fork to get some extra lift when you uncompress to go over the log. If you are going fast enough you can just barely hit the rear wheel or miss the rear all together. This method has much better accuracy when landing then a bunny hop, especially in tight places like 6 mile or mercer
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
This is usually more efficient that bunnyhopping the whole log also, unless you are going pretty fast. If you have front suspension you can also use the rebound or your fork to get some extra lift when you uncompress to go over the log. If you are going fast enough you can just barely hit the rear wheel or miss the rear all together. This method has much better accuracy when landing then a bunny hop, especially in tight places like 6 mile or mercer
Excellent point.
 

Mare

Well-Known Member
This is usually more efficient that bunnyhopping the whole log also, unless you are going pretty fast. If you have front suspension you can also use the rebound or your fork to get some extra lift when you uncompress to go over the log. If you are going fast enough you can just barely hit the rear wheel or miss the rear all together. This method has much better accuracy when landing then a bunny hop, especially in tight places like 6 mile or mercer

True. I really think this might be what I need to learn first anyway...it sounds like the natural progression.
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Jim,
was that you at Hartshorne yest morning hammering along just about to enter Rocky Pt trail going Clockwise? I was by the wood fence waiting for my riding buddy to come up the trail. I didn't want to call out because you looked pretty serious.
T.

Possibly, I was on a baby blue Fisher in the Fisher Team kit...You can yell at me, I always look serious, but I never am;)

-Jim.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
True. I really think this might be what I need to learn first anyway...it sounds like the natural progression.

for riding xc, with your seat nice and high, it is good to hop things under 6" and tapping anything higher, but it really depends on the trail layout
 

TonyC

Active Member
Possibly, I was on a baby blue Fisher in the Fisher Team kit...You can yell at me, I always look serious, but I never am;)

-Jim.

bingo. Next time I'll yell out.
Btw, you cut right in front of the Mini Cooper leaving the lot which got my attention. Bikers have the right of way ;) Then I yelled one coming up as you darted into the woods, but I don't think you heard me.
Later,
Tony

Back to Bunny Hopping.. Practice Mare.
 

ellenserruto

New Member
Thanks for the tips. You guys are BH pros . . If the trails are too wet tmr, I'll be out in my driveway cause I'm so fired up about jumping over things now.
 

Pokgirl

Spork
The video was really helpful because...umm...dare I say why and risk sounding like a ditz? Because it tells you to go into it standing.

Hey Mare,

How is the bunny hopping practice going?

I studied this thread and videos, had the hubby out front working with me, and yes, I need to go into it standing too. Wow, that feels totally different. I feel like I am starting over, but I can finally pull up my back wheel!

Then, of course, I had to go out to the trails and work on it some more. Long story short, ended the day with an endo. Oh well. My recent score is 3 rides without going over the handlebars. Keep practicing...

Heidi
 
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FallGirl1430

Guest
Bunny Hop

Take it from me ... If you bunny hop a long at high speed during a race at lets say ... Darkhorse, MAKE SURE you clear the log you are about to hop, if you don't clear the log with your front wheel there is the risk of getting hurt. You might even break your collar bone too, nah on second thought, that could never happen!

Christina ... :)
 
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