# learning to manual and bunnyhop



## alex923 (Sep 25, 2005)

So, I can already bunnyhop (where both wheels come off the ground at the same time, which isn't helpful at all) and I really want to learn how to j-hop(where the front wheel comes up then the back) Its been very hard for me to learn, possibly because my bike is so heavy (37lbs) and I'm so light. There is this "humo" near my house that I'm learning to manual off of because it helps get my front wheel off the ground, and I can now manual with the help of a bump. The problem is, i can't lift my wheel on flat ground, and its beginning to look like its gonna take me forever to learn. Can anyone givve me some helpful tips? I've already read Mastering Mountain Biking Skills, and seen flowmasters video.

BTW, I do go out pretty much every day and practise

THanks


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## fiddy_ryder (Jun 15, 2005)

j hop bunny hop same ****.. getting both tires off is useless like you said.. only thing thats gonna help is more practice,, you kinda have to use your feet to pull the back wheel up. hard to explain. get some 2x4s and start trying to get over those. . only thing thats gonna help you manual is practice,, its a *feel it out* kinda skill. if you cant lift the front off ground when rolling you need to hit the gym  hang your ass off the back of the bike and pull up and back on the bars.


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## JBsoxB (May 18, 2004)

lean way back over the back wheel (to manual and initiate a hop) and then (for a hop) try to throw yourself over the bars (like a wave, coming back and then over)... later you can dial it in so it is smoother and higher.


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## alex923 (Sep 25, 2005)

THanks for the advice I'm guessing you 2 can bunnyhop well, right?


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

check out the other 16 threads about this exact same subject....
http://forums.mtbr.com/search.php?searchid=2489267


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## pavement_hurts (May 13, 2006)

alex923 said:


> possibly because my bike is so heavy (37lbs)


just out of curiosity, but what are you riding?


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## JBsoxB (May 18, 2004)

alex923 said:


> THanks for the advice I'm guessing you 2 can bunnyhop well, right?


not great, mabye 2 1/2 feet.

i hear sittingduck there can hop 40".:eekster: :thumbsup:


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## alex923 (Sep 25, 2005)

an '05 Norco One25


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## theg1ant (Oct 21, 2005)

I cant bunnyhop really well but i can manual decently. I kick the drivetrain relly hard and pull up lightly. oNce your front is up get over the back axel.


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## ihatemybike (Nov 27, 2005)

37lbs? Makes me wonder what my bike weighs, but not enough to weigh it.

Anyway, here's something I tell a lot of bunny hopping beginners.
1. Stand next to your bike
2. Holding the grips, lift the front wheel off the ground as high as you can.
3. Push straight forward on the bars as quickly as possible

When done correctly the rear wheel will leave the ground. This is the exact same movement your bike takes when you do a bunny hop. Pull up, push forward & unweight your pedals so the rear wheel can come up.

Your weight doesn't matter, your strength doesn't matter, the bike's weight doesn't matter. Technique matters.

I say this as a former 145lbs, 6', scrawny guys that could bunny hop a non-butted Standard STA, with Tuff Wheels, and moped tires (BMX bike that most likely weighed in over 40lbs) on top of picnic tables. I've gotten bigger and stronger, but my technique is the same.

If you are having a hard time pulling the front end up you most likely aren't getting your butt back far enough. Practicing on a BMX will help, as they typically are easier to bring the front end up on.

Also, no J-hop, Bronco-hop, Sky-hop, California Bunny-hop, just Bunny Hop. Those bad terms are typically used by people not in the know, and will get you laughed at by people that are.


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## MartinsMental (Dec 12, 2005)

Alex,

Great question, followed by some great answers. The most important thing you can do is RIDE ALL THE TIME. Practice makes perfect and will develop the muscles you need to bunny hop and the technique will come with time. Don't worry about your bike or what others are riding. Just stick with it and by the end of the summer you'll be a bunny hopping fool. Now go ride.


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## chris27 (Apr 24, 2006)

ive had my bike just over a month. can bunny hop about 1 1/2 feet. hopefully that will get higher over the summer.


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## Raghavan (Aug 14, 2005)

To J-hop, all you do is pull back and shove all your weight backwards. Once you get your rear wheel up, shove your weight forwards and angle your feet down and pull up with your feet as you'd do a bunnyhop. I can bunnyhop, but not too high because i end up J-hopping over everything anywho.


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## Evil4bc (Apr 13, 2004)

alex923 said:


> Learning how to bunnyhop and manuel ??
> 
> THanks


It's all overrated just learn how to do kick out's and long skids :thumbsup: 
That's wear it's at


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## ihatemybike (Nov 27, 2005)

Raghavan said:


> To J-hop, all you do is pull back and shove all your weight backwards. Once you get your rear wheel up, shove your weight forwards and angle your feet down and pull up with your feet as you'd do a bunnyhop. I can bunnyhop, but not too high because i end up J-hopping over everything anywho.


J-hop moron.


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## alex923 (Sep 25, 2005)

I think I can now kinda do it. What I do is lift my front end up, then I try to twist the grips. 
I also tried doing this on my friends Trek 6500, and it is very easy. However on my bike, I find it very hard to do, and I can barely get off the ground. THanks for everyone that gave advice though.


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## Raghavan (Aug 14, 2005)

ihatemybike said:


> J-hop moron.


Why am i a moron?


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## zaefod (Apr 8, 2005)

The problem I have is the "exploding". On a 20" I can really straighten my body out and get height but on my MTB rig I don't seem to get the necessary lift.


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## coma13 (Sep 3, 2005)

zaefod said:


> The problem I have is the "exploding". On a 20" I can really straighten my body out and get height but on my MTB rig I don't seem to get the necessary lift.


try and hit yourself in the hips with your handlebars... and then exaggerate the tuck.


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## ihatemybike (Nov 27, 2005)

Raghavan said:


> Why am i a moron?


Because as stated above J-hops do not exist. What you call J-hops are in fact bunny hops. Doesn't matter if it's both wheels at once or front up first, it's a bunny hop. Calling it anything else opens you up to be mocked and/or laughed at. I'm attacking the improper name, not necessarily you. I had to be educated on proper terminalogy too, many growing seasons ago.


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## fiddy_ryder (Jun 15, 2005)

here.. even chicks can do it...

http://www.bmxbasics.org/new/bmx0703.html


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## jake2119 (Feb 27, 2006)

One thing I think alot of people over look is balance. You can lose alot of energy trying to bunnyhop of balance. My guess is that if you can't do a decent manual that you need to work on balance since that is really all a manual is. Try doing trek stands and see how long you can hold it. See how straight you are landing your your bunnyhop. Once you train your muscles to ballance better you should see better results. Once I improved my balance which wasn't awful to begin with I probably and 5 inches to my bunnyhop, which is only about 18-24 inches. I doesn't matter how much effort you put into it if its not in the right direction.


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## cummings (May 21, 2005)

Bunnyhops. Click the link that says "Bunnyhops with the Gonz"
http://www.bmxonline.com/bmx/how_to/0,15753,,00.html


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## Raghavan (Aug 14, 2005)

ihatemybike said:


> Because as stated above J-hops do not exist. What you call J-hops are in fact bunny hops. Doesn't matter if it's both wheels at once or front up first, it's a bunny hop. Calling it anything else opens you up to be mocked and/or laughed at. I'm attacking the improper name, not necessarily you. I had to be educated on proper terminalogy too, many growing seasons ago.


Well, i've heard it called a J-hop, bunny hop, deer hop, etc, and i call it a bunny hop, but the original poster called it a j-hop, so i just went with that.


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

I can hop approx 35 inches in "HOLY ****" mode.

I was talking with my girlfriend while biking, so I wasn't looking in front of me. I was on the sidewalk and she was on the street, she said "watch out for that downed treebranch". I had time to notice the downed treebranch that was about hip high, and I was going decently fast, no time to brake in time, too fast to ditch the bike. So I hopped like a mofo, up and over it I went. I have never reached that height again.


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## alex923 (Sep 25, 2005)

snaky69 said:


> I can hop approx 35 inches in "HOLY ****" mode.
> 
> I was talking with my girlfriend while biking, so I wasn't looking in front of me. I was on the sidewalk and she was on the street, she said "watch out for that downed treebranch". I had time to notice the downed treebranch that was about hip high, and I was going decently fast, no time to brake in time, too fast to ditch the bike. So I hopped like a mofo, up and over it I went. I have never reached that height again.


whoa thats awesome. Maybe one day when I become a better bike I can achieve mofo mode


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## Scarpa (Aug 16, 2005)

snaky69 said:


> I can hop approx 35 inches in "HOLY ****" mode.
> 
> I was talking with my girlfriend while biking, so I wasn't looking in front of me. I was on the sidewalk and she was on the street, she said "watch out for that downed treebranch". I had time to notice the downed treebranch that was about hip high, and I was going decently fast, no time to brake in time, too fast to ditch the bike. So I hopped like a mofo, up and over it I went. I have never reached that height again.


you did so well because your brain wasn't getting in the way.. :thumbsup:


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

coma13 said:


> try and hit yourself in the hips with your handlebars... and then exaggerate the tuck.


Bingo! :thumbsup:


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

That could probably be it. I think I hope about 20-25 inches normally.


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## B100 (Dec 14, 2005)

*now that's hopeful*



snaky69 said:


> I hope about 20-25 inches normally.


 freak


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## nightfall (Apr 28, 2006)

I could use a little help. I can get both wheels of the ground, but I can't get the back wheel of more then an inch or 2. I haven't been working on it long, but I'm wondering if running a 26''-24'' set up matters at all on how high I can get the back wheel off. 

And also on mauals I don't have any trouble getting the wheel of the ground, but I can't stay up more then a couple of feet without over balancing forward or back. Any advice would be appreciated.


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## rush340 (May 22, 2006)

nightfall said:


> I could use a little help. I can get both wheels of the ground, but I can't get the back wheel of more then an inch or 2. I haven't been working on it long, but I'm wondering if running a 26''-24'' set up matters at all on how high I can get the back wheel off.
> 
> And also on mauals I don't have any trouble getting the wheel of the ground, but I can't stay up more then a couple of feet without over balancing forward or back. Any advice would be appreciated.


Don't worry about your setup yet. Just keep practicing technique. I've gone from only being able to hop up curbs about a months ago to about 15" at my best now. I notice a big difference in how I hop over small things as well. It's all practice.

That article posted below helped me out a little as well ( http://www.bmxbasics.org/new/bmx0703.html )

As far as manuals, I'm in the same position as you. I've been practicing them though, and they've gotten a tiny bit better.


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

Once the front wheel comes off the ground for a manual, it's all about moving around to stay at the balance point, if you feel your front wheel is coming down, just put more weight back, if it goes up a bit too much for your liking gently tap the rear brake. It's all practice.


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## pavement_hurts (May 13, 2006)

I'm not liking the name "bunnyhop" or "J-hop." Bunnyhop doesn't sound cool, and J-hop sounds like one of those Japanese-styled American trends. I vote to change it to "Lenosky." Just imagine, "Man, I just Lenoskied over that..."


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

Around here for some reason people call it "popping".


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## aznsap (Jul 7, 2006)

i have trouble getting my front end up as well, unless i push down on the front first and give it a really hard tug back with my arms. could it be because i don't weigh that much? i'm about 140lbs and i have a diamondback assault btw.

i've only been able to bunnyhop curbs but my front end doesn't come up that high.


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## Xsjado (Jun 24, 2006)

im only 110lbs and I can bunnyhop 6-7 inches and manual a fair distance on a BMX, and even on my mountain bike i can bunnyhop a few inches and about 8 when i need to.


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## B100 (Dec 14, 2005)

if the front won't come up, you're not getting your butt back far/low enough... you should be able to make the bike stand up nearly vertically without a pedal stroke by practicing the "front pull" drill, as mentioned earlier

when I'm pulling up hard in the drill, I sometimes have the rear tire kinda spontaneously come off the ground a little

bend your elbows and crouch down to start the pull, you do not have to pump the fork to get the motion started - it's all rider, not the bike


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

Using the fork's rebound is cheating


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## aznsap (Jul 7, 2006)

B100 said:


> if the front won't come up, you're not getting your butt back far/low enough... you should be able to make the bike stand up nearly vertically without a pedal stroke by practicing the "front pull" drill, as mentioned earlier
> 
> when I'm pulling up hard in the drill, I sometimes have the rear tire kinda spontaneously come off the ground a little
> 
> bend your elbows and crouch down to start the pull, you do not have to pump the fork to get the motion started - it's all rider, not the bike


oh.... so when you lean back and down, you're right over the rear wheel? i think my problem was that i leaned back, but didnt' crouch down.


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