No my feet stayed on the pedals. No issues there. 6yrs+ of just using DX spd’s- however when it came to manualling on the trail I just couldn’t. Yes I preloaded the suspension but I must(?) also lift the bike through the pedals.

How do folk adapt/cope?

Not sure I’m understanding you, but manualling isn’t done by lifting – should be pushing bike forwards/pushing yourself backwards. I always visualise it as rotating the bike rather than as lifting the front.

I think you have your manuals & your bunny hops all mixed up.

^Tinsy’s got it.

In that case, two things. One, have the middle, not the ball of the foot over the pedal. Two, there’s a second push. The first push lifts the front, the second pushes the bike forward. When you do this second push, your feet come up so they make room for the bike to follow.

Not easy to explain on a forum, but I know a chap in herts who could show you in next to no time.

A bit of “opposing pressure” can help too. Either feet against hands or (and I find this easier), one foot tilted down, the other one up.

Not easy to explain on a forum, but I know a chap in herts who could show you in next to no time.

So dropping almost £300? Technique can be re-learnt, that 300 is gone forever.

get some shin pads before practicing lifting bike with flats.

Cost me £225 including fuel from Nottingham. No where near £300 and you get a lot more out of it than just a bunnyhop. Still, I feel you have a strong and unchangeable opinion on such things so pretend I never said anything.

Forgive if I’m being stupid but why are you bunny-hopping drops on the trail, don’t fallen trees and big rocks cut it for you any more 😉

I ride once a week. I need to ride more than once a week. From Manchester including fuel (the way I drive) and food etc it’d be nearer 300. If anything I’d prefer a track day/tuition as (anyone) would benefit from track/skid control etc.

How do you adapt/ cope?

I would also advocate getting taught proper technique, it’s dead easy, but you need to be taught. The guy from pro ride guides had me doing it in about 15 mins after years of not being able to do it. I think pro ride guides charge £80 for a full day at gisburn/staInburn , very much money well spent.

you`ll learn. just try.

the pain of a distressed shin is a great focus for the mind.

if you feel you need to lift with your feet then you are missing a bit. you need to push the bars away and allow the bike to rise by unweighting the pedals. you dont need grip on pedals to do this.

Is GreatRock closer to you?

So can you Manual? Push the bike forward with your hands and feet till the front comes up?
Once you get the front up, throw your weight forward so the back comes up.

Practice, I find bunny hopping quite easy as you don’t really have much balancing to do. There is little chance of getting it wrong in a way you fall off. Just try it again and again until it happens.

Edit- to add that a twist with the bars when your weight comes up. No need to lift with your feet, the bike will come up into them. I think you can ‘scoop’ with them to get higher but it’s not something I think about, but I’m by no means great at it.

There is little chance of getting it wrong in a way you fall off.

no, although having said that I tried to do a bunny hop off a speed hump on my town bike and forgot I wasn’t clipped in. Both feet left the pedals and I not only scraped both my shins down my CarnkBros 50/50 pedals I landed with my testicles on the saddle. On the plus side I didn’t fall off.

wwaswas, think I’d rather have fallen off.

Without a shadow of a doubt that £300 will be the best money you ever spend on biking. What you get from the day will last a lifetime.

I was on the school run so not only did I have shredded bloody jeans to contend with my daughter was saying ‘why are your eyes watering Dad?’ and I was trying to do that ‘No, I’m alright really’ act that men feel obliged to put on when injuring themselves in stupid ways.

Still got a scar on my shin 2 years on 🙁

What size is your bike? 😉

I must have been born with super-human riding abilities.

Or is it just my BMX and non SPD background?

I don’t have 300 to spare. Cars had its service. In an ideal world I’d have training as a matter of course.

Hora. Can I make a serious suggestion. If you are only riding once a week, wouldn’t it be better if you kept the same bike/kit for a while so you got used to it?

Seems to me you rely too much on a perceived need for skill compensating equipment (how many frames/fork combos have you had in the past few years???) instead of just getting out there and enjoying it.

Just practice.

I recently went to flats from DX style SPDs for the last 15 years, from the age of 15.

Quite happy with SPDs, just fancied a change and I found I quite liked not having the faff of SPDs, but that meant relearning to jump.

Took about 6 weeks of hopping off everything in sight to stop taking my feet of the pedals. Another 6 weeks to consistently get my rear wheel of the ground. Now I can jump just as well with flats as I could with SPDs, until I get tired.

Why not buy a 24″ trial bike or a BMX.

Not as good as coaching but a lot cheaper:

Skills Course

Hebden Bridge (not too far from Manchester) –

http://www.mountainbikeskillscourses.co.uk/location6.asp

Just try and lift downwards with opposing force through the perpendicular direction of the axle with both feet whilst unweighting your balance with your hands to remain upwards.

Here you go. Not too far away and ONLY £80.

Learn to scoop the back of the bike up by pointing your toes down and back.

Learn to scoop the back of the bike up by pointing your toes down and back.

I’ve heard this quite often and it’s not really what you’re doing, even if you think it is.

This is a brilliant video to see the technique http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WouZLp0XcyM

I can bunny hop and I’ve never been on a skills course

Me > everyone else

Hora has had the enduro for a good 9 or more months now. Please keep your “comedy” bullying up to date

Look on youtube, loads of vids explaining this sort if stuff.
Then practice. Lots.
Oh yeah, and bleed, lots 😀

12months

It’s just like doing an ollie on a skateboard, only easier. Takes a bit of practice, but you’d need your head looked at if were willing to pay someone to show you.

I remember as a kid learning to do it (bmx). Hours of practice trying to get higher. I could do a few inches easily enough, but could get no more. Then one day it just clicked and boom! 3 foot no bother. Having something to hop over might help.