Bar Hop

A bar hop is a BMX trick where the rider brings both legs up and over the handlebars, passing them between the arms, then brings them back to the pedals. It is done in the air off ramps and jumps, and versions of it are also done at low speed on flat ground. It is an old-school trick strongly linked with 1980s freestyle.

Overview

In an air bar hop, the rider takes off, pulls the bike up, and swings both legs forward through the space between the arms and over the bars. At full extension the legs are in front of the bars, often straight out, with the rider still holding the grips. The legs then come back over the bars and down to the pedals before landing.

In flatland, the bar hop is a ground move. Standing on the pedals while rolling, the rider jumps up and over the bars with the knees tucked to the chest and lands sitting on the bars in front of the stem. From there the rider can scuff the front tyre with a foot to keep rolling, or climb back over the bars to the pedals. Flatland usage varies a little, and some riders link the move into front peg tricks.

Version	Where	What happens
Air bar hop	Ramps, jumps, park	Legs go over the bars in the air and back before landing
Flatland bar hop	Flat ground	Rider jumps over the bars while rolling and lands sitting on them, then scuffs the front tyre or climbs back

Compared with a can-can, where one leg crosses the frame, the bar hop asks more of the rider's flexibility and timing, because both legs move together and have to clear the bars.

How to do it

Flatland version (learn this first)

1. Roll slowly. Walking pace on smooth ground.
2. Hold the bars firmly. Keep the front wheel straight.
3. Hop the feet up. Stand on the pedals, spring up and bring both knees up toward your chest.
4. Clear the bars. Pass the feet over the bars between your arms.
5. Sit on the bars. Land sitting on the bars in front of the stem, with your feet forward. Scuff the front tyre with a foot to keep rolling if you want to.
6. Return. Climb back over the bars and put your feet back on the pedals.

Air version

1. Ride in with good speed. You need plenty of air time.
2. Take off cleanly. Level and balanced.
3. Pull the bike up. Bring the bars toward your chest to make room.
4. Tuck and swing. Lift your knees high and swing both legs forward over the bars, between your arms.
5. Extend. Push the legs out in front if you have time.
6. Bring them back. Pull the knees up again and swing the legs back over the bars.
7. Find the pedals. Set both feet before the bike starts to descend.
8. Land. Both wheels together, knees bent.

Bar height, stem length and your own size affect how easy it is to clear the bars. See handlebars and stem.

Variations

• Extended bar hop. Legs straight out in front at the peak.
• One-legged bar hop. Only one leg goes over the bars. Names for this vary.
• No-handed bar hop. Hands come off while the legs are over the bars. Rare and advanced.
• Bar hop to can-can. Return one leg via a can-can position.
• Flatland bar hop to scuffing. The ground version, sitting on the bars and scuffing the front tyre to keep rolling. See scuff.

Learning progression

1. Can-cans and one-footers. Get comfortable taking feet off the pedals. See one-footer.
2. Flatland bar hop. Practise hopping the feet over the bars at walking pace.
3. Stationary or slow drills. Practise lifting both knees high while holding the bars.
4. Small jump. Try a partial bar hop where the feet only just clear the bars.
5. Bigger jump. Add extension once the return is reliable.

Wear a helmet, gloves and shin guards. Your shins and knees can hit the bars, and a foot that misses the pedal on landing is a common crash. See protective gear.

Common mistakes

• Not lifting the knees high enough. The feet catch the bars.
• Letting the bars turn. Keep your grip firm while the legs pass through.
• Late return. Bring the legs back at the peak, not on the descent.
• Too little air. The air version needs real height.
• Bike too small or too big. Very low bars make clearance hard. A badly sized bike makes it harder still.

History

The bar hop is an old-school freestyle trick, seen in both ramp and flatland riding in the 1980s, when freestyle demos and shows were at their peak. Who first did a bar hop is not reliably documented. See freestyle BMX boom 1980s and flatland.

Related tricks

• Can-can
• Superman
• One-footer
• No-hander