When you unload off your feet with platforms,you need to pull up on the handle bars as well.It’s going to feel pretty goofy at first when you figure out that you dont just pull up,but you need to grip your handle bars with your wrist in a lowered position in order to twist forward on the grips.This will help get your back wheel up in the air as well.One thing to remember,once you unload off the pedals,your body weight and the bike may look like one,but they each have there own path through the air.That’s most likely where your feet are coming off the pedals,you need to use your imagination that your feet never leave the pedals even when there is no preasure to keep them on the pedals.couple of hints here to help with that imagination,dont let your knees come apart.Imagine your knees stay right in place and dont move apart from each other,OR get forward or backward of each other,this will really help keep your feet on the pedals.And this is where the imagination part really comes in,it’s hard to get a feel for it but imagine where the bike is going and make sure when you unload from springing up from the pedals where the bike is going and focus your body in following the same flight path,I mean,wether or not you bunny hop high or low,your feet still do not leave the pedals.Put a broom stick on the ground and practice bunny hopping the stick and keeping your feet on the pedals.It really doesnt matter at first how high your bunny hopping you really just want your feet to follow and stay on the pedals.That my freind,is what riding platforms is all about.hahahahahaahaha.
Try this to get a feel for the handle bar thing.Stand over your bike with your feet on the ground and your hands on the grips and your seat just behind your butt.It’ll be hard to just hold the bike up AND twist on the grips so it’ll be more like a quick lift up and back down,and wont be really all that high off the ground,just get a feel for it.You can even hold the front brake and practice twisting forward on your grips to get the back wheel off the ground.This is really just to get a feel for it so it’s a little easier when you actually do it when bunny hopping.Now,practice lifting up your bike.At first,only the front end should come off the ground.Now,try lifting the bike up AND gripping kinda hard and twisting forward on the grips,remember to start with your wrists lowered a little bit to take up the slack in your grip.The back wheel should come off the ground as well,if not keep practicing,it takes a little to get the feel of it.When you get a good grip for that and can pick your bike up with both wheels off the ground,start focusing on doing the same thing right after you unload from your feet.It’ll take practice to get your timing down so that unloading from your feet and lifting up on the handle bars while twisting forward on the grips and keeping your feet on the pedals all happen in the blink of an eye and follow each other like a shadow.Get this down pretty good and let us know how its’s going,I would love to keep helping you with this bike skill,it’s one of my most favorite skills there is in riding.
[url:2w23ybuf]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o[/url:2w23ybuf]
Here is a link to a video if you havent seen it,very inspiring vid.I used to be able to do some cool ass bunny hopping and tricks when I was kid,not quite like ol’ Danny in the vid,but I had my own horizon. 😎