The bunny hop is quite efficient in urban settings where most obstacles are flat and square with good run up distances to control the pace of things.
Modern trials geometries with a high bottom bracket and a low steering setup make this move a bit more difficult to perform than on old school bikes or
BMXs from where this technique is derived, but 24-inch bikes have better adapted geometries for this streety move.
Understanding the move
The plain bunny hop, to clear up small obstacles.
Find a comfortable cruising speed, fast enough to clear the obstacle's length during your bunny hop, then stop pedalling and lean forward. As you approach the obstacle, crouch on the bike to compress up both tyres and lean back again to transfer progressively all the compression to the rear tyre. At full compression, straighten both your arms and legs. This shifts your full weight over the rear tyre and lifts the front wheel. Keep pushing on the ground.Click on any step below and use the scroll-wheel to move through the animation.
A flowing jump
1° Build up enough momentum to clear the obstacle length during the duration of your bunny hop, then stop pedaling
and lean forward.
2° As you approach, in one fluid motion, crouch on the bike to compress up both tyres, then lean
back to push on the rear tyre.
3° At this stage, straighten both your arms and legs to shift your full weight over the rear tyre and lift
the front wheel, keep pushing on the ground.
4° Carry on with a full jump impulse, keeping your arms straight to maintain pressure on the
ground while moving up on the high pedal position.
5° You are ready to take off, fold back from your extension, upwards and pull up the bars while lifting up the knees to clear the way for the bike.
6° Lift the rear wheel further to level up the bike by gripping up the pedals with your soles (applying back-force),
and tuck until you have cleared the obstacle.
Watch all the slow-motion video clips for this move
Optimizing height and bike lift
Push on the ground before take-off.
Tuck your knees and pull on the handlebars to lift the bike up.
The whole bunny hop move takes less than one second. The higher you lift the handlebars, and then the faster you push them forward in a wave motion, the higher you will take the rear wheel off the ground. Of course this requires a perfect synchronization with your jump impulse, and only practice makes perfect.