How to Do a Mountain Bike Bunny Hop
Accelerate to a moderate but steady pace., Keep your forearms low., Dip your heels and bend your knees., Lean slightly toward and over the handlebars., Accelerate slightly and push your feet down and back quickly., Crouch down., Pull upward on your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Accelerate to a moderate but steady pace.
When learning how to bunny hop on a mountain bike, you should start at a moderate pace.
If you go too fast, you probably won’t be able to execute the hop the way it needs to be done.
As a result, avoid peddling too hard when learning to hop.
While you can eventually increase your pace, start at 4 to 6 miles per hour (6.5 to
9.5 kilometers per hour). -
Step 2: Keep your forearms low.
As you ride along at a steady pace, hold your forearms are low.
This will give you the control and position you need to execute the bunny hop.
If your arms are too high, you may not be able to generate the force and you could lose balance. , Dipping your heels and bending your knees puts you in position to accelerate and control the bike.
In addition, this position allows you to adjust as you execute the hop.
Your positioning should resemble the crouching position of a sprinter., Keep your weight centered to maintain good balance.
Leaning over the handlebars gives you the momentum needed to perform a bunny hop.
If you do not stay centered, you could wind up falling off your bike. , Move your legs and feet into the correct position as you accelerate.
Without positioning your feet correctly before the bunny hop, you won’t be able to execute it properly. , While you already put yourself in a crouching position, you’ll want to retract this position even more before you execute the hop.
Being in the crouching position is safer and gives you more control. , Pull upward, then push down and firmly grip your pedals.
In combination with your acceleration, pulling up and back on your handles should lift the front tire of the bike into the air.
If you’re riding on a hill or on mountainous terrain, you may gain substantial air. , Leaning back could lead you to fall back and hurt yourself.
Instead, make sure you push down with your feet and stand with a slight forward lean.
If you lean back or sit back, you won’t be able to get the back wheel into the air., Immediately after pulling up on your handlebars, you need to ease back into a crouching position.
Then, push your weight into the handle bars.
In addition, slightly rotate the handle bars.
This will create momentum that will help bring your back wheel off the ground. , Point your toes down and sweep your feet backward above the peddles.
This will help you adjust to the bike moving into the air. , While how much you bend your knees depends on your body and height, consider bending them at about a 60 degree angle.
This is important, as the impact of landing could injure you if your legs are straight or tense. , Find a patch of grass, either your backyard, a field, a meadow, or something similar.
Complete practice drills where you try to perfect each part of the bunny hop.
Feel free to experiment and change up anything that does not work for you.Watch to see which wheel tends to land first.
After watching this, you can alter your technique so you get either the back or front wheel to land first.
Don’t move on from a flat surface until you can comfortably hop over six inches of ground. , After you’ve built confidence, try doing a bunny hop on a trail over gently rolling terrain.
Use small obstacles, like small rocks, tree limbs, or roots to hop over., After you’ve mastered small obstacles on intermediate trails, it’ll be time for you to move on to serious trails.
On these trails, you’ll find a variety of obstacles – under different conditions – that you may need to hop over. , Watch how your friends execute a bunny hop.
Then, have them watch you.
Give each other feedback.
Ultimately, you and your friends will be able to do better bunny hops.
In addition, consider joining a club where you can learn from people with more experience.
Consider clubs like the Overland Mountain Bike Club in Colorado, the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club in North Carolina, or other clubs around the country.Set up times to bike and practice biking with friends on the weekend. -
Step 3: Dip your heels and bend your knees.
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Step 4: Lean slightly toward and over the handlebars.
-
Step 5: Accelerate slightly and push your feet down and back quickly.
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Step 6: Crouch down.
-
Step 7: Pull upward on your handle bars.
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Step 8: Avoid allowing your weight to shift backwards.
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Step 9: Push into the handle bars.
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Step 10: Retract your feet upward.
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Step 11: Bend your knees before landing.
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Step 12: Start on a completely flat surface with no obstacles.
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Step 13: Move to a gently rolling trail with small obstacles.
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Step 14: Try hopping on a tough trail with large obstacles.
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Step 15: Practice with friends.
Detailed Guide
When learning how to bunny hop on a mountain bike, you should start at a moderate pace.
If you go too fast, you probably won’t be able to execute the hop the way it needs to be done.
As a result, avoid peddling too hard when learning to hop.
While you can eventually increase your pace, start at 4 to 6 miles per hour (6.5 to
9.5 kilometers per hour).
As you ride along at a steady pace, hold your forearms are low.
This will give you the control and position you need to execute the bunny hop.
If your arms are too high, you may not be able to generate the force and you could lose balance. , Dipping your heels and bending your knees puts you in position to accelerate and control the bike.
In addition, this position allows you to adjust as you execute the hop.
Your positioning should resemble the crouching position of a sprinter., Keep your weight centered to maintain good balance.
Leaning over the handlebars gives you the momentum needed to perform a bunny hop.
If you do not stay centered, you could wind up falling off your bike. , Move your legs and feet into the correct position as you accelerate.
Without positioning your feet correctly before the bunny hop, you won’t be able to execute it properly. , While you already put yourself in a crouching position, you’ll want to retract this position even more before you execute the hop.
Being in the crouching position is safer and gives you more control. , Pull upward, then push down and firmly grip your pedals.
In combination with your acceleration, pulling up and back on your handles should lift the front tire of the bike into the air.
If you’re riding on a hill or on mountainous terrain, you may gain substantial air. , Leaning back could lead you to fall back and hurt yourself.
Instead, make sure you push down with your feet and stand with a slight forward lean.
If you lean back or sit back, you won’t be able to get the back wheel into the air., Immediately after pulling up on your handlebars, you need to ease back into a crouching position.
Then, push your weight into the handle bars.
In addition, slightly rotate the handle bars.
This will create momentum that will help bring your back wheel off the ground. , Point your toes down and sweep your feet backward above the peddles.
This will help you adjust to the bike moving into the air. , While how much you bend your knees depends on your body and height, consider bending them at about a 60 degree angle.
This is important, as the impact of landing could injure you if your legs are straight or tense. , Find a patch of grass, either your backyard, a field, a meadow, or something similar.
Complete practice drills where you try to perfect each part of the bunny hop.
Feel free to experiment and change up anything that does not work for you.Watch to see which wheel tends to land first.
After watching this, you can alter your technique so you get either the back or front wheel to land first.
Don’t move on from a flat surface until you can comfortably hop over six inches of ground. , After you’ve built confidence, try doing a bunny hop on a trail over gently rolling terrain.
Use small obstacles, like small rocks, tree limbs, or roots to hop over., After you’ve mastered small obstacles on intermediate trails, it’ll be time for you to move on to serious trails.
On these trails, you’ll find a variety of obstacles – under different conditions – that you may need to hop over. , Watch how your friends execute a bunny hop.
Then, have them watch you.
Give each other feedback.
Ultimately, you and your friends will be able to do better bunny hops.
In addition, consider joining a club where you can learn from people with more experience.
Consider clubs like the Overland Mountain Bike Club in Colorado, the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club in North Carolina, or other clubs around the country.Set up times to bike and practice biking with friends on the weekend.
About the Author
Nancy Hart
Brings years of experience writing about cooking and related subjects.
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