My kids have been going to the local dirt jumps pretty regularly this summer.  They and their friends have made the dirt jumps a near daily destination. With the summer slowly winding down I thought it might be fun and perhaps fitting to take the Hahanna to the dirt jumps and try to keep up with my kids.  The Hahanna has seen quite a bit of action this summer, lots of varied trails, a professional level race course and now dirt jumps.

My kids measure their air time in yards and seconds, I measure mine in millimeters.

The Hahanna has been a very capable bike all summer. It handles the climbs and descents well, albeit with a bit of effort on the rider's part.  I've had my issues with the brakes and suspension but now was the time to see how well it would work in the air where I would not really need brakes or suspension, right?

It has been years since I have tried jumping my bike so I took a few cues from the kids.  The jumps look big, they said, but you need some speed to get off the ground. My buddy Greg was there to document my folly.  He was quite generous with the camera angle. It makes tiny air look as though I am actually off the ground.

I kept hearing shouts from my kids to lay off the brakes. It seemed as though every time I went into the jump I would tap my brakes and lose a bit of crucial speed.  "Stop hitting your brakes!" was what I heard each time I approached the jump.  "Go faster! But be careful, Dad" The opposing encouragement didn't do much to help my confidence but I hit the jumps a few times until I realized that I am just a big chicken when it comes to getting off the ground on my bike.

NO BRAKES

HANDS ON BRAKES. A solid six inches off the ground and scared out of my wits.

At the end of the day I realized that the Hahanna could handle much more than I was willing to give.  The bike was not the issue. As a matter-of-fact I don't remember the Hahanna having any issues.  No suspension issues, the brakes worked just fine as I repeatedly discovered.  I would like to see this bike ridden and jumped by some one more capable than me, maybe my eight year old son.