# Can you bunny hop a road/hybrid bike?



## Matthew_T (25 Nov 2011)

I can't. I can do a little wheelie but that is it.


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## ianrauk (25 Nov 2011)

yes, cycling the mean streets of London meant that one had to learn to bunny hop very quickly.


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## VamP (25 Nov 2011)

It's really not hard (with clipless).


Another question is how high?


In cyclocross, elite riders bunnyhop 16 inch barriers (ususally as a combo of two, about 12 feet apart.) At speed. Now that is hard.


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## Dogberry (25 Nov 2011)

Yes, it comes in handy sometimes.


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## gb155 (25 Nov 2011)

ianrauk said:


> yes, cycling the mean streets of London meant that one had to learn to bunny hop very quickly.




Same up norf in Manchester too


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## deptfordmarmoset (25 Nov 2011)

I can half bunny hop and get enough weight off the back to spare my rims but I've never managed to get my rear wheel off the ground. Except when launching myself over the handlebars, of course.


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## MontyVeda (25 Nov 2011)

I've only managed the parallel hop, as in both wheels leave and land at the same time. Never got the hang of the 'mono' hop as we used to call it, as in front wheel up first followed by the back wheel. I couldn't even do that on my bmx


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## martint235 (25 Nov 2011)

Even I can do a bunny hop!! I think I can still do the one where the front leaves the ground first and lands first, used to be called a something kick I think back in the day when I could ride a bmx.


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## akb (25 Nov 2011)

I have never had the need. If I need to mount the pavement (part of my route requires this to go under and avoid the A1!) then I use drop kerbs.


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## gaz (25 Nov 2011)

Aye. do it daily. Bunny hopping in a fixed wheel is an intresting experience.


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## martint235 (25 Nov 2011)

akb said:


> I have never had the need. If I need to mount the pavement (part of my route requires this to go under and avoid the A1!) then I use drop kerbs.


 
Why on earth would anyone want to avoid an A road???


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## tyred (25 Nov 2011)

I've never mastered this but there again, in normal riding, I cannot think of a single occasion where it would have been useful. I don't ride on footpaths.


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## zizou (25 Nov 2011)

its usually not a proper bunny hop if you do it clipless...teaches bad technique and habit, as i know all too well when i occassionally put on flat pedals on my mtb, i keep trying to do it the lazy way and my feet keep leaving the pedals


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## zizou (25 Nov 2011)

tyred said:


> I've never mastered this but there again, in normal riding, I cannot think of a single occasion where it would have been useful. I don't ride on footpaths.


 
It is useful for avoiding potholes or other road debris when you cant swerve to miss them, its not really about being able to hop up kerbs.


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## ColinJ (25 Nov 2011)

martint235 said:


> Why on earth would anyone want to avoid an A road???


What - _seriously?_ 

(Ooh - _hail!_ I thought that the sun had disappeared rather suddenly and a combination of heavy rain and hail has just hit us! I didn't spot that on the forecast ...)

I do my best to avoid A-roads, but Hebden Bridge is located on the often-busy A646 so I am obliged to spend some time on that. I like to get off it up onto the quieter hilly roads ASAP though.

Getting back to bunnyhopping ... Yes, I can do it on my road bike and often do. It is definitely a very useful skill to have.

For instance - Once I was on a forum ride with various CC members including Bokonon who warned me about the descent past the Cow & Calf at Ilkley. He told me to watch out for a cattle grid near the bottom. His warning went in one ear and out the other and I found myself doing 75 kph (47 mph) when it suddenly appeared out of the mist in front of me; I instinctively bunnyhopped it! You want to be absolutely sure to get that kind right though - you do _not_ want to land on the edge of a wet cattle grid at nearly 50 mph ... 

It's good for hopping over debris, potholes, sleeping policeman, rumble strips and snakes! (We don't get many big snakes on the roads round here, but I bunnyhopped over one on a mountain descent in Spain once!)


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## ianrauk (25 Nov 2011)

zizou said:


> It is useful for avoiding potholes or other road debris when you cant swerve to miss them, its not really about being able to hop up kerbs.


 

Indeed... it's saved me many a puncture..


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## oldfatfool (25 Nov 2011)

tyred said:


> in normal riding, I cannot think of a single occasion where it would have been useful. I don't ride on footpaths.


 
Think riding over cobbled speed humps on a downhill road


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## Mad at urage (25 Nov 2011)

Hop over potholes, road-humps and occasionally up kerbs (haven't needed that last for years though - used to be required skill to hop sideways and up when in London).


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## VamP (25 Nov 2011)

zizou said:


> its usually not a proper bunny hop if you do it clipless...teaches bad technique and habit, as i know all too well when i occassionally put on flat pedals on my mtb, i keep trying to do it the lazy way and my feet keep leaving the pedals


 
Tru dat

It's hard to not do it clipless though if all your bikes have clipless pedals, you have to unclip right leg, then left leg, then bunnyhop using proper technique, taking care not to flip your pedals over on landing, then clip back in both legs... sometimes it's almost not worth the hassle


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## Jonathing (25 Nov 2011)

I can (usually) bunny hop the cobbled speed humps in a few of the villages around here on my road bike. I've been trying to bunny hop my fixed, for sh!ts and giggles but I can't manage it.


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## Hacienda71 (25 Nov 2011)

A useful skill to have. Next will we see the "can you trackstand pole?"


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## waggoner (26 Nov 2011)

At the risk of sounding dumb...How do you bunny hop??


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## akb (5 Dec 2011)

martint235 said:


> Why on earth would anyone want to avoid an A road???


 
It's the A1. That bloody big Trunk road from London to Scotland. Dont really fancy cyclign along it at rush hour thanks.


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## ColinJ (5 Dec 2011)

waggoner said:


> At the risk of sounding dumb...How do you bunny hop??


Like this ...



I find it so instinctive now that I couldn't quite think how to describe it, I just do it when I need to.

A friend of mine who lives in Tenerife just emailed me and told me that he was doing a high speed descent on an unfamiliar road last week when he hit a steel drainage channel and punctured front and rear and buckled both wheels. That's exactly the kind of situation where a well-timed bunny hop can save you and your bike.


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## ColinJ (5 Dec 2011)

martint235 said:


> Why on earth would anyone want to avoid an A road???


Why would anyone choose to ride on an A-road if a quieter alternative was available?


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## martint235 (5 Dec 2011)

ColinJ said:


> Why would anyone choose to ride on an A-road if a quieter alternative was available?


They tend to be a more direct route from A to B when I'm in a rush.


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## ColinJ (5 Dec 2011)

martint235 said:


> They tend to be a more direct route from A to B when I'm in a rush.


I can see the sense in that, but for _leisure_ riding I'd always seek alternatives.

I ride A-roads myself _when I have to_ and some of them are not too bad. The A6033 between Hebden Bridge and Oxenhope is a nice long climb and descent with great views. It's not so good when lots of people are driving in a hurry to or from work though.


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## HLaB (5 Dec 2011)

VamP said:


> It's really not hard (with clipless).
> 
> 
> Another question is how high?
> ...


Yes and No to the OP. I don't think I could do it with flat pedals but as you say its not really hard with clipless. That said I probably couldn't get that high its only really a spur of the moment think for me when a pothole comes up; my mate on the other hand is good at it


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## ColinJ (5 Dec 2011)

Cool!

This is even more impressive though ...


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## ColinJ (5 Dec 2011)

martint235 said:


> Why on earth would anyone want to avoid an A road???





ColinJ said:


> Why would anyone choose to ride on an A-road if a quieter alternative was available?


Oops - sorry for my transitory mental aberration - I'd already commented on that on the previous page!


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## Cyclopathic (5 Dec 2011)

I would have to be sure that I could bunny hop well enough not to clip the bunny as I went over it.


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## 2wd (5 Dec 2011)

I tried this a couple of weeks ago when a big manhole cover appeared in front of me which had a huge pothole on it's edge.

Ended up blowing the innertube valve clean out when I landed


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## ColinJ (5 Dec 2011)

Cyclopathic said:


> I would have to be sure that I could bunny hop well enough not to clip the bunny as I went over it.






_Ooof! _(I had to redo the video link because something went wrong with the old one)



2wd said:


> I tried this a couple of weeks ago when a big manhole cover appeared in front of me which had a huge pothole on it's edge.
> 
> Ended up blowing the innertube valve clean out when I landed


The bunny hop should include a controlled landing too! (Raise your weight off the saddle, land with arms and legs bent to cushion the shock.)


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## peelywally (5 Dec 2011)

yes i can hop any bike , i dont know a glasgow cyclist who cant tbh


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## 2wd (6 Dec 2011)

ColinJ said:


> _Ooof!_
> 
> The bunny hop should include a controlled landing too! (Raise your weight off the saddle, land with arms and legs bent to cushion the shock.)




I know that now 

But at 49 years old,13 stone and failing eyesight,I couldn't respond to the obstacle quick enough 

Since then, been practicing the WOSALB  (weight off the saddle and arms and legs bent  )


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## gaz (6 Dec 2011)

speaking of cyclocross... how not to do it.


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## ColinJ (6 Dec 2011)

2wd said:


> But at 49 years old,13 stone and failing eyesight,I couldn't respond to the obstacle quick enough
> 
> Since then, been practicing the WOSALB  (weight off the saddle and arms and legs bent  )


No excuses - I'm nearly 56, over 15 stone and I'm bunny hopping cattle grids at over 40 mph!


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## waggoner (7 Dec 2011)

Thanks Colinj for the videos. Looks interesting, i'll have to get out on the weekend and have a go at it.


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## Matthew_T (7 Dec 2011)

gaz said:


> speaking of cyclocross... how not to do it.




He parked the bike in the right position for cleaning. Well done him. (Looks nasty though)


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## Matthew_T (7 Dec 2011)

...That reminds me, There is normally cyclocross events at http://www.marshtracks.co.uk/ thoughout the year. Nothing till the new year though, just the normal training sessions.


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## gaz (7 Dec 2011)

Matthew_T said:


> He parked the bike in the right position for cleaning. Well done him. (Looks nasty though)


Upside down? Cleaning connoisseur would disagree


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## Matthew_T (7 Dec 2011)

gaz said:


> *Upside down?* Cleaning connoisseur would disagree



Well I do it both ways up. I find cleaning the front is easier when the bike is the right way up, then for cleaning the rear and chain, upside down works fine. I always put a cloth under the seat though to stop it getting scratched, something this cyclist didnt do (It does look like he knew that at the last minute and tried to stop the bike from hitting the floor by hurling himself under it).


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