Im a firm believer in this move. I bought my first MTB in march of this year and this maneuver has really helped me improve my riding. Even on group rides with people who have been riding far longer than me, i find my self going for more technical "step-up" type obstacles than others because i've gotten the "punch" down.
this is a beautiful demonstration from you guys. I have struggled with bunny hopping for years but the punch feels much more "natural". thanks for sharing!
We add sprocket bash guards and go over trees up here in PNW. Rocks as well. Good times. Fun skill to have when you realize you can just romp right over a downed tree or boulder. Lift tire on top. Unweight body and push forward on bars. Bike follows.
I really enjoy your videos of just riding around hoping on stuff, up stuff, balancing, etc. That's pretty much what I do EVERY single time I ride anyway. There is ALWAYS something that you think "Hmmm, can I get up that thing?"
Awesome coaching! With me struggling to hop the back of my 30 pounds XL-sized eMTB, I got fresh hope now to get more challenging hurdles done with that old (or rather wise) man‘s bunny hop ☺️. TY
Hmmm, getting back into the sport after a couple of decades plus. I suspect this is basically what I used to do all the time. Just have to relearn it. Was pretty comfortable with 20 inch steps then with a rigid fork. Better suspension now but a stffer body🤠. Decent tutorial. Thanks.
I always just thought of these as weenie hops. Saves a Butt load of energy. How could any rider above novice not know how to do this, If you didn’t know this tech you’d pop your tire on little square edges all the time.
I’m 65 and just started punching. I can get up on 24” obstacles using this technique. My home trails are full of features that require the punch or you’re walking.
The punch looks great.. thank you for the "how to" .. practice, practice. I just have to do this with a body lunge rather than scooping my feet.. this Im going to work on. I just dont want to slam my back tire to many times. Practice. thanks team
This technique has made my riding so much better. I saw it in one of your videos 2-3 years ago and have implemented it so many times now. I still can’t bunny hop but I can definitely punch climb. Probably 24-30” is the tallest thing I’ve climbed but to me that’s huge!
I am a commuter, not trail rider and i learned this thing before the bunny hop and i do find it more useful just because this way you can basically move along with pedestrians over any obstacle. Definitely a skill to be used and not overlooked when navigation is concidered
It gives me hope to see fellow tall people doing stuff like this. l really like tutorials on maneuvers that help to improve the trail riding experience. Thanks for your efforts!
wouldn't the limb length help? you're able to move the bike so much further by comparison to a short fk like me. and weight ofcourse, the bikes all weigh 25lbs or so for a full suspension, +1lbs for large frame but you weigh a good % more than I do.
I'd LOVE to see you guys do a combination of hop and punch. On grass because I imagine it'll hurt the first few times. I think something like this: 1. Manual lift position 2. Bend elbows to bring front tire higher. 3. Punch Motion 4. Level out somehow So like a punch that is maybe higher that starts as a manual lift maneuver - all to max out front end height. I cannot do this myself - the mechanics of it intrigues me and you dudes have the skills to do it if anyone does.
It's like bump jump, but much higher. As for me, practice, practice, practice! Lots'a love, cheers, & Mabuhay, from tropical Philippines! #RideOn #KeepBiking
Pretty neat how the algorithm recommends mountain biking techniques to a blind viewer who can't actually go mountain biking. Or well...I could, but I'd probably also end up in the hospital with half my face missing or something. Cool stuff. I learned something for my next life
Both methods are useful in different and similar situations. With proper technique a bunny hop can be used in both high and low speed situations as well. Combining the bunny hop and punch will make you unstoppable and will get you over massive obstacles. I feel like one is not better than the other, its two different methods that combine elements of both.
Great video! You guys have legit skills! But I never knew what I've been doing had a name! Punch! Ride a hard tail so this is a no-brainer move on pretty much any trail. Cheers!
Thanks guys. Super helpful. It’s a technique I’ve been doing for years after kinda figuring it out myself, but getting some coaching on it from you guys and seeing what is actually happening really helps. Gonna go practice it with your tips. 🤙
cool demo - got me thinking about how when I do it (nowhere near as big as 30"!), as I've found that getting the rear wheel up is really aided by using just a touch of ankle motion to press my toes into the pedals, to initiate that upward rebound action (for you guitar players, think of operating a wha wha pedal)....very subtle but the effect is large overall. Fun technique that I use quite a bit as 'side-hits' on any trail are way more fun than the actual trail most times!
@jeff lenosky I think this is what you taught me in Dallas. I was sore the next day because it's a move I wasn't doing at all before. I still work on it some, but this video will be helpful for me to continue to practice. thanks for posting it! and come to Texas with some clinics!
Your content is exciting enough without the guitar solo background noise. I’d be great if you did a slomo with a stop frame analysi for each stage - approach- halfstep on the pedal- compression-wheel left-bend knees for punch etc. for utter noobs (ahem, moi…), this really help.
I thought I managed doing bunny hops on my hardtail bike by focusing on the hands and pushing them forward but now I realize that this is just another technique. However, it works well and the second movement actually rather useful to pass drops
Jeff! so cool to find your channel, im 42 and just getting back into riding trials on a 24inch street bike. For motivation I was watching Evolve and Contact, do you ever ride street anymore? IMO you were the best street trials rider of your generation.
I've been using this move since your first video five years ago but struggle to clear my chainring on anything more than a couple of feet high. Finally got around to videoing myself and comparing against your videos. What I'm realizing is that I'm waiting too long before initiating the move. So when my front tire bounces up the object, I'm still crouched with arms bent. You guys are already extended well upward at that same point, allowing plenty of time for your rear wheel to come up before slamming the object. I think that I just need to initiate the move well ahead of the object instead of waiting until I'm right at it.
Hey, man! Sent you an email for some feedback on my punch progress. Video might be low quality, because it was an email. Very much appreciated for any advice you can give! Thanks for making me love biking more, by showing me how to do trials type stuff.
I really liked this video. What I really appreciated as well is that you commented and showed that this technique also works with the seat up. I'm running a fixed post on my most used bike and every tutorial out there you see about pretty much anything is only shown with the seat dropped never with that darn thing in the way. I hope in future "How to" videos you'll show how it's done with a raised seat as well and mention any possible differences there might be.
I feel like my main fear of going higher than a couple curbs stacked on top of each other is damaging the down tube or chainring. Not really the falling part.
I'm definitely more of a puncher than a bunny hopper, but my "skill" only permits curb-height obstacles. Those features you guys are effortlessly cleaning are stratospherically HIGH! lol!
Thought it was called a roll up. This is they way I've always got up stuff. First time I ever tried to get up something was on a fixed gear road bike, so it kind of stuck for better or worse, even the hop pedal reset that is required without a free hub. Less energy, you can do it at low speed and to be honest I completely suck at bunny hops.
Some good tips is you aren't lifting the bike with your legs, you're just unweighting your legs so you aren't stopping it from lifting up. Pushing the bike forward is what lifts the rear.
That's basically the easy bunnyhop version and better suited for climbing on obstacles than getting over them. Try this with a tree laying on the trail, won't work.
May i ask a question. If one did a punch but without an obstacle in the way. Would that then be a bunny hop (or would it just be a face plant). To my mind (not that good a mind) seems like a very similar movement, a row and a push.
Thank you. Supposed to be working but mulling this over instead. I think the difference is timing. In a punch allow the front wheel to land on the obstacle and then push up onto the obstacle. In a bunny hop push at the apex of the front wheel lift. Anyway inspired by your truly sick riding to learn trials skills.
Great stuff, as usual. When you make the initial compression, is it coming strictly through your legs or are you getting a little extra compression in the fork through your arms?
@jeff looks like you guys have smaller ish bikes so you can really throw them around. Do you size down? Also, what kicks are those? Sick vid. Thanks to you both.
Definitely a little bit but actually the higher your front wheel goes the more you’re actually pulling up your bike and pushing your handlebars away which drives the pedal into your feet
So when you jump a bunch of people lying down at one of your shows, you aren't bunny hopping? When you need to boost off a jump to gain extra needed distance, you are now "punching " , not bunny hopping? What about bump jumping obstacles? It's essentially a bunny hop. All the time i spent learning to bunny hop has been in vain? Could have been just doing this?
