Post by dayuhan on Mar 7, 2006 7:44:47 GMT 8
This is a thread for riders who, like me, can't do tricks of any kind, those who don't hop, skip, jump, huck, wheelie, or anything else but just ride. There's still something special we can do. We can still do the Bunny Flop. In fact, if you're anything like me, you've probably already done it.
The first element in the Bunny Flop is loss of control, which is why the Flop is most frequently performed while going downhill. This can be missing a line, gaining more speed than you're ready to handle, an unexpected skid, or any number of other things.
The second element is panic, and there's no need to explain that.
The third element is instinct: deep inside every rider is the instinctive assumption that when things go wrong, you should stop. This, of course, means squeezing the brakes. Of course we all know that this is actually not a good idea, which is why panic is necessary. Panic allows the urge to stop to overcome the rational mind's knowledge that rolling is better than flying.
Once instinct tells the hands to squeeze the brakes, the Bunny Flop commences. The brakes stop the bike, but not the rider. Obeying the laws of inertia, the rider continues forward, invariably placing weight on the handlebars. This rotates the bike forward and up, over the stopped front wheel.
In the "classic" Bunny Flop there is a moment of stability, in which the rider seems balance above the front wheel, before the inevitable forward dive.
A variation is the "shuffle flop", where the rider actually gets feet onto the ground. Alas, the upper body is still moving, and when the feet try to catch up, they discover that the thighs are still impeded by the handlebar. Since the upper body has no such impediment, it gets farther and farther ahead of the feet, and after a few shuffling steps, the Bunny Flop commences.
I don't pretend to be an authority on the Bunny Flop, though I should be, given the number of times I've done it. If anyone else would care to share their advice, observations, and variations, perhaps we can place this stunt-for-the-masses on the same level of its more elegant cousins. All comments are welcome!
The first element in the Bunny Flop is loss of control, which is why the Flop is most frequently performed while going downhill. This can be missing a line, gaining more speed than you're ready to handle, an unexpected skid, or any number of other things.
The second element is panic, and there's no need to explain that.
The third element is instinct: deep inside every rider is the instinctive assumption that when things go wrong, you should stop. This, of course, means squeezing the brakes. Of course we all know that this is actually not a good idea, which is why panic is necessary. Panic allows the urge to stop to overcome the rational mind's knowledge that rolling is better than flying.
Once instinct tells the hands to squeeze the brakes, the Bunny Flop commences. The brakes stop the bike, but not the rider. Obeying the laws of inertia, the rider continues forward, invariably placing weight on the handlebars. This rotates the bike forward and up, over the stopped front wheel.
In the "classic" Bunny Flop there is a moment of stability, in which the rider seems balance above the front wheel, before the inevitable forward dive.
A variation is the "shuffle flop", where the rider actually gets feet onto the ground. Alas, the upper body is still moving, and when the feet try to catch up, they discover that the thighs are still impeded by the handlebar. Since the upper body has no such impediment, it gets farther and farther ahead of the feet, and after a few shuffling steps, the Bunny Flop commences.
I don't pretend to be an authority on the Bunny Flop, though I should be, given the number of times I've done it. If anyone else would care to share their advice, observations, and variations, perhaps we can place this stunt-for-the-masses on the same level of its more elegant cousins. All comments are welcome!
