new bike hard to bunnyhop

[seebes]

I just got my first trials bike, st-1, and I'm having a hard time bunnyhopping/ lifting w/o pedaling as well as I did on my trail bike. Is this normal and just something that I have to get used to or should i be messing around with bar and stem combos? any help would be great.
thanks

[beastoftheeast]

having a higher bb makes bikes harder to bunny hop, at least going from a +0 mod to a +55 mod made it feel way harder for me. also with your trail bike you probably had suspension to compress and you could use the rebound to get some lift. also the wheel base was probably shorter which makes it easier i think.

[carnagr]

Higher BB should make it easier: higher center of mass = more leverage on bike.

[beastoftheeast]

i dont know about that... why wouldnt street bikes have high bbs?

[Dang!]

Modern BMX bikes have a geometry very close to modern Mod' bikes, excepting the seat thing. Surprised the hell out of me. Don't tell a BMX person though, they simply can't hear it.
The wheelbase of the Simtra is causing your woes, you no longer have a mechanical advantage to get the front end of the ground. You need to learn to use your pedal stroke.
If bunny hops are what your after, try a short wheel base frame or a street style bike.

[carnagr]

i dont know about that... why wouldnt street bikes have high bbs?

High BB is twitchy because of the high center of mass, so a small change in position = huge change in movement, there shit for manualing. They're so short that they make up for a lower BB, while stll be being good for bunnyhopping and manualing.

[mistri@l]

Modern BMX bikes have a geometry very close to modern Mod' bikes, excepting the seat thing. Surprised the hell out of me. Don't tell a BMX person though, they simply can't hear it.
The wheelbase of the Simtra is causing your woes, you no longer have a mechanical advantage to get the front end of the ground. You need to learn to use your pedal stroke.
If bunny hops are what your after, try a short wheel base frame or a street style bike.


110% true
i mean adjusting to a trials frame such as the simtra isnt that easy.
it will take you some time to get use to it.
i went from a norco TT to a planext tibo, and it was quite the adjustment but when it came to bunnyhops i loved it.
you just need to master the bike
its all about you
the bike cant do eveything for you

i think everyone should start out on either a mod or some kind of small mtb
and learn all the basics
then graduate up to something like a simtra
trials is ever learning.

but when it comes to manipulating your bike its all about your body control and throwing your weight around.

so just take your time on the bike everything should come together

[Free-Ride-Junkie]

I went from a MTB to an ST-1. I COULD NOT BUNNY HOP IT. I think it's normal. It is longer than a normal MTB so you need to pull up a lot harder if you aren't pedaling into it I found. I could do a "modified bunnyhop" where I would pedal into it like I was going to do a pedal up and then just suck the rear up like a normal bunny hop. I never found that I needed to bunny hop really when riding trials though. Seems like more of a street move. You'll love the frame though. It's killer.

[hopsalot]

If you want to bunny hop you trials bike hit the weight bench, do plenty of pull ups and push ups and really strenghten your back between your shoulders. Pull up hard early on the bars and don't be afraid if you tap on the way up. I had to relearn bunny hops going from low BB mod to 20+ stock. At first give yourself plenty of room, start on low on a curb and work your way up.

[Soapster887]

I'm having exactly the same problem. Went from a Flow with -20bb, to a echo lite mode, and now onto a Meta with +35 or 40. Its So different. Its actually a little uncomfortable, and its taking me a longtime to get used to. Its such a pleasure to jump back on my flow, as its just so comfortable, and it bunnyhops/manuals like butter.

[Carbon]

You just need to make your j-hop more like a manual in the start. It feels messed up the first few times but you can get way more height on a pure trials bike compared to a street mtb. I'll see if i can make a vid tomorrow to show you.

[stpatr3k]

You just need to make your j-hop more like a manual in the start. It feels messed up the first few times but you can get way more height on a pure trials bike compared to a street mtb. I'll see if i can make a vid tomorrow to show you.

I had the same experience when I shifted to a trials bike. Streeters who try my bike out though could hop decently, couldn't hop on it either.

Start the bunnyhop with a manual, the motion I think is longer than on a street bike. Its not really hard to pull but you need to do it correctly . Do a fluid transition from the manual to the hop.

If you have a hard time pulling a manual let the bike slide forwards beneath you (dunno if im describing it correctly) its a bit more sliding than a street bike. Imagine stepping on a door mat and pulling the doormat at the same time, you have to unweigh you feet to do this.

Don't use a freekishly high stem if it doesn't match you BB height also it won't help.

[Juhan]

The best way to start bunnyhopping a trialsbike is to get a decent height wall(over a foot), approach it with a bit more than walking speed and then you either pull the front end up, or you don't. The latter will result in pain. I found it much easier to pull the front end of a trialsbike up if I had a wall or some kind of ledge in front of that told me that I really do need to get the front end up. At first you don't have to bunnyhop, you can just do a rideup without pedalling, that'll give you a good feeling about pulling you front end up, after that it should be relatively easy to bunnyhop.

And remember - pull the bars with all your might, it's not easy to bunnyhop a trials bike!

[seebes]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I'll give them a try.

[willbed]

if you got a long and low stem/bars combo - change for a shorter stem with more rise and possibly riser bars / not a super comp setup but you can get used to it and it can help your riding style making these kind of moves much easier...