Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - How do you bunny-hop on a fixed-gear

How do you bunny-hop on a fixed-gear? I've got a hunch, you simply don't. Otherwise, ba-a-d things might happen.

But I still wonder, whether there is someone out there possessing such a knack of outmost finesse about him.

Den Brewers

We're all only human...

I have seen it done, usually a courier popping up a curb. I don't own a fixed-gear yet so I haven't tried, but it is possible.

Yes it can be done.....isnt as hard as you think,you just gotta time it for your pedals being horizontal and that when the rear clears the ground if you stop pedaling briefly the rotation of rear wheel will actually help pick up the back of the bike.If your timing is off a little you can hop/skid just a bit before doing the bunnyhop to get the cranks where you want em.Compared to bunnyhopping a 32lb+ mtb,flicking a sub20lb roadbike or fixed gear up into the air is easy.

OMG, I never even thought of that. I don't have a fixed gear, and that question makes me not to want to own one either. You guys are nuts.

Originally posted by danr
OMG, I never even thought of that. I don't have a fixed gear, and that question makes me not to want to own one either. You guys are nuts.

hehehe true that

Hopping around isn't really my main objective, but I have done it. If you are strapped and/or clipped in to the pedals it is really just a matter of jumping and pulling the handlebars and pulling your legs up and so on and so forth. It's not the same feeling as you would have standing still on the pedals, getting ready to do it, doing it, and then landing and coasting for a little while, but when you are used to riding fixed it pretty much just becomes instinctual to your legs to stay with the rotation.

Any kind of air on a road/track bike (compared to a mountain bike or BMX) seems a little weird to me, but as I said, it is possible. The closest to a bunny hop I get on a day-to-day basis is pulling a little wheely up onto a curb, and then popping the rear up with my legs. That hardly even looks like the bike is leaving the ground though..

-Jason

Damn! You have probably now cursed me by making me THINK about something I have probably done without thinking up til now! I'm not even sure because I don't do it that often. There are a couple of spots on seldom-ridden route that require bunny-hopping a drain grate and one drain grate on my daily route home that can require a bunnyhop if traffic doesn't allow going around it. I am certain that SOMETIME in the last few months I have done one or the other without even thinking. Sometimes thinking can be overrated. :D

Originally posted by jasonyates
Any kind of air on a road/track bike (compared to a mountain bike or BMX) seems a little weird to me...
Jason

I didn't quite get it, Jason. Mind explaining it a little bit?

Den Brewers

I think he just means that one does not normally associate bunny hops/jumps with a road bike. It is generally something more often done on a mtb. This is true. I certainly wouldn't feed my road bikes steady diets of air, but there are occasions when obstacles like drain grates, potholes, gaping cracks, etc. call for evasive maneuvers. If you can't go 'round it, ya got no choice but to go over it.

Originally posted by RainmanP
I think he just means that one does not normally associate bunny hops/jumps with a road bike. It is generally something more often done on a mtb. This is true. I certainly wouldn't feed my road bikes steady diets of air, but there are occasions when obstacles like drain grates, potholes, gaping cracks, etc. call for evasive maneuvers. If you can't go 'round it, ya got no choice but to go over it.

Yeah, that is all I meant. You can sort of hop up a curb or over a pothole but not much more than that. When I said I could bunny hop my track bike, I didn't want people taking it to mean that I could jump up on to picnic tables or something. :D

-Jason

Actually hopping onto something high isnt the prob,its the landing OFF something high.....and you can still do some vert stuff on a trackbike with 36 spoke wheels that would suprise you.I find it quite easy actually to jump up about 2ft or so on my fixie....takes less effort than on my 30lb+ mtb.

I have actually been trying to get more used to it, and riding wheelies too (for some reason). The geometry of the bike or something just makes it feel so weird though. Like on a BMX your weight is more hanging over the front and back of the bike, so you have more leverage I guess.. ?? I suppose I should watch the part where they are doing stunts in Quicksilver more closely. :)

-Jason

How do you bunny-hop on a fixed-gear?

-with a sense of foreboding:)

eric

If someone lives in Denver and can bunny hop, skip stop, or skid really well on their fix, I will film them doing it and post the videos so people can see what everyone is trying to explain.

Interested?
email: cory@anti-robot.com

Originally posted by Grunk
If someone lives in Denver and can bunny hop, skip stop, or skid really well on their fix, I will film them doing it and post the videos so people can see what everyone is trying to explain.

Interested?
email: cory@anti-robot.com

Find a guy named "hopper".....hes a former messenger from here in columbus,he rides a taped up bianchi pista,best guy at skidding ive ever seen.Parallel curb bunnyhops,rides backwards,trackstands.....he's pretty good at all of it.

As far as how to bunnyhop a fixed gear....for a curb I approach at like 10mph or so and do a couple hop skids real quick to get cranks where I want em vs the distance to the curb.I like my right foot to be starting on the downstroke and launch off that foot.....after that its like any other bike.After awhile,you get used to almost flicking the bike up and over curbs w/o much thinking or effort.If im in a hurry I wont even slow down....just get some air so I cover the distance before landing...thats a little trickier cause launching from a high cadence is VERY tough....and its hit or miss,and miss means usually a bad wipeout.

I KNEW IT!! Curse you for starting this thread, denbrewer! Yesterday I was caught in a situation that forced me to hop a full-lane-wide drain grate I usually ride around. As I feared, this thread popped into my head, and I wound up screwing up. Luckily I made it far enough not to get caught in the grate, but it was close.

So I read this thread, and only 3 months later, finally did a bunny hop! I was over-thinking it. It's exactly like a bunny hop on a road bike, you just have to throw yourself up and forward, lock the legs.

It helps to stand up before you jump. Also helped to swap my crappy pedals for MKS track pedals. It's much easier to pull up when you're tightly strapped.

oh crap...i did a bunnyhop ONCE on a track bike. i'm too used to BMX that when i stand up to hop on my track bike, the rear end comes way up and i wind up doing a scary as hell nollie. i keep thinking that if i lowered my seat i'd be able to do it better (because i'd be able to tuck like on a BMX, but **** i don't want to go over the bars someday. i usually just slow down and do one wheel at a time if i need to go up a curb, or across something. i usually just go around drain grates...that or say a silent prayer to myself as i ride over them.

How do you bunny-hop on a fixed-gear?

Poorly.

I saw a messenger from Japan perform bunny hops over and over at the Philly Messenger Worlds in 2000. He was incredible. He was riding some old swiss track frame with deep drop bars, and he could easily clear 15". Over and over he did his thing, and people just stared. He eventually taco'd his front wheel riding down some steps in Fairmount Park, and landed on his face...Still, he was quite the ****.

BK

Second place bunny hop at worlds this year was Andy Zalan, he did 16 inches on his fixed. First place was a guy on a bmx bike.

At Cycle Messenger Worlds this year, there were quite a few fixed-gear riders that lasted into the 1 foot high bunny hop range. Picture of one here:
http://collections.lopolis.com/CMWC03/day01/pages/121_2118.html

Of course, the winner of the bunny-hop competition was on a BMX bike with clipless pedals. He cleared about 36"

jinx

I thought there may have been a guy on a non-fixed mountain bike that kept up with the BMX'er till near the end. Who knows. Regardless, 16" on a fixed is quite impressive.