The bunny hop

The bunny hop, or bunnyhop, is a bicycle trick that allows the rider to launch their bike into the air as if jumping off a ramp. The pedals on the bicycle seem to stick to the rider's feet as the bike becomes airborne very much like the way the skateboard seems to stick to the feet of the skater performing the Ollie. Also, much like the Ollie, the bunny hop is one of the first and most basic tricks a bicycle rider typically learns. While the bunny hop can be quite challenging to learn, once mastered it opens up a whole new level of riding opportunities for both bicycle motocross (BMX) and mountain bike rider alike.

The bunny hop is also a useful skill for an urban cyclist/commuter, allowing the avoidance of potholes and other hazards, and allowing for quick mounting of curbs.

More often, bunny hops are done on BMX bikes, which are lighter and smaller than mountain bikes and lend themselves to be lifted far more easily.

Other terms for bunnyhop have been around for years and include the J-hop, bronco, californian, hop-walk, and others. Local areas have been coming up with their own name for the bunnyhop for decades. The characteristic of the bunnyhop where the front wheel is lifted first, then the back wheel is lifted is the technique which these terms are supposed to convey. Another method to do a bunnyhop is to lift both wheels at the same time instead of front wheel then back wheel. There are undoubtedly many other terms for the bunnyhop used in different locales, but bunnyhop is still the most widely used term for the technique.

technique.

The bunny hop is executed by approaching an obstacle with a medium rolling speed, arms and legs slightly bent. Upon reaching the obstacle, the rider needs to shift their center of gravity towards the rear wheel of the bike and pull back on the handlebars, causing the front wheel to lift in a wheelie. Simultaneously, as the rider pedals, they explosively push down on the bike pedals, and continue the push in a circular motion allowing them to 'pull' the rear wheel up by applying force to the pedals towards the rear of the bike, in what may be thought of as the three-o-clock position of the cranks. The combination of these two motions gives the impression that the rider directly rises into the air. Note that in the BMX usage, the term 'bunny hop' is commonly denoted to refer to a jump that causes both wheels to rise into the air at the same time, and a 'pro hop' refers to a jump during which the front wheel rises before the rear.