in Beginners, Newbies, Noobz, etc (Moderators: imwjl, TheMayor1)

The Flowmaster videos might be old now, but the concepts hold.

The wheelie drop and bunny hop are essentials even if you're as lame a rider as I am. Even micro drops and hops will make all the difference if you ride a place like Blue Mound or Underdown. They will turn parts of Quarry Park, Quarry Ridge and Pleasant View into fun you otherwise might not get.

It's worth some time to get the picking up back of your bike without cleats or a full bunny hop. I switched to 5.10s which really help.



Note what he does 3:58. It's not really bunny hop or wheelie drop but it turns what used to intimidate you to fun.

Notice none of this is being done on dirt!

The best practice for the trails is in the city!

First of all, thanks - these are great (if a bit dated) videos!

Note what he does 3:58. It's not really bunny hop or wheelie drop but it turns what used to intimidate you to fun.

What makes this not a bunny hop? It looks like a very small bunny hop to me. Is it just because hopping off a 'drop' (still not sure if this counts as a drop - someone mentioned it has to be higher than your wheelbase to be a real drop) is not considered a bunny hop?

Also Tim, thanks for pointing out that you don't need dirt to practice this stuff. It seems obvious, but sometimes I forget to just get out and ride when I don't have time to make the 7-mile ride out to QR. I do live right near Quarry Park, but a lot of that is still unridable for me.

He does bunny hop a little off the drop. For those that don't understand what a bunny hop is, watch this. Notice you pull up your front wheel and then your back. Many call a bunny hop what they do when they just lift up on the bike when clipped in, but that would just be a hop.

That guy is a beast, take lesson, I believe he holds the world record for highest bunnyhop.

Sorry hahaha I love the guys who can't "bunnyhop" unless their clipped in!   That would just be a hop!

Sorry hahaha I love the guys who can't "bunnyhop" unless their clipped in!   That would just be a hop!

Not real helpful comments like this in the Beginner forum.

That would be like me saying if you can't corner hard if you are clipped because you are afraid you might crash, you really don't know how to corner on your bike, just drift. But I would not do that here because this is the beginner forum where we are trying to be helpful to people and not critical

That guy is a beast, take lesson, I believe he holds the world record for highest bunnyhop.

Sorry hahaha I love the guys who can't "bunnyhop" unless their clipped in!   That would just be a hop!

I don't understand the semantics/attitude.   A lot of riders ride clipped in, myself included.  When approaching a log or other obstacle across the trail, I "squat" on my bike, build up recoil tension and then literally jump up, pulling my front end up with my arms and lifting my back end with me feet, and then throw or lunge my bike forward.   I don't care what you call that or if it is the correct "trials" technique.  It gets me over logs just fine. 

When riding rigid, I need to add a step, and use a fore/after motion to leverage up the front end before lifting the rear.

An easy way for newbs to practice is to start with a curb and focus on not letting the back tire hit; then adding a board or something to the curb to incease the height. 

And we are seeing why a specific noob forum is of dubious value.....

Maybe rename "skills/technique" forum

And we are seeing why a specific noob forum is of dubious value.....

Some folks will need gentle reminders at times. If that does not work, that is why some of us have moderator abilities......

"Let this be the forum to post your questions without fear of being skewered by the crusty old members."

Besides Tim is too young to be a "Crusty Old Member", though he does a heck of an impersonation of one sometimes

all these hops are BS in my opinion.  The 'right' way to hop over moderate sized obstacle has nothing to do with pedals.

1. Approach at a slightly uncomfortable speed, more is better but the last thing you want is to be going too slow.
2. Shift your entire body forward, get your butt off the seat and preferably an inch or so in front of it.  This can be a challenge on some bikes but at the very least you need to be off the rear of the seat. You'll want to be as low as possible too.
3. About a second before your front wheel hits the object (this will depend on speed but you need a pretty good gap) lift the front wheel twice the height of the object (so for a 6" log you'll need the front wheel a foot off the ground).
4. Keeping a firm grip with your right hand release your left hand and reach behind and grab the back of your seat, try to keep three fingers between the rails.
5. Now spring your weight upwards, not too much, just enough to be light on the pedals, and pull the seat up until the tires become level in the air, they should both be just high enough to clear the object now.
6. Lean back and push the rear wheel down once it is clear, this is important to a smooth landing
7. Release the seat and get that left hand back on the bar, done, and with style

I learned it from bikerfox

all these hops are BS in my opinion.  The 'right' way to hop over moderate sized obstacle has nothing to do with pedals.

I am sure Rich meant to say: "This is what I feel to be the correct technique". Remembering that he is posting on the beginner forum ...........

I didn't mean any disrespect in my comment, I guess some could take it negatively who don't know me.  I prob shouldn't post much in a beginner forum lol.  Sorry all.

I will emphasize what I meant by that in a nicer way to beginners or anybody for that matter.

I'm sorry but I really do think it's hilarious the amount of riders (not beginner) who don't even know how to actually do a very beginner trick that I learned when I was like 8.  If you can't bunny hop as high without clips then your prob not actually doing it right.  Sure do whatever works for you but for a beginner in reference to basic skills that's not what I think we want to tell them.

The emphasis was on building correct bunnyhop technique in this beginner forum.  It wouldn't do any beginner justice to tell them to just clip in cause you don't have to learn how to do it right then.  Yes I could have worded it better but the point remains.

I do come across a little corse at times I guess and sorry for that.  I was raised in one of the big cities and it's just my style, I ride the same way, you guys know, but there's something to be said for that as well.  It's an affective attitude for succesful mtn biking!  I am a dick to my bike and to everything it rides over in my quest to dominate all terrain in front of me.  In a sport that's mostly mental beginners can take away something from that as well.  Also, I hope I don't make things sound too easy.  Getting great at something isn't.  I rode literally almost every day last summer for at least 30 mins because I wanted to go from good to really good.  Many days I literally rode for 5-6 hours on different trails and always ended with skill building urban.  I didn't work last summer and if you guys only knew how many hours I spent sessioning the same urban feature over and over until I could or coultn't ride it anymore, literally for hours until very early in the am almost daily.  I rode, almost every day of winter as well for at least 15mins and for many, many hours working delivery for JJ all winter.  More than one person has told me last summer, wow you have got really good at biking very quickly, it didn't happen by accident!

I may not come out and spell everything out in easy to read text for a beginner or whoever and I will work on that I promise.  There is something valuable in almost everything I say though.  I like to stir the mental pot if you will.  I'm a writer that's just how my brain works.  Stuff I write hopefully get's people thinking and provokes people to learn even if it does piss them off a little, sometimes that's necessary for people to get thinking differently for themselves and act accordingly.  Yep, I got philosophical in a beginner mtn bike forum, sorry again!

all these hops are BS in my opinion.  The 'right' way to hop over moderate sized obstacle has nothing to do with pedals.

I am sure Rich meant to say: "This is what I feel to be the correct technique". Remembering that he is posting on the beginner forum ...........

By the time you get to step 4 the tone of the post should be clear 

Philosophical wall of text.

In all seriousness, though, I think the difference between a bunny hop and 'just a hop' is actually important. I know I am guilty of using my clips (thanks to my road/cross background) more than I should. I can hop my BMX (err, I could before I sold it) but I kind of do what Jeff was saying *not* to do in the end of that video, where I bring both wheels up at once. This does severely limit the height I can get, and now I know what to practice.

That said, when I've tried the 'real' bunny hop technique in the past, shifting my weight forward just forced the front wheel back to Earth, and I couldn't get much hop in the rear at all.  Is it a timing thing?

Maybe practicing on a 29er isn't a great place to start, but it's all I've got right now - perhaps a good excuse to re-invest in a BMX or a 26er .