Raw street style |
If you can bunny hop properly, jumping up a few steps is straight forward. A pure street trials technique, flat and square. |
Pull on those arms...Not so smooth.... | ||
Make it simple, start at a low speed...A crash on that wall wouldn't look good. | ||
1° Stop pedaling and flex to prepare for extension. Start lifting the front wheel while pushing on the rear wheel (see the flat tire). | 2° Full explosive extension, in one jump impulsion on the pedals at the highest position, takes off the rear tire from the ground. | 3° As soon as the back wheel takes off, fold back, pulling on the handlebars upward while lifting the knees. That is what brings the bike up. |
See the move in a video or in slow-motion |
Impressive bunny hop by César Cañas | Risky Business? This approach is not very safe for higher obstacles, as the front wheel can accidentally bang on the upper edge of the wall, stopping you straight, or sending you over the bars if you go fast enough. You also need enough flat space to accelerate. If you have a 'last second' problem lifting the front wheel, you're up for a nasty crash. |
for any odd block |
Landing on a beam |
Bunny Hops are very energy consuming, you literally jump and then try to pull up the bike with you, but it can be very classy if you land sharp. In the slow motion rear view, you can see how the bike is pulled up while the body is folding up after the jump extension. Start on smallish kerbs before you consider breaking your bones on higher stuff. | Slow-motion rear view |
Matt with minimal run up distance |
The next technique is to roll over the obstacle. Quite safe, this is a true biketrials technique and it requires very little run-up space (one pedal stroke). And it is a much smoother move, as you don't need to pull like mad on the handlebars. You don't land on the rear wheel but it's more like rolling up and stopping once on the obstacle. At a pro level, you can bunny hop with minimal run-up distance, stretching to the limits synchronised body movement. |