[da_eddio]

i was wondering do any of you guys struggle to get any decent height doing bunny hops with your 35lb 5-6 inch travel bikes or not?

ive mainly ridden rigids//hardtails and only recently got a full susser, and i have to say it feel bloody hard to bunny hop as the suspension absorbs all the energy :skep:

did any of you guys get this going from rigid//hardtail to full sus, did you manage to adapt and learn how to do it eventually?

 

[wayneosdias]

ive mainly ridden rigids//hardtails and only recently got a full susser, and i have to say it feel bloody hard to bunny hop as the suspension absorbs all the energy :skep:

did any of you guys get this going from rigid//hardtail to full sus, did you manage to adapt and learn how to do it eventually?

Pretty much my experience. I started on a fully rigid univega 15 years ago, 8 bikes later Im riding the same trails w/6" f/r. After a while you start letting the bike do the work, some people may not like it, but I couldnt imagine going back to fully rigid.

Maybe Im just getting old and lazy.

wayne

 

[MTB1986]

You have to let the bikes travel work to your advantage. I always pre-load the suspension before I hop, then your using the supensions un-loading to help you hop, if that makes any sense.

 

[m-dub]

I could get on a picnic table on my Heckler. Same technique as a hardtail just have to compress more. I found anymore than 5" up front and it is a pig for me to hop much over a foot. I spent alot of time riding a HT for trials and dont really miss it except for urban. Now its just my pump track bike and I kinda think my trail bike is better at railing corners there also. I love FS but think some people have to much travel for what they ride. Just keep hoping it will get easier. I tried hoping a 8X8 and it was really funny.

 

[da_eddio]

yeah thats half the problem with the suspension unloading, when you hop up, the suspension pushes the wheels down, making the total distance from the ground like 3 inchs, which is incredibly embarressing lol

i ride a coiler with 6 inchs rear and a 66sl up front with 7 inchs, could this be the reason why its so sodding difficult

 

[TNC]

I don't know, da eddio. I use the technique that 1986 uses...along with clipless DH pedals. Compressing the suspension on my Nomad, Bullit, or Big Hit and then literally pulling up with the cleats lets even an old man like me get over some small mud holes and such. Are you using flat pedals? Maybe your rebound settings are too slow as another possibility. Don't get me wrong. I don't jump up on any picnic tables by any means, but I think you have to let a longer travel bike "help" you with getting a decent bunnyhop.

 

[Gruzovik]

I find that when I get on my 5x5 Heckler after riding my street/trials bike for a while I can't even hop up a curb. But after a few min. on the Heckler I can get over a little over a foot - that's without clipless. It's deffinetly much easier to do on a rigid, but you just have to relearn the technique a little and get used to the suspension. M-Dub, a picnic table, very impressive - I wish I could do that.

 

[heavyg]

ditto

Definitely harder on 6" than 5 in general IMHO. I would echo the rebound comment- I find that keeping the rebound at both ends almost "too light" allows much easier hopping.

You may find it a bit of a handful on the bigger hits as a result; after a half dozen rides or so I am thinking the DHX air does a rather nice job of balancing the hop/big hit rebound compromise. I suppose the "speed sensitive rebound" may be the reason behind it?

 

[Tarekith]

Took me awhile to get used to, but as mentioned before it's just a matter of pre-compressing and timing the hop right. Once you learn to use the suspension to your advantage, it's not as hard. While I could hop higher on the HT, I find that I get less tired hopping on the FS.

 

[da_eddio]

thanks for the replies

good to know that some of you have adapted to your bikes and managed to get both wheels off the ground, perhaps there is hope for me yet

think i need to adjust to this bike, its quite a change from what im used too, and yes TNC im using flat pedals.

also do you guys find endo's a particular pain as the fork just compresses?

btw the reason i ask is my mate is a trials weirdo and i feel the need to do simple tricks with him :thumbsup:

 

[hardway]

also do you guys find endo's a particular pain as the fork just compresses?

yes! I've been trying to get one of those going for a couple of weeks. I think I'm too puss to throw myself forward enough to overcome the travel. I keep compressing my shock instead of doing the wheel stand.

 

[da_eddio]

now i see why they dont use full sussers with 6 inches of travel for trials now lol

 

[heavyg]

good point

tarekith makes a good point- when the big bike is set up well for hopping, they come very easy. Not very high (for me), but relatively painless

 

[rockcrusher]

I find that you need to extend the action of the bunny hop in time, that is begin pulling up a little earlier (this will load the suspension) then spring up as usually when your front tire just begins to leave the ground. I find that the old school way of bunnyhopping sans clipless is easier on my bullit than the new school cleat assisted way (at least for me). I also ride a rigid SS bike and have a really hard time transitioning back to it after riding my dually for awhile as I prejump everything and I am waiting for the rear end to spring into me which it never does. Needless to say this leads to tense moments quite frequently with my front tire way off the ground and the rear never leaving.

I also find that when it comes time to bunnyhop in trail I can get up at least 18" but if I was just rolling around in the street I will be lucky to get 6". I think that momentum is also your friend in big rig land. Let the mass of the bike work for you and pull you up and over your target.

 

[pinkheadedbug]

I just bought my first FS and had to re-learn the bunnyhop completely.

It's a really different technique.

At first I had the same problem of not even being able to get off the ground.

But then I realized you have to slow it right down... preload the suspension both front and back (unlike just front as you would on a HT) then do the bunnyhop... you do not have to pull up with the pedals... I press backwards with them and do a kind of donkey kick. I can get as high as I can with the HT, which is not that high but plenty to hop a log or something.

The FS really works better when you pop off a little bump or something since you can preload the suspension as you hit the bump and then use the compression to pop HIGH off the top.

 

[Psycho Mike]

I think practice and getting the feel ar really important.

For me, when I first went FS, I would ride down the street hopping away...they weren't big hops (and still aren't as high as the HT I used to ride), but you can use them just as sweetly....stuff that you'd have to get lots of air to avoid a snakebite (pinch flat) in the past isn't as critical because even if you hit, the suspension takes part of the blow so it's not as hard on the tire and rim.

 

[chewee]

I dunno I reckon its pretty much the same... as long as you do a proper bunny hop and not just pull straight up.

i.e. pull the front up early and lean back a bit for a kind of short manual until you are over the obstacle and then lever forward and tuck the rear up.

I do think its a lot easier with a target too (e.g. over a carboard box is good for practice).

 

[ChipV]

My current technique for crossing logs & such at speed is to lift the front as if to manaul, then sort of roll my wrist forward and try to pull my legs up and under. I can't get all that high (maybe 18"), but I can clear most logs and short rock gardens without slowing down. The real benefit is, you KNOW you can get your front wheel up, so if your back wheel is a little low it isn't always catstrophic. Also, if you are approchaing a step-up at speed, you can ussually carry speed into it if you hit it like this.

For skipping over mudhiles and such I still compress and use the clips, though.

 

[SteveUK]

Try to keep your suspension out of it. Like ChipV said, manual the front off the ground then, tilt your balance forward until the weight shift allows you to bring the rear up. it's two movements rolled swiftly into one. You won't always have time to preload your suspension when you're on the trail, so might as well learn to 'hop' without it...
Peas,
Steve

 

[tozovr]

thanks for the replies

good to know that some of you have adapted to your bikes and managed to get both wheels off the ground, perhaps there is hope for me yet

think i need to adjust to this bike, its quite a change from what im used too, and yes TNC im using flat pedals.

also do you guys find endo's a particular pain as the fork just compresses?

btw the reason i ask is my mate is a trials weirdo and i feel the need to do simple tricks with him :thumbsup:

I can Rock Walk my 5" Travel Liquid LOL.

With my flats my bunnyhops are average, but with my clipless I can actually tabletop most roots and rocks...

I used to ride freestyle for years and then got into MTBs and I think my time on the 20"ers really helped my handling skills.