Bunny hop (cycling)

Bunnyhopping onto a park bench

In cycling, particularly BMX and mountain biking, the bunny hop is a trick that involves the rider lifting their bike over an obstacle while remaining on the bike and in motion. An experienced rider can lift their bike in excess of ½ a metre or 1½ft. The world record stands at around 4ft.

A bunny hop is carried out by approaching an obstacle at speed, lifting the front of the bike and leveling the pedals. If the rider's bike has suspension (full or just front) they would need to pre-load the shocks by pressing down just before the obstacle. The rider has to time this with the height of the object and their speed. Once pre-loaded, the rider springs upwards pulling up as they do with both hands and feet. Toe straps or clipless pedals help with this, but if plain platform pedals are being used, it is still possible. As the rider lifts, they roll their hands forward as though they were twisting the throttle on a motorcycle, except that they roll forward and with both hands. This helps the rider to lift the back of the bike. After the object has been cleared, the rider can push down on the bike to put it back on the ground, and then absorb the impact with their arms and legs.

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Categories: Cycling