The BMX bunny hop is a great trick to learn when you are having a go at BMX bikes. No doubt bunny hop is a fabulous skill but it requires commitment and confidence to perform it. It takes your BMX riding skills to next level. Performing a bunny hop trick isn’t hard but still you have to learn properly before having a go at it. Bunny hop is the basis of many BMX and flatland tricks. When performed correctly, it will allow you to ride smoother and faster in more places without confining to a certain bike.
Before we answer the question of “how to perform a bunny hop on a BMX bike”, lets first have an introduction about what this trick really is.
What is a Bunny Hop Trick?
A bunny hop is a bicycle trick that makes the rider to launch the bike in the air just like jumping off a ramp. When the bike is airborne, the pedals of the bike seems to stick to the rider’s feet, just like a skateboard sticks to your feet while performing an Ollie.
How to Perform the Bunny Hop?
To master this trick, you need some practice. We will give some steps here to make it easy for you to perform bunny hop. It is better to grab your bike and go to a safe area like an empty parking lot or backyard. An empty grassy field will be even better as it provides a softer landing zone if anything goes wrong.
1. Setting a “Place Holder”
You need to set up a “place holder obstacle” just like a rolled up towel or shirt. You can use the painted lines in a parking lot to help you. These obstacles will help you to practice clearing something without bonking the front tire on it. Even if you could not clear it, you will just roll over it without any issue. If you have succeeded in clearing the obstacle, you can increase its size gradually for more practice. In this way, you will get the much needed confidence to try this move on a real branch or curb.
2. Approaching the saddle
The talented and extra-ordinary riders can perform bunny hop from a stand-still position. This is not the case with the beginners as they need some speed to perform a bunny hop. It is better to approach the obstacle at about 10mph, this way you’ll enjoy the required momentum to complete the move. When you are about 3 feet away from the obstacle, you need to standup out of the saddle while your pedals are leveled at horizontal position. Make yourself positioned over the saddle by keeping your elbows and knees loose and bend at the hips.
It is important to mention here that don’t grip the saddle with your thighs, you will get off balance. To find proper balance, you need to lower the saddle and practice pedaling in this position.
3. Lifting the front wheel
You will be thinking of lifting both wheels at once while you hop off the ground, you can do that by having enough speed but it is not recommended for new riders. You can clear large obstacles easily and safely by lifting the front wheel first. You must aim at arcing over the object smoothly. For this purpose, you need to crouch into the bike by shifting your weight forward into your handlebars and pedals to load the suspension. Pull the front wheel up now with your arms while your feet are pushing the pedals.
4. Follow through
Now, your front wheel is up, lean your weight forward once you see yourself clearing the obstacle. Push the handlebar forward and suck your legs up toward your body to bring the bottom bracket and rear wheel up and over the obstacle. This step is also described as scooping backward with your feet.
An Important Tip
If you are a professional cyclist, and have access to a hard trial and mountain bike, you can start there for efficient bunny hop. This will help you master the trick on a stiffer road and bike. In such trails, you will find a lot of natural obstacles which you can avoid by variation of moves and practice much more.