How to bunny hop on a fixed gear bike
It can be hard to admit, but doing a bunny hop on a fixed gear bike is actually more than possible! It’s an important ingredient to have with you for the rest of your freestyle experience, which is declined to in many different sauces: bunny hop 180°, bunny hop barspin…
Requirements :
First off, you will need a fixed gear bike *surprisingly* 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 :-)
Bunny hops are still possible with carbon wheelsets but require a little more finesse and experience!
Avoid this kind of bike as much as possible, unless you have an unlimited budget :)
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 jumping!
While lifting your front wheel, when you are at the highest peak of your ascendance, try to release the tension in your legs & foot and bring your handlebar forward. Don’t hesitate to bring your chest and head forward to accentuate the movement.
If done properly, this will cause your rear wheel to lift off the ground, if possible as high as the front wheel:
Pull your bars to your waist while standing up...
...and push the hell up front while releasing tension in your legs!
Practice is the best solution for learning and perfecting bunny hops! Don’t get discouraged!
Once you feel comfortable with bunny hops, the next step would be to try jumping down a curb then back onto the sidewalk!
Slowly, you can develop your bunny hop more and more and go above stairs, urban furniture in the streets of your city!
You’ll see, it’s a very satisfying trick that will also offer you a way out of tricky traffic situations with style!
We hop to see you jumping around!
If the tutorial helped you in any way, you can find us on Instagram @after.spin!
Video Tutorial
Here is a video tutorial by Jackson Radshaw, the founder of FOAD Gang :