Bunny hopping involves lifting your front wheel, immediately followed by picking up the rear wheel behind you as you hop over an obstacle. This move is not just a cool trick to show off to your friends, it’s a handy tool for all sorts of riding. Whether you’re hopping a log on a trail ride or clearing an unexpected pothole on the road, the bunny hop can elevate your riding to another level.
It might be intimidating at first, but in this video, we break down the skill and give you tips to get you bunny hopping in no time. Once you’ve got your skills dialed, it’s time to take it into the real world. Hop some logs, style it out with a little nose bonk, jump that rock, hop the barriers—the opportunities are endless.
Quick Tips:
-Start out by getting comfortable lifting your front wheel over a line on the ground.
-Use a small obstacle that you can roll over if you make a mistake.
-Remember to stay off the brakes to avoid locking up on accident.
-Film yourself trying and compare it to someone successfully hopping something.
-Start out with flat pedals. This will promote proper form and allow for easier bails if needed.
Celebrate Bike to Play Week with Bicycling! Between Monday, June 27, and Sunday, July 3, we are encouraging you to break out of your usual routes and make your rides more fun this week. Whether it is a big adventure, or a day of small pleasures. Solo, with family, with friends, a dog, just you and your social media friends ... the possibilities are endless and completely up to you.
Just don’t forget to document your ride, and share it with us using the hashtag #BIBiketoPlay.
Trevor Raab is the staff photographer for Runner’s World and Bicycling, a CAT 1 cyclocross racer, and, occasionally, a product reviewer for the Test Team. He fits the typical “how I got in to bikes” story: his dad introduced him to mountain bikes when he was a kid, then he had a stint as a skateboarder in high school, and since 2011 he’s been riding every sort of bike he can find.
