How To

How to Bunny Hop a Mountain Bike

How to Bunny Hop a Mountain Bike
Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(91 Ratings)

Jumping both wheels off the ground at once will help you out of some tight jams and over many obstacles ' whether you're in the forest or the city.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  1. Step 1

    Start out by trying to hop over a line on the ground, then move to a thin stick and progress from there.

  2. Step 2

    Keep your cranks horizontal.

  3. Step 3

    Angle the toes of your back foot toward the ground and keep your knees bent. This position looks similar to a sprinter crouching in the blocks.

  4. Step 4

    Lean your upper body over the handlebars and keep your weight centered.

  5. Step 5

    Roll up to the object at jogging speed and at a perpendicular angle.

  6. Step 6

    Concentrate on the correct footwork for the jump. You actually push your feet down, back, then up in one dynamic motion.

  7. Step 7

    Crouch down on the bike just before reaching the object.

  8. Step 8

    Use the footwork and the compression of your tires to explode upward.

  9. Step 9

    Absorb your landing in your arms and legs. "Land like a cat, not a sack of potatoes," says Hans.

Tips & Warnings
  • The stronger your explosion, the higher the jump. At its highest point, you can try to hold it.
  • Use the rebound of your tires and suspension to your advantage ' these will aid the explosive motion.
  • Ride at medium speed. If you go too slow it takes forever to get over the object. Advises Hans, "Your airtime should be as short as possible so you retain control of the jump."
  • Mountain biking is an inherently dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or death. We recommend that you seek proper training and equipment before attempting this activity.

Comments  

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TRU-BIKER said

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on 7/26/2008 you use the grip on your shoos and pedals- put the pedals near vertical about that angle> / then push in to the pedals and spring up- it also helps to push foward on the bars a little but not to much or you will land front heavy :)

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on 6/7/2008 HOW DO U LIFT UR FEET

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on 6/7/2008 how do u lift you feet do u get them under it

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 9/3/2006 For beginners, probably the hardest part of the bunny hop (for me at least) was being able to get the back wheel actually off the ground. To initially get the back wheel off the ground, try pushing forward on the handlebars while your front wheel is in the air, while pushing off the ground with your feet. Eventually, you won't really need to pull on the handlebars, it will be one fluid motion.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 8/8/2006 In order to bunny hop, there are two things you need to know how to do that really helped me.

1. You should be able to pop up your front wheel (even it's only a few inches, it will work)
To do this, you pull up on your handlebars and send your weight slightly backward.

2. You need to be able to lift up your back wheel.
To do this, you need to push your feet against the pedals and tilt your feet downward until they're vertical. Then you lean forward while lifting up the pedals with your legs. This should pop up the back wheel. It's easier done than said, trust me.

Once you can do these two things, bunny hopping will be easy. You lift up your back wheel like described in number 2 and at the same time, lift up your front wheel.

When you can do that, you can work on crouching down and compressing your tires and suspension to get the highest hop.

I hope this helps!

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