Ramps - MTB Hopper v's Sender?

[p3eps]

My wee lad has just turned 4, and has been on 2 wheels for about 8 months now. Gaining confidence, and going further on a daily basis.

We were out the other day, and he saw some little kids jumping off ramps with their bikes, and has asked for a ramp!
Although my 8 year old daughter doesn't seem quite as 'wild' as him, she has no fear, and would probably be up for trying some ramps too.

Rather than buying nasty plastic things, I thought I could maybe get something decent that I can use too, and try and improve my jumping. We have a large grass area outside the front door, so plenty of space.

I was looking at the MTB Hopper site (where I recently bought a manual trainer) and am tempted to buy the Coach, and maybe the Intro ramp too. I'd been considering the Coach for myself a few months ago, but never got round to it.
Maybe a bit overkill for the kids just now, but they'll grow into them soon. Whilst looking for reviews, I found Sender ramps - who have some similar offerings. Slightly cheaper, perhaps a bit stronger looking, but they don't look as good for portability or storage.

Does anyone have any experience of MTB Hopper or Sender ramps (or any other brands that I should maybe consider)? I know the comments back will be 'How much?' and "why don't you make your own"... but these are tried, tested and a simple option
I have a local CNC company that make cases for our work equipment etc, and I'm pretty sure they'd be happy to help me out if I had designs / plans... however ordering something that comes out of a box is easier.

TIA...

 

[Mikerb]

My wee lad has just turned 4, and has been on 2 wheels for about 8 months now. Gaining confidence, and going further on a daily basis.

We were out the other day, and he saw some little kids jumping off ramps with their bikes, and has asked for a ramp!
Although my 8 year old daughter doesn't seem quite as 'wild' as him, she has no fear, and would probably be up for trying some ramps too.

Rather than buying nasty plastic things, I thought I could maybe get something decent that I can use too, and try and improve my jumping. We have a large grass area outside the front door, so plenty of space.

I was looking at the MTB Hopper site (where I recently bought a manual trainer) and am tempted to buy the Coach, and maybe the Intro ramp too. I'd been considering the Coach for myself a few months ago, but never got round to it.
Maybe a bit overkill for the kids just now, but they'll grow into them soon. Whilst looking for reviews, I found Sender ramps - who have some similar offerings. Slightly cheaper, perhaps a bit stronger looking, but they don't look as good for portability or storage.

Does anyone have any experience of MTB Hopper or Sender ramps (or any other brands that I should maybe consider)? I know the comments back will be 'How much?' and "why don't you make your own"... but these are tried, tested and a simple option
I have a local CNC company that make cases for our work equipment etc, and I'm pretty sure they'd be happy to help me out if I had designs / plans... however ordering something that comes out of a box is easier.

TIA...

check out this one as well.................I bought one and it helped me improve my jump technique. The key thing is to set it up on a slight downhill slope...so that the landing is on a down slope..............and yes...for kids...also on grass!.

Buy Bike Ramps Online - ByclexSHOP

Shop bike ramps and other bike accessories including Portable MTB BMX Ramps, Manual Trainer, Bicycle stand and so much more! Shop with confidence today!https://www.byclex.com/shop

www.byclex.com

 

[steve_sordy]

Wow! Those are a lot of money! Maybe if they were used daily they would become a value item.

My young grandson's family came to visit every week, so he only got to practice bike stuff when he was with me (none of his immediate family had any interest). I used an old 1200x400mm shelf propped up on different levels of bricks. He loved it! We went riding regularly at the local trail centre from when he was four. He is now 16 and I am pleased to say that the student has long since surpassed the master!

 

[Mikerb]

Wow! Those are a lot of money! Maybe if they were used daily they would become a value item.

My young grandson's family came to visit every week, so he only got to practice bike stuff when he was with me (none of his immediate family had any interest). I used an old 1200x400mm shelf propped up on different levels of bricks. He loved it! We went riding regularly at the local trail centre from when he was four. He is now 16 and I am pleased to say that the student has long since surpassed the master!

true.............and the only reason it was worth the money for me , was the ability to not only pack it easilly into the van but also "back pack" it. That meant I could drive to the forest then carry it on my back to ride to various spots to set it up. So you can set it up on a downslope, or set it up against bank and jump to flat on the top of the bank, adjust the height of the ramp etc.
I took it our stables first off and set it up in a paddock but unless it is very dry the grass is a pretty draggy and the paddock is pretty flat. Set up on a slight downhill forest trail is ideal.

 

[p3eps]

check out this one as well.................I bought one and it helped me improve my jump technique. The key thing is to set it up on a slight downhill slope...so that the landing is on a down slope..............and yes...for kids...also on grass!.

Buy Bike Ramps Online - ByclexSHOP

Shop bike ramps and other bike accessories including Portable MTB BMX Ramps, Manual Trainer, Bicycle stand and so much more! Shop with confidence today!https://www.byclex.com/shop

www.byclex.com

Which one did you go for? They look quite similar to the MTB Hopper ones.

Wow! Those are a lot of money! Maybe if they were used daily they would become a value item.

My young grandson's family came to visit every week, so he only got to practice bike stuff when he was with me (none of his immediate family had any interest). I used an old 1200x400mm shelf propped up on different levels of bricks. He loved it! We went riding regularly at the local trail centre from when he was four. He is now 16 and I am pleased to say that the student has long since surpassed the master!

They are expensive, but I’m hoping my kids, me, and half of the young kids that mess around here on their bikes will get the use of it. We have a large grass area outside with a bit of a slope on it.

I’ve realise the Sender ones are manufactured in Inverness which is only an hour and a half away. They look very robust (although not quite as packable as the others), but would last a very long time.

My jumping skills used to be A1 when I was young and had no fear. Cars and girls took my interest away from bikes for a long time, and now I’m trying to regain some of that confidence again. Being able to practice outside the house whilst keeping the kids entertained could be a winning formula!

 

[steve_sordy]

true.............and the only reason it was worth the money for me , was the ability to not only pack it easilly into the van but also "back pack" it. That meant I could drive to the forest then carry it on my back to ride to various spots to set it up. So you can set it up on a downslope, or set it up against bank and jump to flat on the top of the bank, adjust the height of the ramp etc.
I took it our stables first off and set it up in a paddock but unless it is very dry the grass is a pretty draggy and the paddock is pretty flat. Set up on a slight downhill forest trail is ideal.

I can honestly say that I had never thought to take a ramp with me to the trails.

 

[big_scot_nanny]

FWIW we have a sender ramp, I think a 300, had it for maybe 5 years now, still going strong. Kids, parents, strangers all love it, and it massively helps technique (and ankle strength )

 

[p3eps]

The more I look into it, I think this one is maybe the best for now...

2023 ROOKIE PROGRESSION RAMP 125 - 300 mm

SENDER ROOKIE ADJUSTABLE RAMP WITHOUT COMPARE - THE ULTIMATE BEGINNERS RAMP! 14 RAMPS IN ONE. DESIGNED FOR RIDERS AND COACHES Suitable for BMX - MOUNTAIN BIKES - SKATEBOARDS - SCOOTERS. NEW FOR 2023 - EASY ASSEMBLY! SENDER PROGRESSION RAMPS ARE EASILY THE BEST ON THE MARKET FOR IMPROVING YOUR...

sender-ramps.com

It can do 125mm - which is much like jumping off a kerb - which would be ideal for the little ones to learn on. It can also do 350mm high as a kicker... so should have some longevity. It also has the ability to set it up slightly diagonal, so you're not just doing straight jumps all the time.

Not as compact or light as the MTB Hopper or Byclex... but the majority of time I'll be taking it out of the garage 100yards across the road. It certainly looks sturdier than the others - so would hopefully last longer too. I can always add another once it becomes "too easy"!

 

[Mikerb]

Which one did you go for? They look quite similar to the MTB Hopper ones.


They are expensive, but I’m hoping my kids, me, and half of the young kids that mess around here on their bikes will get the use of it. We have a large grass area outside with a bit of a slope on it.

I’ve realise the Sender ones are manufactured in Inverness which is only an hour and a half away. They look very robust (although not quite as packable as the others), but would last a very long time.

My jumping skills used to be A1 when I was young and had no fear. Cars and girls took my interest away from bikes for a long time, and now I’m trying to regain some of that confidence again. Being able to practice outside the house whilst keeping the kids entertained could be a winning formula!

first set up....2 years ago. This was it on a low setting. The first thing it does is to teach you that it looks daunting but is pretty easy. I dont have a more recent video but we progressed to using it at max height ...which is when it lives up its "kicker" branding! We are both now hitting much higher jumps including gaps so I dont really use it anymore and it is probably going to be donated to my grandsons. I can testify that it is great learning tool. Jumps off short ramps are more difficult to time than the typical bike park jump which have ramps often twice the bike length; but on natural/forest trails a short ramp ( e.g built over a fallen tree) are pretty much the norm. Because you can position the ramp in different locations you can learn different jump techniques to cope with under or over speed, flat, downhill or uphill landings etc. Expensive but worth the money for me.

 

[Ou812]

I have a few things from sender, I use their bike stands and I have the expert progression ramp that I use for my RC cars. Their stuff is built like a tank, the ramp has taken a ton of abuse from my 30-40lb RC cars smashing into it and other than some scrapes/scratches it still looks new.

 

[Christurbo]

I have a Hopper …. Fantastic quality. Highly recommended.

 

[Christurbo]

 

[p3eps]

I'd kind of made my mind up on the Sender Rookie - which can be set to 125mm all the way up to 350mm.

I contacted them this morning, to find that they've closed down. Shame, it would have been an ideal ramp at 125mm (just the bottom 2 pieces) for a 4 year old... and had a lot of scope for getting larger as the kids grow.

I have a local company that we use at work for making crates / cases etc that doing CNC. I wonder if there are plans / drawings anywhere for something like this, that I could have them manufacture me one...

The MTB Hopper and Byclex ones look great - but maybe a bit advanced for the kids just now. The Sender Rookie looked perfect - other than it's going to take up a bit more space when not in use and is not as portable.