BARHOPS
(Handlebar Rides)

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Well somehow the word handlebar rides has been added to this trick name...  I've always thought bar rides were when you stood upright on the bars... 

Anyway...

This is one of those tricks that looks pretty cool to do and isn't that hard but teaches some lessons about riding that are CRITICAL.  One- you learn to clear the handlebars while jumping which will make tricks where you jump over and around the bike easier.  Two- it teaches you about balancing on the front of the bike WITHOUT standing on a peg.

There aren't many tricks you can really link into or out of barhops...  But you can still work on variations of the trick.

• Begin by rolling at a slow/medium pace.  Not to slow- but fast enough that you will coast for a while without pedalling.
• You should be standing normally on the pedals holding the grips...
• NOW JUMP!
• Jump off the pedals and using your arms to REALLY push your weight up high- jump over the handlebars.
• To help with clearing the bars you should pull your knees up to your chest as high as you can.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LAND ON THE PEGS UNTIL YOU HAVE THIS JUMP PERFECTED!!!
• Aim for the ground in front of the bike...  Once you have the jump perfected you must learn the 'handlebar ride' part of the trick...
• Sit on the handlebars and coast.  This is something you can learn several different ways and should probably have pretty dialed before you try barhopping into it-
• To help learn to balance reach back with one of your hands and hold onto the seat to steer with.
• To keep your speed up kick the top of the front tire forward with your feet.  This will keep you from losing to much speed.
• Eventually you should take your hand off the seat and adjust your weight a tiny bit from side to side to maintain your balance.  DEPENDING on who you are you may find this easier to do with your hands off the grips- or on the grips- it does not matter.  As long as you are just sitting on the handlebars.
• To ride out snap your legs up and back.
• As with riding in you want to put ALL your weight on your arms and tuck your knees as CLOSE to your chest as possible so that you clear the bars.
• When you have done this a few times aim for the pedals and land both feet on them at the same time and ride away.

ALTERNATE WAY INTO HANDLEBAR RIDES...

• Instead of jumping the handlebars walk over the bike.
• Do this by putting one leg over the handlebars (either one) and reaching back with your opposite hand to hold the seat then put your other leg over the handlebars...
• For example:  Put your left leg over the handlebars.
• Shift your weight as far forward as possible.
• Reach back with your RIGHT hand and hold the seat and start to steer with your hand...
• At the same time lift your RIGHT leg up and stick it over the handlebars.
• Because your hand is off the grip you don't put your leg right OVER the bars- you swing it out and around the top of the right grip.
• To ride out do this in reverse-  Grab the seat with your right hand.
• Pull your right leg back over the handlebars and put it on the right pedal.
• Put your hand back on the right grip and pull your left leg back over the handlebars.

That should pretty much give you a good thing to try for the next two or three months.   It is typically the first time that you will ever learn to steer the bike in such a weird fashion so don't get overly frustrated if it takes a while to learn.  Getting OVER the bars is easy-  But actually rolling while sitting on the bars can be very difficult for some.

If you have a question about this trick please feel free to e-mail it in...