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A while ago I posted about moving to a modern geometry frame from an old school XC bike. I ended up with a Pace Rc529 and I love it. It’s taken a while to get used to the new geometry and I struggled for quite some time. Ended up putting some flat pedals on and that’s helped me adjust my weight distribution quite a bit. Bike now feels solid and planted when I go downhill. Perhaps too planted… I now find that without my old SPD’s to mask it, my technique is plainly rubbish and I am struggling to lift the front and pop the bike off obstacles on the trail. Is it just a case of practising my manuals and really working on my bunny hop technique or is there a trick to getting these longer bikes off the ground?
It's going to be technique, it'll require more body movement and/or a more forceful action to get the same results. And if you were coming from clips you were probably cheating a little by pulling up with your feet.
Probably cheating a lot!
it’ll require more body movement and/or a more forceful action to get the same results
This. You just need to give them more stick. I used to have a similar problem with my HT and it was sorta my "sensible bike" but since I have gotten used to it more I ride the same stuff as I do on my big bike. Just gotta push and pull them about a bit more. Big bikes for me are totally the way forward old small 27.5 are dead. Bring on the gates!
I would agree it's about adjusting your technique, obviously a longer bike will be harder to manual but it's very much doable without much extra effort once you're used to it.
I saw a video that pointed out really well that coming off an edge is actually not best done by bunny hoping and or pushing down. Just move your hips back as you go off the edge
technique helps a lot but it is simply harder (to the point of being impossible) the longer a frame is. Think about moving your hips in an L shape (down then back) normally helps some (lots of tutorials on youtube), but you may find its just a limitation of your body shape/strength and the bike
ETA - a long dropper also helps. I run a 210mm and don't think I could move the front end at all with the saddle all the way up
Depends - I had a frame where the reach was too long for me - and I had some coaching to improve my technique but I had to work really hard to get the front properly off the ground. So much it wasn’t enjoyable all the time.
Switched to a shorter reach bike and it’s much easier. The better technique has stayed with me though and I tend to have 1 coaching session a year now.
I found it’s crouching down over the front of the bike (without pushing down on the forks to try and bounce up) then pushing the handlebar away from you as you push your feet forward as well as you straighten your arms. I can’t hold the balance point on manuals (need to do way more practice for that) but can get nicely to the balance point ish.