CheGiantForLife

https://youtu.be/DamUcYNCEWk?t=192



I watched this again in slo-mo.

It seems the rear wheel lifts b/c he suddenly stands upright on the pedals.

This must create a “weightless” effect like an ZeroG plane parabola.



In fact, one of his feet leaves the pedal entirely.

The feeling must be that you’re jumping off the bike.



It’s the unclear if his feet actually lift the bike,

Or if that force was already provided by the front handlebar pull and standing up



Edit: His feet absolutely do not lift the rear wheel.

His feet are above the pedal at the moment the rear wheel launches

One foot is not even touching the pedal..



Yank front wheel up.

Stand upright to let rising front wheel momo also lift rear wheel.



The leveling of the bike will probably just be automatic/intiutive




This is way more complex that it seems.

This is the only vid I’ve seen that treats the subject with the complexity and nuance it demands

He also admits this move is difficult as ****.

He also validates my slo-mo analysis that you need to literally jump “up off the bike” in stage 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Mjh0urnfhM



My problem is that I can’t get the front wheel off the ground long enough to go into the explosive jump up.



I also think this may be an equipment issue.

Center of gravity is totally ****ed on my bike. Might need a custom fit frame size for my body ?

My bike’s “stance” may be very forward leaning. Handlebars may be way too low.

It is almost impossible for me to lean my ass back over the seat and get any kind of sustained “wheelie”

Video above discusses pre-loading differences between hardtail and softtail.



Also, how does suspension factor into this.

I blew up my tires, and that had no effect.

Is my front suspension too soft? Too firm?

What about lack of rear suspension? Too firm? No “spring loading” to get rear wheel lift, like in the end of the video.

I am getting ZERO rear wheel lift, no matter how hard I jerk the bike forward. I don’t want to dislocate my shoulder.



I might need to get a new bike to do this.

I also might need special biker sneakers.

CheGiantForLife

To me, there is nothing intuitive about it. Otherwise, I would already know how to do it, after decades of owning a bike.

I’ve jumped curbs 1000’s of times over the decades and never once gotten the rear wheel off the ground.

Press handlebars as counter balance? Lift with feet, like Ollie, etc?

There is a reason almost no one knows how to do this.

Without slo-mo analysis, I would have zero chance, b/c everyone says “lift with feet”, even the kid, yet that is totally wrong in slo-mo (feel vs real)



After detailed analysis, I think you need to

1. Explosively Pull front wheel off ground (kid was getting massive lift)
2. Jump up off the pedals
3. Grip pedals with feet
4. Push handlebars down to level bike

CheGiantForLife

I love how he breaks it down

https://youtu.be/q5zBbLWIhHY?t=277



Great isolation drill at 5:00

Lifting while stationary.

CargoDane

You jump, pull up the handlebars, and when up you pull up your legs while lifting and pushing the handlebars forward at the same time, thus lifting up the rear wheel.
It's that simple. You can't do it without pushing the handlebars forward.

woodcraft

You'll get a lot more air on a bmx-style bike with the seat out of the way,

but it's a stretch to say that almost no one knows how- plenty of old farts here can clear a curb, pothole, or moderate log.

CheGiantForLife

I am 100% convinced I need a new bike or this is sorcery level CGI.



During round #2, I did it totally differently.

I was leaning all the way back, trying to put my ass over the rear wheel, and I am still just way to front heavy.

I was throwing my body back, actually TRYING to flip over backwards and wipe out, yet not even close.

And I have long arms, yet still too far forward.



I think my bike geometry is totally wrong and the pedals are too forward

Or handlebars are too low and forward. Sort of like a sportbike vs. Harley.

Front wheel barely comes up, or this trick just doesn’t work for 170lbs adult.

Basically, it’s impossible to get the front wheel high enough to ever jump off the pedals, upright.

There is a window of like .2 seconds where the front wheel is elevated like 3 inches.



Watching the pro video, the guy just gets way more hang time of the front wheel.

I totally get the steps of the movement after slo-mo analysis, but the bike is wrong.



Should be dead simple.

I guarantee the video guys could not do this on my bike.

Trakhak

There's a BMX subforum here. You should get lots of useful replies there. You can ask a moderator to move your thread from here to there.

CargoDane

Lower your saddle so you can lower your body to jump. Try it without the bike. If you don't bend much at the knees, you can't jump up very much.
What you're describing seems to be a jumping wheelie or some such. Imagine standing on the pedals, only on your rear wheel, brake on. You can jump from that position (if your saddle is low enough and not in the way), and to do a long or high jump, you have to get really down and use your handlebars to help you accelerate upwards (along with your legs). And when airborne, your do the "handlebars up and forward motion).

When you do a bunny hop, you don't jump backwards. You jump upwards. I guarantee he could do it on your bike too, assuming the saddle isn't too high for him. Hell, in a couple of weeks I'm 48, and I'm an amputee. I guarantee I can do it on your bike - unless it's a long cargo bike, then the front doesn't actually lift, but the rear is easily bunnyhopped.

Kapusta

I have been mountain biking for 23 years. I’m pretty good at clearing big logs and technical obstacles..

But I still can’t do a true proper bunny-hop. I still need clip-less to get fully off the ground.

I have recently decided I would make myself learn this with flats. I think I have pulled off a few small ones, but I am mostly still flailing.

CargoDane

I sometimes ride on a "kid's scooter" (but bought in my size, so the deck is longer and the bars etc. are taller and wider) to accompany my daughter in skateparks. To do a bunny hop on those is the exact same as doing it on a bike. When to set off, pull up, push forward and so on.
So, if you want to practice safely, get one of those for an adult-sized "kid", remove the wheels to make it even safer and practice on some grass or the rubber-flooring on some playground (you probably need to bring a kid for the latter).
When you have it pat-down, it's easy to progress to the bike.

downtube42

Kids.

When I first got my unicycle, I quickly concluded it was impossible to ride and all unicycling was smoke and mirrors. About a thousand falls later I was riding. Then I start watching vids from 13 YOs doing tricks.

He explains it pretty well. Now's the time, particularly since I've hit my deductable.

c_m_shooter

What kind of bike are you riding? I am 42 years old, 5'8" and nearly 250 and can still do a manual and Jhop. I never have been able to carry a wheelie at the balance point, but can hop any bike I have including a 1953 Schwinn DX. That thing has super long chainstays compared to anything made today. Rigid bikes are easier than bike with suspension to get to bounce up, because the suspension isn't soaking up your inputs. My guess is you are pushing down too long, it is more of a pop than a push. If you have a soccer or basketball, set it on something hard. Give the top of it a slap and pull your hand out of the way to let it bounce up. That is what you do to your bike tires, just from the handlebars and pedals.

cxwrench

^Pretty much exactly this^. I learned how when I was 12 (45 years ago). It was 2 solid weeks of trying. There was one kid in our neighborhood that could do it, he just wasn't any good at explaining how. Might be easier to learn by just getting the rear wheel up first?

DrIsotope

The shorter the wheelbase, the easier it is to hop.

Clipless pedals make hopping so easy it feels like cheating.

Russ Roth

What kind of bike? I can bunny hop any of my bikes though I don't have a full suspension to do it with. Just a matter of getting fluid with it when you make the jump. My biggest issue is gauging timing but can do this from a dead stop and even hop the whole bike sideways. Been trying to teach my kid how to do it now. Clipless can make it easier but better to learn with platforms. BTW, I'm 44 and 270lb and can get the bike about 6" off the ground and flat in the air. One way to get the bike up is that as the front goes up you move your toes down slightly and use the friction of your feet on the pedals to pull it up with you as you jump up.

CargoDane

It is sort of cheating - in the sense that as you pull up the bike with your feet, you pull yourself down to it. Luckily, the bike weighs less than you, so you don't go downwards the same amount the bike goes up. If you want to do the highest, you do it on flat pedals.
There is no reason you should need to be clipped in to do it. If you are, you are basically just jumping up with the weight of the bike attached to your feet. You could probably do it without touching the handlebars at all if you taped them straight or something.

I know you also use your arms to pull up and push forward, but the front and rear are somewhat detached from each other (the axis being in the middle).

CargoDane

You don't even need to do the thing with your feet if you do it correctly. I can do it on slippery pedals (although the landing might hurt), and I can do it even if my left foot is a prosthetic (i.e. no flicking of the ankle).

It is also done on scooters (as in trick scooters), and you don't somehow curve your feet around the deck edge to control the bike. You do that with your arms. Just like with a BMX on flat ground or on ramps.

In other words, you use your arms to keep your pedals close to your feet by pushing up and forwards on you handlebars.

hsuBM

It’s a two part motion.

Guess I was lucky, the kid who taught me told to first focus only on popping the back wheel in the air. “You already can pop the front up like it’s nothing. Wait till you can get the back up at least six inches on its own before combining the two.”

My first three attempts at combining the two were as awkward as a newborn deer trying to walk. After that I was a bunny hopping fool.

Koyote

OP: there’s no way I’m going to read a bunch of your long posts about… Bunny hopping. I will ask, though: why is it so bloody important to you that you’re this upset about it? Are you just looking for an excuse to buy a new bike? Not that that will help with your problem.

Kapusta

Your first THREE?

I’m on attempt number 300

Interestingly, the advice your friend gave you is similar to approach I am finally showing some signs of progress with.

CargoDane

I'm imagining a bunch of middle-aged men along the same street, all trying to bunny-hop while the kids are looking on, leaning their crossed arms on the BMX handlebars.

Kapusta

Yeah, that's why I do my attempts in the middle of the woods where nobody can see.

Charliekeet

Right. The 2-part motion is key. Watch these 2 videos for inspiration - the first one he shows just incredible height & smoothness... the second vid is older, a more step-by-step...
Broc Raiford - amazing how-to

How to Bunnyhop

Gyro

Try this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIGjEcpAa-k

hsuBM

lol, yeah, but to be fair it was about 300 rear-pops including quite a few rear-pop-slaps slapping recycle bins, “don’t walk on grass” signs, roadside trash, and other stuff that’s not appropriate for an adult to be swatting with the back of their bike. I had nearly mastered the first half before bothering to do the one-two link.