Who this is for
This page assumes you can already lift the front wheel a little and have tried a basic hop. If you are brand new, the beginner side of the skill, covered under bunny hop basics, is a better starting point. Here the focus is on refining what you already do: getting the front and back wheels to rise in the right order, at the right time, so you can clear a small obstacle.
A bunny hop is a risky skill. A fall can happen at any moment, especially on a mis-timed hop or a poor landing. Wear a helmet and suitable protection, practise on a flat, traffic-free surface, and use a small, soft target such as a rolled-up jacket or a low piece of foam before anything solid. Outcomes vary from rider to rider, and nobody can promise a clean hop on any given day.
What a bunny hop is really doing
A bunny hop gets both wheels off the ground without a ramp. Most riders do it in two stages, even though it feels like one movement. First the front wheel lifts, then the back wheel follows, and the bike levels out in the air. The science of how this works, including how your body weight shifts and unloads each wheel, is covered in the discussion of bunny hop mechanics, but the practical version is easier to feel than to explain.
Stage one: the front lift
Start in a balanced, active stance with your pedals level, knees and elbows soft and eyes ahead. Crouch down by bending your arms and legs, then spring up and back as you pull on the bars. The aim is to rock your weight toward the rear so the front wheel rises. Good timing means the crouch and the spring flow smoothly together, not in two jerks.
Common faults at this stage include:
- Pulling with the arms only, which tends to lift the bars without moving the body.
- Throwing the head back too far, which can leave you off balance.
- Lifting at the very last second, leaving no time for the back wheel to follow.
Stage two: the rear lift
Once the front wheel is rising, you shift your weight forward and push your feet down and slightly forward into the pedals, or scoop them up if you use flat pedals, so the back wheel comes up. For riders on clipless pedals, the cleat setup also matters, because a poorly adjusted cleat can make your feet feel unstable. Many riders find that the rear lift is the harder half. A helpful image is to try to level the bike, as if you were flattening a seesaw, rather than trying to lift the back wheel as a separate action.
Your hands move forward and slightly down as you push, which keeps the front wheel from rising too far.
Timing and height
A good hop looks like one smooth motion from crouch to landing. If the back wheel always clips the obstacle, the usual cause is that the rear lift came late. If the bike lands front first, you may have lifted the front too high and then not levelled out. Take notes in your head, or better, film a few runs from the side. Seeing the hop often shows what you cannot feel.
Practise the movement at a walking pace on level ground before adding speed. Faster approaches give more forward momentum, but they also give you less time to correct a bad start. Small hops done well are a better foundation than large ones done messily.
Practising on small obstacles
When the hop feels consistent on flat ground, use a low, forgiving obstacle. A line on the ground or a rolled-up towel is enough to start with. Progress to a low pad of foam, and only then to anything rigid. Avoid obstacles that could snag a wheel or bend a rim. Do not practise near traffic, steps, kerbs with a drop on the far side, or wet surfaces where your tyres may slide.
If you also want to build the front-wheel control that supports hopping, a gradual manual progression can help, since it teaches the balance point of the bike. Keep your practice sessions short, because tired legs and arms lead to poor timing and awkward landings.
Landing a hop
Aim to land with both wheels, or with the back wheel just a touch first, then let your arms and legs bend to absorb the impact. Keep your eyes forward and your hands relaxed. Landing nose-heavy is a common cause of going over the bars, so if you feel the front dropping, try levelling out sooner. Avoid braking hard at the moment of touchdown, which can lock a wheel.
Safety habits
Check your bike before each session: tight bars, secure wheels, working brakes and tyres in good condition. A bounce test is a quick way to find loose parts that might fail under the stress of repeated hops. If a crash happens, check your body and your bike before getting back on. Learning how to bail out of a trick safely is worth spending time on, because it makes the learning process less frightening.
When to move on
When you can clear a small obstacle consistently and land calmly, you may be ready to explore bigger bunny hops, hopping onto a kerb, or linking a hop to a jump. These come with greater risk, so move up in small increments and consider a skills lesson with a qualified instructor. The way you hop often shapes how you take off on ramps and drops, so patience at this stage pays off later. Stay realistic, wear your gear, and treat each small improvement as the goal.