# Bunny hop tips from a noob...



## SWriverstone (Sep 3, 2009)

Just got back in from doing about 50-75 bunny hops out in the street in front of my house. (I'm beat!)

I've watched every tutorial out there 800 times (including flowmaster's video above). And I've read dozens of descriptions.

Of the tutorials I've seen and read, I think all of them fail to emphasize enough (or just don't even mention) what are IMO the most critical elements:

1. Forward bias in everything-in body position, and in arm/hand/bar movement.

2. Relaxing and unweighting your legs.

I think what I've been doing probably mirrors what a lot of people go through when they first start trying to bunny hop...

• you just yank up on the bars
• then you try pouncing straight up off your pedals (and of course come off the pedals if not clipped in)
• then you try yanking up on the bars and pouncing straight up off the pedals
• then you get frustrated when nothing's happening
• then you try yanking harder up on the bars
• then you try pouncing harder up off the pedals

Today I had an epiphany of sorts...which is that if you're doing all those bullet points above and getting frustrated, you're totally not approaching it correctly.

Of course I'm far from an expert...and I've still got a long way to go...but I've been practicing a lot, and am just sharing my personal observations.

For anyone still struggling with this, *here's a great exercise:* get off and away from the bike. Then crouch down, and _jump forward_, as if you're doing a standing long jump. As you do this, notice two things:
1) Notice how most of your movement is _forward_, not up.
2) Notice how your feet swing in a _forward _arc (and don't just go up).
Seriously---do this a couple times, then translate it to your bike. Think of doing a standing long jump when you're on your bike.

That overall "forward bias" is what you're after on the bike. It's the difference between "up" and "forward." But it makes a huge difference in getting the bike (especially the rear tire) off the ground.

Once I realized this, I could feel that my hopping suddenly progressed a big step. I wasn't necessarily getting any higher...but the overall motion felt smoother and less strained. I was having to go OOMPH! less...and AAAH! more, LOL.

The harder part (for me anyway) was completely relaxing and unweighting my legs more. Again, if you go back to the "standing long jump" analogy, when you jump your feet are completely relaxed and just flying forward. You have to try to achieve that same feeling on the bike.

But it's a very subtle thing---you can't (as many tutorials suggest) just "tuck your legs" or "crouch" or "pull your legs up" because if you think of it that way, you'll pull your feet right off the pedals.

You have to be keenly aware of the forward (and less, upward) motion of the bike...and bring your legs and feet up at the same rate that the bike is traveling. You have to learn to *"follow the bike" with your feet on the pedals*---not applying any force on the pedals...but also not trying to pull up/away from the pedals. It's like Goldilocks---it can't be too little, or too much...but just right! 

One last point---don't know if this is considered proper technique, but I also found it helped me a lot to really focus on my arms straightening out as I jumped forward. (I think before i'd been holding my arms too bent and close to my chest.)

I've read where people say your hands/bars should inscribe a "C" shape in the air (with the open side of the "C" facing forward, and your hands/bars going from the bottom of the C to the top). This made NO sense to me until I starting thinking FORWARD...not up.

So all of this is in the "for what it's worth" category, and aimed at other noobs like me who might be struggling with this!

Scott

PS - BTW, I'm doing all my practicing on flats (e.g. not clipped in).

PPS - What I'd REALLY love to hear is a detailed explanation from an expert on how you go from little bunny hops to jumping onto a picnic table! :???: I'm guessing it's the same idea...except that obviously there has to be a much greater "UP" component than forward to get that high...


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## roc865 (Jun 29, 2009)

i'm starting to wonder if it's not me and maybe my bike is too heavy or maybe i'm too heavy and my gut is weighing down the bike. 
is it all technique or 75% technique and 25% weight of the bike?


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## RU Chris (Oct 8, 2009)

This is an interesting write up. I've been reading all of the bunny hopping threads that have been popping up later in search of tips for some "advanced" technique advice. I consider myself pretty good at bunny hopping, I can hop 2+ feet obstacles on a bmx, and clear obstacles 18" reliably on my mountain bike.

I achieve these results with relatively little effort (no hulking on the bars, etc). I rock back and lift the front end, then I "pull" my bike up with my feet, on platforms. The posts saying you can't do this are nonsense, because it can be done. I would imagine it is probably much easier with clipless, I haven't had the opportunity to try.

As the OP asks, what steps are necessary to progress this technique into the ability to hop even higher, onto say picnic tables for example.


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## RU Chris (Oct 8, 2009)

After watching flowmaster's vid again, it illustrates this technique of "pulling" up the rear end. It seems this is necessary. If you simply try to push your bars forward or forward and down to achieve rear end lift as suggested in some threads, you will be inevitably dropping the front end some limiting the maximum achievable height.

If you can spring up and "pull" the rear end up, it allows you rear wheel to clear as much height as your front wheel can, provided you can generate enough "spring" action.


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## Calusari (Feb 3, 2006)

For getting onto picnic tables, time your front wheel lift to get the front wheel onto the table. Concentrate on getting the front wheel onto the table as the rear will usually follow if you have enough speed. You will need to lift the front wheel higher by pulling your weight further forward and standing more erect on the bike as you lift it. Think of the standing jump analogy and then transfer it to jumping onto a table, you need more upward thrust as well as forward. Moving your weight backwards and extending your legs like you would for a manual front wheel lift will give you extra pop on the front end. Once the front wheel gets on push the bars forward and away scooping the rear wheel up with your feet by pointing your toes down and gripping the pedals. As you are pushing forward on the bars you will be able to put a little more rearward pressure on the pedals allowing for more lift. Remember there is something there to push the front wheel against which will help you get the rear wheel up. Don't attempt it too slowly as you will stall as the rear wheel will start to fall before it gets onto the table. If you are going a little quicker you don't even have to get either wheel fully onto the table as they will still pop on in a similar fashion to riding up a kerb if you keep the wheel light until it is fully on the table.

The technique is pretty similar to the one you use to get up small steps on technical climbs only using a bunny hop to get the front wheel higher.

Practice your technique on a park bench before progressing to bigger hop ups.


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## CapricornZA (Aug 30, 2009)

very interesting right up with a pretty unique take on things. I guess this can only come from lotsa sweaty introspection.. luv it!


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## enigami (Sep 29, 2009)

the problem most people have is getting the back end up. when im teaching someone, im no expert but i can do it and get asked, i just tell them to practice doing endos while riding. BUT not big enough to go OTB..
as long as they can get that feel for it, they can do a bunny hop easily.


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## Dopaminer_09 (Oct 23, 2009)

My take is that a lot depends on your innate talent for jumping, perhaps what percentage of your muscle fibers are of the fast twitch variety. For example, some people can just jump high, whether it is on the basketball court or volleyball court or whatever. And others (like me) can't jump worth a damn no matter now much they train or how much weight they lose. I can barely do a standing jump of 12 inches, so there is no way I am going to ever bunny hop any more than 12 inches (my bunny hop in clipless pedals is probably 6-8 inches). That is what I have been thinking.


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## SWriverstone (Sep 3, 2009)

RU Chris said:


> I rock back and lift the front end, then I "pull" my bike up with my feet, on platforms. The posts saying you can't do this are nonsense, because it can be done.





Calusari said:


> ...push the bars forward and away scooping the rear wheel up with your feet by pointing your toes down and gripping the pedals.


See this is a critical point---the concept of actually pulling the rear up with your feet. In my experience so far (which is very limited 'cause I'm still a noob!) this is not possible. It may have a lot to do with your pedals-if you have smooth flats with no pins or spikes, it's extraordinarily difficult to "grip" the smooth pedals with your feet.

I'm not saying you don't do this RU Chris or Calusari...I'm just saying that this is _way_ beyond my ability at this point (and likely beyond anyone else's ability who is learning how to do this).

Don't you think it's at least possible that instead of actually _pulling_ the rear of the bike up, the rear is coming up _on its own_...and your feet are just "following" it?



Calusari said:


> As you are pushing forward on the bars you will be able to put a little more rearward pressure on the pedals allowing for more lift.


This quote seems to get closer to what I was experiencing-the forward motion allows you to keep your feet on the pedals...but I'm still skeptical about how much "pulling the bike up with your feet" is actually going on.

-----
One final point/question...many people say "don't practice this clipped in because you'll pull the bike up with your feet which is cheating."

So...what's the difference between "pulling the bike up by the pedals while clipped in" and "pulling the bike up by the pedals when not clipped in?" (Aren't they both "pulling the bike up?") 

It just seems to me that most of the bike's upward/forward motion comes from the upward spring (via your arms)...and your feet and legs are just along for the ride. This seems even more true after reading Calusari's explanation for getting onto a table:


Calusari said:


> Concentrate on getting the front wheel onto the table as the rear will usually follow if you have enough speed.


Again, this is closer to what I was experiencing: you get the front up and forward...and the rear (and your feet and legs) are just along for the ride!

Scott


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## SWriverstone (Sep 3, 2009)

roc865 said:


> i'm starting to wonder if it's not me and maybe my bike is too heavy or maybe i'm too heavy and my gut is weighing down the bike.
> is it all technique or 75% technique and 25% weight of the bike?


Believe me, I wondered the very same thing! I'm a big guy on a 29" bike, and I kept thinking "me and the bike are just too damn big!" But as with so many things...I do think 75% is technique.

Much of it is getting comfortable enough with the basic motion that you can begin to spring forward (and upward) with greater force. I mean let's face it---as a noob like me, you're not going to literally spring with all the force you can possibly muster-it's just not common sense! (I'd be on the ground in no time, LOL.)

When I started doing this, I was probably springing forward/upward at no more than 50% of the maximum possible "spring force" I could muster.

After a lot of practice, I've maybe upped it to 65-70% of "max spring force." I think the really good guys are using much closer to 100% "max spring force" which is why they get such big air!

Scott


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## Bikinfoolferlife (Feb 3, 2004)

As far as pulling up on the pedals, without being clipped in, where you can literally pull "up", is to maximize your position on the pedal to allow you to grip them and use them for control, more like cupping your feet on the pedals and using some backwards force simultaneously. Use your wrists to help you rotate the bike, too. Also, are you guys springing up by pushing the front end of the bike into the ground first, and then when it naturally springs up, to complement that with your own spring "up" action?


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## emtnate (Feb 9, 2008)

I think you are close with your comment about letting the rear wheel follow the bike up. I usually preload the fork as mentioned above, then lift the front end up and use the bars to help rotate the rest of the bike around.

This video of Danny Macaskill has been around this site a 1000 times, but the first part of it really illustrates a good bunny hop in slow motion. You learn from watching the best right?


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## RU Chris (Oct 8, 2009)

As far as the weight of the bike, It does have some effect. After riding a heavy bike for a while, a hopped on a really light one for a test ride down a trail. Went to hop a log and pulled up too hard on the rear end (forgetting how light the bike was), initiating a front flip style rotation send me right over the bars. Technique is definitely just as important though, because I can hop a heavier bike almost as well once I adjust to it. I imagine geometry might come into play as well.

While the "pulling" motion might be in part the rear of the bike following, I believe at least when I bunny hop, it is initiated by "pulling" up on the pedals. I can do this even on cheap plastic pedals, although it is more reliably done on good spiked platforms. The trick is to angle your feet forward (pedals at about a 45* angle) and sort of curl the front of your foot around the pedal.
When I have taught friends how to this, I have them just ride at jogging speed standing up, and just crouch down and lift the rear, without the front wheel leaving the ground. You should, if you try hard enough, be able to lift the rear high enough to endo right over the bars. Obviously you don't want to do this, but it gives you an idea of how much lift you can get on the rear end.

Get some front wheel lift, and combine the above motion with a crouch down and spring up, and you have a bunny hop. The upward "spring" is generated off of the rear wheel, the front wheel should already be in the air at this point. The above video is a good example of this.

I should mention all of my experience has been on a rigids or hardtails. I have never had the experience of factoring in rear suspension so I don't know how that would effect it, but I imagine with a quick enough rebound it would only help, similar to the pop created with a snowboard.


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## Calusari (Feb 3, 2006)

SWriverstone said:


> if you have smooth flats with no pins or spikes, it's extraordinarily difficult to "grip" the smooth pedals with your feet.


I'm not being sarcastic, get some grippy pedals with nice big pins. The first time ride off road with them you'll understand why.

Completely flat pedals should be banished to kids bikes. They are a nightmare over rougher trails and just plain dangerous in the wet, your feet just get bounced all over the place compared to a set of pinned flats.


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## SWriverstone (Sep 3, 2009)

Really interesting conversation!

(@Calusari and RU Chris) Okay-it definitely makes more sense that you can pull up the rear (to a certain extent) with your feet if you have pedals with pins. The flats I've been practicing with are lame kid's bike pedals---no pins and totally smooth black rubber!

But I'm still not totally happy with one point, which is...it seems like the difference between learning to bunny hop _not_ clipped in or clipped in is becoming less and less...because now we're talking about pedals with pins and spikes that "grip" your shoes and allow you to pull up on the rear. Doesn't this seem awfully darn close to being clipped in?

I guess my point is that it seems (to me anyway) that it's not automatically true that if someone learns to bunny hop clipped in they won't learn the correct technique. After reading what everyone has said here, I think I could go back to my cleats and still use good technique.

Though I do see now how pinned flats can help you pull up on the rear...go back and watch that Danny MacAskill vid again. specifically, watch the big bunny hop he does at about *0:55* into the video.

I watched this about 20 times in a row...and I swear he is NOT pulling the rear up with his feet---because if you look at the angle of his feet, they are totally flat (e.g. parallel to the ground), not angled forward 45 degrees. I just don't see how he could possibly be applying any upward force with his feet there.

On the other hand, his upward spring and lofting of the front tire are so powerful and smooth that I think the rear has all the momentum it needs to get up just from that---his feet are just along for the ride! 

Scott


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## emtnate (Feb 9, 2008)

He isn't "pulling" up the bike with his feet. That's the mark of a good hop. Watch his body english, pull up the wheel where you want it, shift weight forward and the rest of the bike follows.

I must use stiffer soled shoes than some, I can't cup my pedals with my feet. I ride with clips most of the time, but I do have flats with pins. I still can't get the upward force on the flats like I can with clips. But I can hop just as high with either set of pedals.


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## SWriverstone (Sep 3, 2009)

emtnate said:


> He isn't "pulling" up the bike with his feet. That's the mark of a good hop. Watch his body english, pull up the wheel where you want it, shift weight forward and the rest of the bike follows.


Yes! This is exactly how I've been perceiving it-it's all in the initial forward/upward spring, and the rest of the bike follows.

What I've also noticed-and I think this is where the idea of "pulling up the rear" comes from-is that you do have to unweight your legs and pull your feet up to follow the upward motion of the bike.

In other words, even if you get a good forward/upward launch...you can _dampen _that forward/upward motion a lot if you just remain standing on the pedals with your legs extended.

It goes back to the standing long jump or trying to jump up onto a low bench-you do have to pull your feet up to maximize height.

Scott


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## Calusari (Feb 3, 2006)

SWriverstone said:


> Yes! This is exactly how I've been perceiving it-it's all in the initial forward/upward spring, and the rest of the bike follows.
> 
> What I've also noticed-and I think this is where the idea of "pulling up the rear" comes from-is that you do have to unweight your legs and pull your feet up to follow the upward motion of the bike.
> 
> ...


As a novice you are not going to get the amount you pull your legs up perfect every time. Sometimes you won't lift them enough which will hold the rear end down a little. At other times you will lift them too much. If you have your pedals flat in this situation your feet will lift off the pedals possibly leading to a crash. By angling your and pushing back slightly you get a protect against your feet coming off rather than deliberately adding lift to the rear wheel..

A great rider like Danny doesnt have to grip the pedals as he knows just how far to pull his legs up.

Clipless bunnyhops are different in that you can, if you want, intentionally lift the bike by a much greater amount with your legs, hence the 'not doing it properly' implication.


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## RU Chris (Oct 8, 2009)

Perhaps my technique is a bit suspect then. I will have to wait until I can get to the park and mess around a bit to find out. I'll have to see if I can get up onto to some higher stuff. As I previously stated my max is about a 18" clearance 26" wheels.

I will have to experiment with allowing the bike to naturally follow. It seems additional input would be needed to control the bike's path, other than just shifting your weight forward. It would seem this control would have to come from the wrists/grip rather than feet.


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## SWriverstone (Sep 3, 2009)

RU Chris said:


> I will have to experiment with allowing the bike to naturally follow. It seems additional input would be needed to control the bike's path, other than just shifting your weight forward. It would seem this control would have to come from the wrists/grip rather than feet.


I _think_ this is right...
• forward/upward "thrust" comes from your legs (by the initial jump)
• the "connecting rods" that bring the bike along with your torso are your arms, which basically pull the bike along with your body...and possibly continue to pull forward/upward for a split-second after your body has stopped going up

But as I've said all along...I'm still a noob at it, and I'm definitely not gonna be jumping onto any picnic tables any time soon, LOL

Scott


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## DJer Flamezfan (Sep 19, 2009)

This is how I learned to bunnyhop

A good way to start is to practice just lifting your back tire at first you can do this by
- angling your feet forward and scooping up your back wheel 
-getting a firm grip on your handlebars and using your wrists to lift up the back
-you want to have as little weight as possible on the rear
-practice this by rolling at a curb lifting your front tire onto it then letting your rear wheel smash over it and you repeat it shifting your wheight untill you find how little weight you can put on the rear
-once you can pop your rear wheel up try the curb exercise but try popping your rear wheel over this is a good way to practice getting higher

Once you are confident getting your rear wheel up try lifting your front tire up then popping your rear. The trick is start with your weight back to get your front high then shift forward and pop. Remember the higher you get the front the higher you will go.

Once you get good the real height is in getting your front high then leveling out your bike . you have to time the weight shift perfectly.


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## tjchad (Aug 15, 2009)

Bunny hopping is kind of like doing an Ollie on a skateboard- once you pop up the front end on a skateboard you slide/drag your front foot forward and this pulls the rear up and forward. The bunny hop is similar- once you pop the front end off the ground you push forward on the bars and this helps lift or pull the rear up and forward.

It's really just simle physics. Of course I am relating this to doing so on my bmx bike 25 years ago- I have yet to get the MTB off the gound! I put that simply to the much longer wheelbase and my serious out-of-shapeness... And the fact that I really haven't tried.

SWrver- you are correct in that you don't really pull up on the pedals with your feet- you just kind of follow the path the pedals take as they move up with the bike. You can coax them up off the ground with your feet but you really are not "pulling" them with much force. This is mostly because you unweight the bike and any real pressure on the pedals will weight the bike unnecessarily.


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## SWriverstone (Sep 3, 2009)

More good comments!

Everyone thinks differently, so different words and phrases will mean different things to people. For me, it's best/easiest if I avoid the use of the word "pull" in relation to the rear of the bike.

I think it's more accurate (and helps me do more of the right thing) to think in terms of "following" the rear with my feet/legs as it comes up.

When I think this way, I focus more on the initial spring forward/upward and what I'm doing with my body and arms...which I think are 90% of getting this to happen!

It's almost like you have to tense your body, SPRING foward & upward with vigor...then almost in the same instant that you spring forward, you have to RELAX.

That last part (relaxing) is the hardest thing to do!

Scott


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

I get the front up then push down on the bars to get the back up....


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## SWriverstone (Sep 3, 2009)

jeffscott said:


> I get the front up then push down on the bars to get the back up....


Really?  If I do that my front comes crashing to the ground...and my back never even gets off the ground! LOL (Not knocking that technique...I'll definitely try it!)

Scott


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## ThePinkBarron (Aug 28, 2008)

When I learned to bunny hop it was on a 35 lb mongoose otero FS I was able to hop it off the ground about 8 inches or so with flats, its all about foot position on the pedals, keep your toes pointed down, and pull back/up at the same time after pulling up on the bars, just one fluid motion up, back and over whatever you are jumping over, and it does help to have something to jump over, lines on the road etc can just give you a false impression on how high you are actually hopping. With my mojo I am up to about 18 inches, not bad for a little girl 

Though for larger things I prefer to roll up to it and pull myself up and over it, like seen in that video. Hopping can only take you so far, the rest is finesse.


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## CaveGiant (Aug 21, 2007)

SWriverstone said:


> Believe me, I wondered the very same thing! I'm a big guy on a 29" bike,
> 
> 6'7" 210lb niner WFO can jump fine


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## CaveGiant (Aug 21, 2007)

I should say this was recently asked and answered well on the beginners forum.

This rambling diatribe above is no where near as informative.

Even the title should have given people a hint - noob giving tips....

This generally suggests bad advice, or good tips on how to do something badly!


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