Perfecting your Bunnyhop

The bunnyhop, as if you didn't know, is the act of lofting the bike in one fluid motion over an obstacle. Not merely the reserve of, dare we say, the playbiking or jump bike fraternity, but an extremely useful – some would say necessary – trail skill, which can get you out of a number of troublesome scenarios.

The first mistake people make with the hop is to use brute force to yank the bike off the ground by the pedals. Instead, a degree of finesse is required. Work out the height of the obstacle you plan to clean and the amount of front wheel lift required for the manoeuvre.

Build up slowly and don't try something beyond your ability. Practice the front wheel lift before you make the move in anger, so you get a feel for the motion.

Just prior to the obstacle pull back on the bars, lift the front wheel as if going into a coaster wheelie over the obstacle. Once you've cleared the obstacle with your front wheel you'll need to get the back wheel up and over. This is the trickiest part, demanding a shift of weight distribution at precisely the right moment.

Just before the rear wheel touches the obstacle, using you upper boy – and not heavy lifting force on the pedals – shift your weight and the back wheel up and forward clear of the obstacle, in a kind of bucking motion. At first you'll probably land front wheel first. As you develop the skill, rear wheel or flat landings are possible.

Once you've got the technique pinned down you should be able to complete it on flat pedals, using the upper body lift without cheating with the spuds.