Conference noted::bicycle

    re  "Jumping"  well, it wasn't clear to me if 739.17 referred to
    jumping with the bike over obstacles such as RR tracks, or jumping
    off the bike.  Anyway, you seem to be interested in the former,
    this is sort of how I do it.
    
    	Get into a crouch, i.e. get my (considerable) mass low.  Just
    before the obstacle, extend arms and legs as fast and as hard as
    possible to sort of leap up on all fours.  As soon as the arms and
    legs are fully extended quickly pull the bike up underneath me.
    I feel that I should be able to tell you whether the feet pull first
    or the hands do, but its sort of instinctive now and if I went out
    to try and study it I'm sure I'd crash.  Keep the knees and elbows
    flexed for the landing, of course.
    
    	If your  "road bike"  has a fixed gear there is the opportunity
    to use the rear pedal to ride up on..... in a sort of springboard
    fashion.  This seems to get me much more height and therefore greater
    distance, i.e. RR tracks that I can clear fairly easily on the fixed
    bikes will eat the rear rim clean off the multi gear bikes.

    	Oh, you *_DO_* need to strap in fairly tightly for this nonsense,
    if a foot comes out of the toe clip it can spoil your whole day.
    
    	Reg	{wondering what special technique there is for recumbents}
    

    Yeah, I'd be interested in the technique for recumbents, too.
    
    In my head I understand the principal; I've tried it exactly as
    you explained.  Maybe, this old body just doesn't listen to what
    it's being told anymore, but I can't seem to get the feet back
    up.  The front wheel gets across just fine but not the back one.
    
    Any special training techniques for conquering this problem?
    
    Bob

    re .2	Sounds like you got into sidewalk curb hopping as a
    kid and can't unlearn it, i.e. you just pulled the bars up and let
    the back wheel crack onto the curb.  As a kid I thought the only
    reason for lifting the front wheel up the curb was because if I
    hit the curb it would snatch the bars out of my hands, and the back
    wheel ?, who cares ?   You may have your weight too far back, try
    just going slowly around a parking lot with your tush sort of over
    the bottom bracket, try lifting ONLY the back wheel by springing
    up and consciously pulling on the toe-clips, kids call it bunny
    hopping when they get the two wheels up at the same time and they're
    hardly moving foreward.  Another thing to try is VERY SMALL front
    wheel stands, actually wham on the front brake, throw your weight
    onto the bars and try to pull the back up, be ready to let go of
    that brake and squat down again real quick if it comes up too far
    though.  Emphasis on the VERY SMALL, don't try this much above 2
    MPH (slow walk speed) initially.  This was a very useful trick for
    getting a trials (motor) bike around a tight turn, once the rear
    wheel is up make the BUMP dance motion with your hips and you can
    turn in ~wheelbase length.  Kids can be fun to watch on their BMX and
    freestyle bikes, but do your practice away from them, its embarassing
    when you, errrr you_know_what.

    	R
    
    	Disclaimer;  you can get hurt doing this.  I recommend that you
    don't do any of it, I'm just reminiscing, of course.

    
    	To jump a bike evenly you lift it with the toeclips, not the
    handlebars.
    
    	Just get going fast enough, (15 mph?) and put your feet at
    the same level, (mid pedal-stroke) and jump as if you were 
    standing there.
    
    	At first just try small obstacles, rocks, tarbumps, little
    holes...   Before long you'll be sailing over railroad tracks
    at 35.   (Being sure to miss that second rail with the rear 
    wheel, one  wouldn't want to buy a new rim now...)

        		Alan.

    Actually, you dont need toeclips to bunny-hop, as kids on BMX bikes,
    and lotsa mountain bikers that dont believe in toeclips can prove.
    If you point your toes down, and push your feet back against the
    pedals, you can get enough grip to pull the whole bike up in the
    air.
    
    A friend of mine told me the worse crash he'd ever had was hopping
    a pot-hole on his fixed gear bike. (recall that your rear wheel wont
    coast when it touches the ground, and your legs are locked into
    `flying' postion)

    Some of the obstacles I jump on the road would be easier on my wheels 
    if I rode through it.
    
    Robb
     

    It also helps to have your tires sort of soft since thats what gives
    you the rebound force to get your bike into the air. It wont work if
    your tires don't compress, Another thing I found to be helpful is to
    practically throw your self into the crouch, then go for the rebound
    which places you into the air. Dont try this on a road bike with skinny 
    tires! 
                             Matt

     I can't say if it helps if your tires are mushy (in fact, I'd almost
    guess you're adding to the likelihood of tube damage during touchdown).
    
     Anyway, I run about 175lbs. in my Conti 700x18's and have no problem
    getting lotsa air...
    
     Chip