Mastering how to pull a bunny hop on your BMX bike is not only fun, but it is also a daring move that every fanatical cyclist dreams of performing. The stunt helps riders overcome obstacles wherever they meet them while biking. Pulling the trick is not easy, but with practice, any daring rider can master it within no time.
What Is A Bunny Hop?
A bunny hop is a bike stunt whereby a rider lifts both the front and rear wheels off the ground simultaneously and land on both wheels. The trick launches the bike into the air, enabling you to avoid obstacles. Mastering this trick is not a mean task. It demands extensive practice to pull the stunt successfully. Generally, to perform a bunny hop, you must be excellent at combining two moves. You have to master the front pull and the rear hop instantaneously.
To learn the bunny hop trick successfully, you have to practice the skill of lifting each wheel individually—consistent practice aids in perfecting the front pull and the back hop before you start combining them.
This article guides you on the mastery of the bunny hope stunt. We’ll take hold of your hand and guide you step-by-step on how to perform the trick. Keep reading!
A Step-By-Step Guide On How To Bunny Hop On A BMX
As we have informed you early, to learn the bunny hop trick, you must master the front pull and the back hop skills individually before combining them. Our guide is divided into three segments to guide you to grasp the trick quickly. The segments are; understanding the front pull, learning the back hop, and combining the front pull and the back hop.
A Guide To Understanding The Front Pull
A front pull is not a trick you will grasp overnight. Follow our guide to learn it with ease:
1. While riding at a slow or medium speed, lean your back slightly, and stand on the bike seat, ensuring that the pedals are parallel to the ground.
2. Ensure you position yourself above the seat bike by bending forward. While leaning forward, remember to keep your knees and elbows loose and bend them slightly.
3. Next, stand up and place your head directly above the bike’s front wheel.
4. Exert all weight into the bike’s front wheel, then pull the handlebars up. Then take advantage of the momentum gained when you shift your gravitational center to burst forward.
5. While still pulling the handlebars upward, ensure you apply uniform pressure to both pedals.
6. Use your arms to lift the front wheel off the riding surface while leaning back. To perform this stunt effectively, ensure you raise the wheel as higher as you can. The best position when pulling the front wheel from the ground is when you stand with the bike in the air.
7. Make sure that your pedals are level throughout the process of performing the front pull maneuver.
8. Now that you have done a front pull successfully drop the wheel gently back to the ground. Repeat the process until you master the trick. You will ascertain that you have grasped the stunt the moment you manage to place the wheel down gently with an established degree of control.
A Guide To Practicing The Back Hop
After understanding the front pull, brace yourself to learn the back hop. The steps below will guide you to grasp how to perform the task:
1. Swiftly throw your entire weight forward while ensuring that you don’t shake the bike.
2. Step number two is to snap up your heels swiftly and pull the pedals up using your feet. Ensure that your feet are nearly in a vertical position when pulling the pedals.
3. At this point, press back against the bike’s pedals while pushing up your legs to make a backward scooping motion using your feet.
4. The pressure applied to the pedal by your feet while assuming a horizontal posture ensures the feet are securely in the bike while you use the leg muscles to pull the bike’s back end.
5. Make use of your leg muscles and lift the bike’s back tire off the surface. While at it, try to roll the handlebars forward.
6. You have just performed your back hop. Now the challenge is to drop back the back wheel to the surface.
7. With much care, drop the back wheel to the ground. To perfect the art, keep practicing until you master how to land the back wheel in a controlled manner.
Performing A Bunny Hop By Combining The Front Pull And The Back Hop
1. When performing a bunny hop on your BMX, ensure you start with the front pull. Bear in mind that you should thrust your weight into the ground using the back wheel while maneuvering for the front pull.
2. Shove your weight to the rear to make it easier for the bike to bounce whenever you switch from the front pull to the back hop.
3. Ensure you have pulled the front wheel to the maximum before snapping your heels swiftly while pulling the pedals up using your feet.
4. Now pull your heels upward and press back against the BMX’s pedals while pushing your legs up.
5. At this point, your leg muscles will pull up the bike’s backside while the front wheel is still up.
6. Scoop back with your feet and push forward the handlebars. While performing the trick, focus on the technique and worry less about your riding speed while attempting the bunny hop.
7. Ensure your bike is leveled while in mid-air by squeezing your legs together
8. While in mid-air, lower the rear wheel to provide stability when landing. However, you might land with your front wheel touching the ground first; if you want to turn immediately after touching the ground.
You have just performed your bunny hop successfully on your BMX bike. All you need is consistent practice to perfect the skill.
Safety Tips
1. If it is your first time practicing a bunny hop on your BMX bike, do it on a grassy area before graduating to trails.
2. If you lose your balance mid-air while doing a bunny hop, ensure you fall onto the grass to cushion yourself from severe harm.
Conclusion
Performing a bunny hop on your BMX bike is not only entertaining but also allows you to evade obstacles on the riding surface. If you wish to perfect your bunny hop, please follow the tips given on this page for enhanced performance.
