# How are some people able to bunny hop so high?



## Will Goes Boing (Jan 25, 2008)

I've been watching some urban freeride type videos where people are bunny hopping their bikes up walls that are 3-4ft high like it's nothing. Heck I can't even do a vertical jump that high without a bike under me.

I highly doubt it's strength since most of these guys in the videos don't exactly look like they frequent the gym. I'm a fairly strong guy and I can barely bunny hop my carbon hardtail a couple of inches off the ground.

Is there a technique to get the height these guys are able to do?

Here's a good example of what I am talking about:

Mtb street, urban freeride. SpekToR's profile - YouTube


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## e-luder (Mar 25, 2008)

practice.


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## wsmac (Sep 5, 2010)

Okay, since I'm heading home soon I'd better answer this for ya....

They eat more carrots! :thumbsup:

Timing, practice.

Some bikes seem to be easier to hop than others.
Being in shape would seem like a good idea. It's not having lots of muscle, but having yourself in decent physical shape.
Bird-like bones.
Weighing 140lbs soaking wet.

Oh.... and the right shoes.

Glad to help.

seriously... it's the third line


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## Surfacecreations (Sep 8, 2011)

I think what you are asking is what technique is used. At least that's what I'm looking at and wondering when I see those videos. One thing is for sure, their seats are always down if there at all.
I'm in the same boat with bunnyhopping, only a couple inches, maybe 7", to get up curbs. It has to be the way they whip the bike up after they're on the back wheel. I've tried to watch it over and over and they all do the same movement...front wheel up, yank handlebars high and use the momentum of the bike to pop the back tire up. Watching the videos it is done so fluidly but on a bike out there, it's hard to figure out where to start that movement. It get's irritating quick.


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## wsmac (Sep 5, 2010)

From what I've learned (not that I can pop up 3' in the air with any of my bikes  ), it's part bike setup and part understanding momentum, leverage, timing...

A key action..."loading" a bike is the act of compressing the components that will provide spring (upward momentum) to the bike.
You load your wheels, suspension (if you have it), as well as your frame (you know frames flex, right?).

You also "load" your body. You lower your torso by bending at the waist, and flexing your legs and arms.

Speed is important in some situations, but not so much in others. Your ability to understand correct timing concerning the initiation of the release of all the "loading" will play a big part in the speed you need.
Faster does not necessarily mean higher... or even more successful!

When you watch those videos of people getting high on their bikes, or even watching someone in real life... try to leave the bike out of the picture a bit.
Watch carefully the body movements. If you can stay focused on the rider and really see what they are doing with each area of their body, you should start seeing one critical element of this skill.

Take what they are doing with their body and follow it through the approach to the object they are going to hop up on/over.
The moment prior to and right at the take-off hopefully will show you how they time it all.
Actually, the lead-up is important for the "loading" portion.

As they lift off the ground, study their body again. The feet and not only how they are connected to the pedals, but at what angle. The legs as they extend, then bend again.
The upper body and how it appears to stay in one place. The arms as they bend, straighten, then bend again as the rider gains the top of the landing.

Since you can't run YouTube in slow-mo, try dragging the tracker button while the movie is paused. Sometimes you get a pretty good slo-mo view and can see everything almost in stop-motion.

Just like the circus acrobats, and other physical activities that defy gravity like this, it's understanding momentum, gravity, energy transfer, and spatial awareness.

(_gee... I sound like some sort of physicist huh?  _)

Instead of just muscling your way over a curb, or 2x4, try to understand/feel what your doing with your body and bike.

When I was first learning bunny hops, I kept trying to muscle them. I'd overuse my arms to try and pull myself up with the bike. I'd use my upper body to pull the bike up by brute force. I also think I was pushing with my legs which might have resulted in a counterforce to what I was doing with my upper body/arms.

Once I started paying attention to timing, and finesse, instead of muscle, I started getting it!

Perhaps someone who can actually hop 3' in the air will come along and give you a better explanation.
This is the best I can do.... :thumbsup:


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## sean salach (Sep 15, 2007)

Plenty of youtube tutorials with slow motion on bunnyhopping, and at least a couple of threads on here. Weight has nothing to do with it, as someone suggested above. At one point, and possibly still, Jeff Lenosky had the mtb bunnyhop record at around 46". Jeff weighs about 205lbs.


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## Repo (Feb 26, 2009)

*Bunny hop*

Alot of the trials riders do what is know as a pedal kick. It is where you press on one pedal as you lift the front wheel off the ground, then the body English comes into play to get your back wheel to follow. It's tougher on a full squish because the rear sags as you come up on your back wheel. There are several videos out there. Look up trials how to's.


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## Trond (Mar 7, 2004)

Check this out: Video: How To Bunnyhop, With Sam Pilgrim - BikeRadar


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## crazy03 (Mar 15, 2011)

Will Goes Boing said:


> I've been watching some urban freeride type videos where people are bunny hopping their bikes up walls that are 3-4ft high like it's nothing. Heck I can't even do a vertical jump that high without a bike under me.
> 
> I highly doubt it's strength since most of these guys in the videos don't exactly look like they frequent the gym. I'm a fairly strong guy and I can barely bunny hop my carbon hardtail a couple of inches off the ground.
> 
> ...


You wanna know the trick all the pro's use?
Fill your tires with helium instead of air :thumbsup:


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## SuperSlow35th (Jul 22, 2011)

Its dependent ALOT on the bike. I can bunnyhop my 20" bmx close to two foot off the ground, (last time I tried i could bunnyhop over a small recycling bin). My full susp mtn bike though? About a foot tops, and thats with alot of trying. I can hop over curbs and small stuff pretty effortlessly though without thinking about it to much. 


I dont know the mechanics of it all so Im going to tell you how I learned. Btw, im 6' tall and weight 165 lbs on a heavy day. 

First of all, a bunnyhop is not really picking both wheels up at the same time as alot of people try to do. The height of your bunnyhop is severely dependent on the height of your front wheel before you initiate the actual hop. So the best way I learned is this.

Step 1: Get a small 2x4. Place it laying wide side down (So its 2" tall).
Step 2: Ride towards the 2x4 at a joggers pace, pick the front wheel up and let the rear wheel manual into the board. When you feel the tire bump into the board, pick your feet up into your body while keeping your weight towards the rear of the bike (If you let your weight fall to far forward youll end up on your nose and im not responsible.) Do this until youre comfortable and consistant. Remember the motion.
Step 3: Now turn the board onto edge (So its 4" tall) Do the same thing, but dont let the rear tire hit the board, make the same movement youve been making but do it before the board. Do this until you can comfortably and consistantly clear the board. 
Step 4: Add more boards stacked on top of each other until you absolutely cannot clear it anymore. 


This may not work for everyone but its how I was taught and how I learned.


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## jds2835 (May 22, 2011)

Bike geo is the most important part, a bmx or street trials bike has a much different chain stay length and bb height than a carbon mtb. Most people do not get their front tire high enough before they begin the hop. Pull up, jump forward, push down. I can do good bunny hops on a bmx bike but not on the 20" mod trials bike that I used to have. The bb was too high on the trials bike and it was good for balancing on the back wheel, more like a pogo stick.


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## Naturally Aspirated (Aug 17, 2011)

Trond said:


> Check this out: Video: How To Bunnyhop, With Sam Pilgrim - BikeRadar


Good tutorial. Love the bonus tip at the end lol.


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## SuperSlow35th (Jul 22, 2011)

Naturally Aspirated said:


> Good tutorial. Love the bonus tip at the end lol.


The bonus tip is the first thing I ever learned how to do on a bike lol.


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

They are not smart and do not understand how gravity works.


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## Will Goes Boing (Jan 25, 2008)

Now that some of you have mentioned it I do notice they lift up the front tire as high as they can before they pop the back wheel up in the air. When I try to do it I lift up the front and back at the same time. I'm going to mess around this weekend and see if I can improve my height.


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## Trond (Mar 7, 2004)

Will Goes Boing said:


> Now that some of you have mentioned it I do notice they lift up the front tire as high as they can before they pop the back wheel up in the air. When I try to do it I lift up the front and back at the same time. I'm going to mess around this weekend and see if I can improve my height.


Try it on a low obstacle. It helps on the focus and dedication.

I have an old photo of myself that I think captures the extreme part of the motion. Knees are almost on the bars, and my weight shifted. The bunnyjump never feels like this, because the motion is fast. Try to be as explosive as possible.


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## FNGSupreme (Sep 8, 2011)

Will Goes Boing said:


> Here's a good example of what I am talking about:
> 
> Mtb street, urban freeride. SpekToR's profile - YouTube


In Russia, bike rides you!


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## Cormac (Aug 6, 2011)

These guys have it figured out! Over 4 feet by the end


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## jmal (Jul 16, 2009)

One thing to pay attention to is whether the people you admire are putting the front wheel on the obstacle before the rear wheel reaches its maximum height. For example, on a bmx bike I can bunnyhop onto a loading dock. While it may look like an enormous hop, I am really hopping just high enough to get my front wheel onto the dock and then letting my momentum carry my body and bike onto the obstacle. Once the front wheel can reach, the rest follows naturally. Now, I can hop fairly high standing still on flat ground, but nowhere near as high as the obstacles I can hop onto. You need a low saddle to get maximum height. Timing and a fair amount of strength also help. As a kid, I lived on my bmx bike, so describing technique beyond what I have already mentioned is hard to do. It's like trying to explain how to breathe. Pedal kicks are another story. I am always amazed at the magical pedal kicks good trials riders manage.

Addendum: the first video has guys using a little bit of pedal kick. MacAskill is the last video just has phenomenal ups. Some folks are superhuman.


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## masterofnone (Jun 21, 2009)

crazy03 said:


> You wanna know the trick all the pro's use?
> Fill your tires with helium instead of air :thumbsup:


Don't stop at just the tires. Seal all the holes in the frame ,bars, etc and fill them with helium also. While you're at it empty the water out of your camelback and fill that too.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Anti-gravity, lease a square yard of it.


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## Shift92 (Sep 25, 2008)

Here a good slo-mo video to look at


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## Lule (May 4, 2009)

His mother's a frog.


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## Pedal Shop (Dec 14, 2006)

Testing a TBC Blindside Video - Pinkbike.com

by no means super impressive, just bustin' over a log -- l was just tinkerin' around with a new TBC Blindside.

slightly up hill approach -- pretty big log.

l used to be able bunny hop the schnarky on a BMX bike but now l'm lucky if l can get the thing 2 inches off the ground.

l'm waaaay better with bunny hops when riding a big kid bike, MTB, road even a fixie _(even though that's really tough to do on a fixie, timing is everything_). way way better with bunny hops when using SPD's.

lt takes practice -- lots of it.

dont try it on a tandem, you'll get teeth jam'd in your back by the co-pilot _(learned that the hard way)._


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## Sorebuttbiker (May 1, 2011)

Don't laugh, I actually have dreams at night about trails type hopping from thing to thing and bunny hopping up on stuff and wheelies and all that. I wake up feeling all awesome and then realize that I in fact suck.


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## Dion (Oct 22, 2009)

There are so many factors into high bunny hops - geometry is most key. On a BMX bike, I can get up picnic tables, loading docks, junkyard car hoods, etc. On my 29'er, double curb height is about the best I can do.

When I had my trials bike, I couldn't bunny hop that thing for the life of me. I swapped out the stem and handlebar and _viola!_ I could get up anything.

I've been able to bunny hop pretty high for over 25 years - but some bikes just do not want to leave the ground compared to others.


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## ImaFred (May 16, 2009)

Bunny hoppin a crossbike= fun times


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