- Today I'm hoping to answer a question that we get asked all the time, and it's
how to bunny hop a hard tail and how it might differ from a full suspension bike.
So today I'm on a hard tail, I've also got flat pedals on so I can't cheat.
The bike is a large, which is actually slightly too big for me. I normally
ride a medium. So that's actually quite good. It's going to show our smaller
viewers how much you've got to throw your weight around on the bike to get a hop.
It's also plus size so wider tires, but that won't make
any difference to the bunny hop.
Bike setup will also make a difference to how easy or hard to find the bunny hop.
I've got a relatively long stem on there today, sort of 80 mil,
so that stretches me out a little bit. A short stem would make it a little bit
easier. Also my saddle won't go any lower than this on a large frame
so I don't have that much space to move my hips around. So a lower saddle,
shorter stem, would make a bunny hop a little bit easier.
So technique for a bunny hop is start exact the same as a full suspension bike.
You're looking for L shape with your hips so stand nice and tall,
pump down and then to the back of the bike in one smooth motion.
So that's that L-shape, the manual technique I always talk about.
On a full suspension bike, that pump part of the L is going to compress
that suspension and then when you're ready to lift to the rear wheel,
that's going to help you pop a little bit. And that's where you really need to squash
that rear shock on a full suspension bike. On a hard tail, obviously,
that doesn't matter so much. The pump part is less important. So less downward
motion, but more backwards and towards a rear wheel motion to get your hips nice
and low and then use those hips to lift the rear wheel.
Make sure your arms are straight when you move back on the bike.
This keeps the front wheel straight, which is important for jumps and it means you're
using your weight to lift the front wheel rather than the arms. Also, cover your
back brake and get ready to hit it if the front wheel comes up too high.
Practice lifting your front wheel using this technique for quite a while until it
feels really good. Only when you've got it nailed, think about moving
on to lifting the rear wheel.
So to lift the rear wheel, there's two techniques you need to use together.
You need to throw your hips forward towards the handlebars, so that's your
weight going up and forwards. At the same time you do that, you need to dip your
toes slightly and pull back slightly against the peddles with your feet.
I need to do those two things at exactly the same time, and that's going to pop the
rear wheel up and into the air.
This is the hardest part of it, and if you find your feet are slipping or lifting
off the peddles, then first make sure your foot is in the right position on the
peddle and secondly, make sure you're not trying to do too much of it with your feet
and you're using your hips as well as your feet to lift the rear wheel.
So there you go. Once you've got both those skills, the front and the rear wheel
lift, now it's time to put the two together into one smooth motion
and there's your bunny hop.
Now for the timing. You need to start your rear wheel lift just as the
front wheel is starting to peak.
The most common mistake is people wait until the front wheel is starting to drop
and then go in with it.
And that's slightly too late. So there you go.
There's how to bunny hop a hard tail. As you can tell, it's actually
really similar to a full suspension bike. The biggest difference really is that
pump. You don't need to do as much. You're not trying to squash that rear suspension.
And it will feel different becaus of that. You also need to land a little bit
smoother on a hard tail as it easy to damage your rear wheel,
especially when you're learning bunny hops.
If you're still struggling with the bunny hop, why not ask us a question?
Hopefully we'll be able to help you out. Use #askGMBN and you might get
featured on our Sunday show.
If you want to check out more videos, you can check out a really in-depth how-to
manual by clicking just up there. Or if you want to use your bunny hops on jumps
to make more height, just click down there. That'll take you through to that
how to video.
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