Help! How Do You Do A Bunnyhop?

[alextheferret]

Hello this is alex. I have a trials bike and i can do some of the simplest tricks on it but the one trick that i still cannot do is the bunny hop. I watch these videos where people hop of really high walls and it leaves me baffled. I think the problem is that i'm only twelve and maybe i am not strong enough. Please send me some suggestions on how to do it. thanks.

Alex

[Echo-Scott]

Hi, Everyone has to start some where and where else to start but learning how to bunny hop. I no my technique may sound really really ridiculous but this is how i learnt to bunny hop. First of all i put all my weight over the handlebars. Then I tryed to pull up the front wheel and because of all the weight over the front of the bike when the front wheel comes up it starts to fall and when that happens the back wheel starts to rise. Once you can do this you will b able to do a bunnyhop with out your weight over the front of the bike.

Scott.

[alextheferret]

Hi, Everyone has to start some where and where else to start but learning how to bunny hop. I no my technique may sound really really ridiculous but this is how i learnt to bunny hop. First of all i put all my weight over the handlebars. Then I tryed to pull up the front wheel and because of all the weight over the front of the bike when the front wheel comes up it starts to fall and when that happens the back wheel starts to rise. Once you can do this you will b able to do a bunnyhop with out your weight over the front of the bike.

Scott.

Ill try it, althought are you ment to do this whilst your riding along or when you have already stopped.

Alex

[A!!]

To learn how to flick the backwheel up high, i found the easiest way to learn is to ride along and try to pull an endo without using the front brake (it may sound silly but it works). This gets you used to moving your body weight and using your feet to get the backwheel in the air, when you trying this effectively what you are doing is unweighting the bike, so it makes it easy to get the rear wheel in the air.

Once you have learned how to get you backwheel up and you know how to get you front wheel up it is all a matter of timing. You pull the front wheel up first, then flick the back wheel up after.

Edited July 5, 2006 by huck_it

[Rebelistic]

Hello this is alex. I have a trials bike and i can do some of the simplest tricks on it but the one trick that i still cannot do is the bunny hop. I watch these videos where people hop of really high walls and it leaves me baffled. I think the problem is that i'm only twelve and maybe i am not strong enough. Please send me some suggestions on how to do it. thanks.

Alex

I start by rolling along at a medium speed. I then pull up and back on the handlebars (like doing a manual) to lift the front wheel. As the front comes up, I hop upwards with my feet and throw my weight fowards slightly. This lifts the rest of the bike off the ground.

When I first started I was afraid that I would pull back to far and 'loop out' (fall of the back of the bike). To avoid this I think it is important to cover the rear break (like doing a manual).

I think biketrials.com has a good 'how to' manual that I found useful when I was starting out.

Also watch videos (eg. 'mastering the art of trials') to see the technique.

Good luck

[poopipe]

Ill try it, althought are you ment to do this whilst your riding along or when you have already stopped.

Alex

aha

an opportunity to show off my trashzen t-shirt

watch the gif

my dodgy bunnyhop

basically you need to be able to do 2 things

1: pull the front up (lean back and pull)

2: pull the back up (tilt your pedals forward, lean forwards and lift with your feet)

having figured those out...

ride at walking pace

pull the front up - while crouching a bit

jump

tuck your legs to lift the back end

On a mod there's a tendency for the front to drop so don't over tuck to start with or you'll go OTB and won't want to do it anymore

The height you pull your front wheel up basically determines how high you're going to hop so to start with don't pull too hard.

When you get more confident you'll want to start slamming your weight into the ground as you crouch and pull up to get yourself some tyre bounce for more height.

You can see where I get my marks wrong and hop too early in the gif - if you're climbing then you need leave the ground scarily (almost tap) late

Julien has a pretty good selection of bunnyhop tips/videos on trashzen - even though you hardly ever see him do them in real life

Edited July 5, 2006 by poopipe

[PaRtZ]

This one you too poopy?

[alextheferret]

Thank you for all your comments i will try them using all the different tequniqes, and finding the one that works best with me. Although this may be hard (me being only a 12 year old.)

[BIG L]

Right ride along at a medium pace, transfer all your weight back and crouch but not to much (this lifts the front wheel) then throw all you weight over the handle bars then you will bunny hop and also give it some beans.

Also there is another way but i'm not sure if it called a bunny hop it's probally something else, any way ride along at a slow to medium pace then start pedalling a bit harder crouch back and pedal one really hard one and use that like your jumping off it then pull the bike up with you and that should work and on both of them crouch when you land.

These pictures of me might help.

Hope i've helped!

Edited July 5, 2006 by BIG L

[mat hudson]

i found when i first started i thought my feet were going to slip off the pedals. i put my feel 90degrees to the floor and tried to pull the back wheel up to start off with ( just like hans rey told me to ) then i did the gay style bunyhop with the front and back at the smae time. after a while i just got into the swing of the other hop.

[onzatprodude]

if you got them riser bars ive been told that if you tilt them back more then it helps you bunny hop ive tried it and it sort of helps abit, just takes a while to get used to it

[Alastair]

i learnt by putting all my weight on the handlebars, leaning well foward, pointing my toes to the ground and learning how to lift the back wheel up first, then putting the front and back wheel movement together. It just takes practice, it was the first movement i learnt, becuase i feel its a base for other moves.

Al

[mike ahrris]

hi i leart buy just to start learn to move your back wheel up in the air without using your brakes.do it about 10 times.then lift your front at the same time you will get sooner or later.you have too start somewhere.

[hicks]

correct me if i'm wrong but isn't it just that you've just started thats your problem

practise make perfect does not ?

[poopipe]

This one you too poopy?

possibly.

i hadn't ridden a trials bike in nearly a fortnight if thats an excuse :$

[Wing]

When i was learning to bunnyhop i learn to lift the backwheel off the ground first.

When setting up: Have the cranks parallel to the ground and angle your feet a little so that your toes point towards the ground rather than the way you're facing. Also, make sure that your foot is placed so that the ball of your foot is in contact with the pedal (the part below your toes).

Now to do the actual moevement: at first, shift your weights forward and lift your legs up like you're kicking yourself in the back of the head. Once you get the feel of this, you won't have to exaggerate the motion so much.

The next step is lifting both wheels off the ground: For this, you will have to keep your weight in the middle of the bike. 'Crouch down and lift explosively' in order to leave the ground. Lift on the bars to lift the front wheel, whilst simutaneously gripping and kicking up the backwheel with the same principal with the step above.

To do a pedal bunnyhop (lift the front wheel first): I found that if you shifted your weight back as you lifted the front wheel, you could get extra leverage to lift the backwheel as you got extra momentum from shifting your weight forwards by exaggerating the motion.

I hope this has helped, i've just typed up some pointers that would have really helped myself when i was learning this move. I haven't checked the bunnyhop section on trashzen, but it's probably more useful and i've wasted my time.

[joe.powell]

Hi, I have only just learnt to bunny hop , so i feel your pain.. I found that just ride along at slow speed, and try to flick the back wheel up in the air, by just throwing your weight forwards, but don't jump, which is a problem I had. Then when you can do that motion, add in, the lift of the front wheel and the back should follow. But just stick with it, I took quite a few falls before i could do it.

Joe

[Tall_Rob]

If you've got about £15 spare, pop down to your local halfords and look for a dvd by the two martyns called 'Dirty tricks and cunning stunts'. I studyied that dvd for hours and it really helped me improve very fast. It's full of basic moves and how to train and learn to do them. Definetly worth buying.

PS.. It may come as a double pack with Bi-King on it aswell which is another great learning dvd by the Martyns.

[ad_charlton]

first i had a BMX and i could jump perity high when i got my trials bike i found it a lot harder to jump cos its long than a BMX.

but just keep on trying and u will get it soon gd luck

[nickyw]

Hello this is alex. I have a trials bike and i can do some of the simplest tricks on it but the one trick that i still cannot do is the bunny hop. I watch these videos where people hop of really high walls and it leaves me baffled. I think the problem is that i'm only twelve and maybe i am not strong enough. Please send me some suggestions on how to do it. thanks.

Alex

Hey there,Tis ok if your 12 iam only 13 and can do it.When you pull up dont pull up too much other wise you will fall backwards and slit your head open. Try and go running speed off a curb and you will start to get the feel of the motion of bunnyhopping.Once you have mastered that go over a small beginners jump or road bump and pull on the bar's and then pulll the back end up with your leg's.You will then get some hight(well not load's but some) and just try to land it.

If your gonna do it over a jump,try and do it on a bmx or something short as it would be easier.

Or if your gonna do it off a kerb or road bump...Again just use something short as it's alot easier if your short kid.

I learnt it on full suspension bike and it was kinda hard.

Make sure you learn it on something light and short.

[Krisboats]

In all honesty the easiest way to learn how to bunnyhop is to learn how to do the so called "gorilla hop". This involves just literally crouching down a little bit while your riding along and jumping upwards and pulling the bars, aiming to make both wheels lift off the floor.

Once you can do this you will already be aware of what sort of thing to do with your body to compress it enough to jump the bike in the air, so learning to do it properly will be easy.

Just do the same thing as before but pull the front end up first and do the same crouching then jumping upwards movement. Keep practising this and lifting the front end a little higher everytime.

Wallah, you can bunnyhop.

To improve it try bunnyhopping onto a curb but with the intention of landing on your rear wheel first, this will get you used to getting up things and will provide you with the knowledge of knowing how high your front end should be to comfortably stay on the back wheel after landing.

Going out with riders better than yourself and getting them to explain will also be a greta help to you.

EDIT: Damned thing posted it twice

Edited July 6, 2006 by Krisboats

[Ali C]

tilt the bars back and the bike will bunnyhop for you.

[Tommy d]

When I was trying to learn to bunny hop many moons ago, someone told me to "pull up and then push forwards" (with your hands). It doesn't quite sound right I know, but for me it was like they were magic words.

Give it a try, it worked for me

(Your feet need to be tilted forwards as well to grip the pedals, but I'm pretty sure other people have said that anyway)

Hope it helps

Tom

[ollie2000]

i learned by practicing lifting the rear wheel with out using the front brake and then moving onto proper bunny hopping