I just started learning how to bunny hop and jump over/off of things. It has been most comfortable for me, and I have more control with both hands griping the seat. Is this ok? I watched a bunch of tutorials on learning to hop and almost everyone is only using one hand. Is it that bad to use two hands?
I believe people use the other hand to balance and help to shift the weight around if need be, not to mention you have a hand free to do as you wish. If it makes you most comfortable as you say, I say go with it. Doing something different then the usual is what the hobby is all about. You should still learn doing it with one hand, I’ve seen a video of a man not holding the seat at all.
Are you doing seat out in front, or are you on the saddle?
It’s fine to use two hands, it’s just better to use one, that way you can wave the other around for balance and do harder jumps.
I am standing above the saddle. Haven’t started working on seat out in front yet. I’ve slowly trying to work on one hand (left hand on seat) but I seem to continually veer to the right while hoping. So finding my center point is posing to be a problem.
What I have been doing when I go into hoping from a roll, I will start the hop with both hands on seat, and then once stabilized switch to one hand. This is slowly helping me find my balance with one hand but I can’t control myself to well yet.
I think with time, you will feel comfortable with one hand.
Just practice one handed on little hops. You will definitely want your other hand for leaning into the hop so you can get horizontal movement.
But all in due time. The body will generally do what it needs to when it’s ready.
+1. Increasing your grip strength would help.
Which foot is forward? Try switching your forward foot. Some riders riders preffer their pedal grab foot (direction of hop) to be forward and some back.
I’ve noticed good riders hop w/ the same foot forward as their holding hand and opposing (I feel better opposing).
Esp. when you start doing bigger hops, hop away from your holding hand and in the direction of your free hand. This will make high hops easier and raise your potential max hight.
Be warry of having a really low seat hight to make higher seat in (SI) hops easier (a friend got a bad back from doing all his hops SI and a low seat), so keep the seat a bit higher and switch to doing hops higher than a few inches seat in front (SIF) (like Max Schulze). When you can hop 1 ft is prob a good time to swich to getting good at SIF.
Most riders run their seat a bit lower for flat and higher for trials.
For me I switch holing hands every few minutes because one hand will get tired. This could potentially make some trials lines easier (you wouldn’t have to turn around if you can hop in either direction).
Thanks for the advice. I hold left handed with left foot out in front. I am a short guy (5’ 4") so when I stand up on the pedals, my crotch is roughly 2-3 inches away from the seat. With the seat post at it’s lowest position. Should I still raise the seat?
Also, love the quote from Bob Burnquist
That’s probably fine. That friend who messed up his back had his seat ~ 8-12 inches below his crotch.
That’s not an exact quote. Bob said skate, not ride. 