Bunny hopping on a bike such as a fixed gear may seem like an unfeasible task, but this trick can quickly become a piece of cake by following this guide!
Requirements :
First off, you will need a fixed gear bike (indeed) with wheels that are either sturdy or that you don’t mind damaging.
The rear wheel will suffer most during bunny hops, but keep in mind your front wheel may still be subject to harm 🙂
This picture displays @svkj__’s beautiful Cannondale Track 1992 with Mavic Cosmic carbon wheelset. Carbon wheelsets such as this one, are not ideal when first perfecting bunny hops as they are less suited to high impact tricks and can lead to damaged wheels. Bunny hops are still possible with carbon wheelsets but require a little more finesse and experience!
Concept
The first step is to perfect your wheelie, meaning to lift your front wheel while riding. To achieve this you will need to shift your weight onto the pedals while pulling your handlebars up towards you and standing up from your seat. Practice your wheelie until you are comfortable at a low speed or a standstill.
Once you feel in control of your front wheel, and are able to comfortably lift it up and push it back down at will, you are ready to start hopping! During your wheelie, when you are at the highest peak of your ascendance, try to relax your legs & foot and bring your handlebar forward. Don’t hesitate to bring your chest and head forward at first to help your body initially lift off the ground.
This If done properly, this will cause your rear wheel to lift off the ground and your bike to slightly propel forward:
Practice is the best solution for perfecting bunny hops! Don’t get discouraged!
Once you feel comfortable with bunny hops, the next step would be to try hopping down a curb then jumping back onto the sidewalk! Slowly, you can develop your bunny hop more and more and start to hop stairs, jump urban furniture in the streets of your city!
You’ll see, it’s a really satisfying trick that will also allow you to get out of trickey traffic situations with style!
Video Tutorial
Here is a video tutorial by Jackson Radshaw, the founder of FOAD Gang :
We hop to see you jumping around! If the tutorial helped you in any way, you can find me on Instagram @el_fakijoe!