... are in the march 85 issue of BMX Action. Thanks Simon for scanning the whole magazine.

You can download it HERE.

Thanks for the upload Eric (and Simon). I visit 23 a couple of times a month to look for "new" magazines.

Thanks, that was cool to see that magazine again.

WHen that trick came out, I was so stoked. I couldn't believe it. I could actually pull that trick off. It was so rough on the grips, fork and handlebars..... Anybody who can pull off backwards Miamie hop hops is a true man.. That is one of the most underrated hard tricks of the 80's.

Miami Hoppers were always one of my favorite tricks to do! Then the invention of longer front pegs "ruined" the trick forever....

man, I had such a hard time getting those things back "up"

I kept my locking levers so that one day I can do bar spin miami hop hops again.

I keep picturing my aluminum frame splintering though.

My favorite trick also. I was actually able to pull these at one time.

I remember it taking me forever to finally get the courage to let go of the right grip to grab the seat. Haha.

Jeff

I've been able to still pull those on my newschool fbm with big pegs, but you have to balance it more gently. I do it in my little video here:

[URL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlNZStk3dxY[/URL]

Miami Hoppers were my fav. rode out of then nine times out of ten on a bad day. On my CW I had two upper pegs and only one lower so I could do the hoppers.
Once I got the grip on the ground and got my balance I could sit up and cross my legs or what ever. Something about the way that bike was set up that position was VERY stable.

I never did the hop-hops I was scared to break my tuffs.

I love the Miami Hopper...so did the local law enforcement in 1986...

Very cool picture. Great trick. Who invented that one? RL?

Jeff

[img]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j29/GlennMehltretter/grouphoppers.jpg?t=1181230665[/img]

Some of us bitd (John Herlacher, Me, Steve Shellenburger, Greg Requate)

me in the rain.

[img]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j29/GlennMehltretter/P1010036.jpg?t=1181230797[/img]

we used to just lay it on the peg, and kept the bar off the ground while balancing.

nice Deli stickers

To the best of my knowledge, a guy from Miami invented it, his name was Paul Hopper. RL saw the dude do it while on tour, named it after him and brought it to Wiz Pubs for a how to. If anyone can elaborate on that, please do.

We used to hang out in "The grove" BITD, We would get together with TJ, "Hopper Paul", "Canibus Curt Cadwalder" & "Hollywood Steve" to name a few and jam all day long.

quote:

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(...) If anyone can elaborate on that, please do.

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R.L. can.
R.L. Osborn, BMX Action march 1985 : When I was doing some freestyle shows in Miami, Florida, this winter, saw one at the locals do the trick. His name was Paul Hopper, and he's a really nice guy. After I got this trick wired, I came up with a few variations of my own, and since Paul had no real name for it, I'm calling it The Miami Hopper after him. Before I go any further, I just want to remind you folks that trick riding can be hazardous to your health, so ABSOLUTELY use your safety gear - helmet, elbow pads, gloves, and long pants at the minimum while you're learning this or any trick. Whether you use it after you've got the tricks wired is up to you, but use your best judgment. Now, on to the trick. The Miami Hopper is an advanced maneuver; a beginner shouldn't EVEN try to do it. You should know how to do a bar endo, which some people also call a dip, before you' attempt this. I'm just going to show you how to do the basic trick, and you can work on the variations later once you have everything dialed. The first thing you do is roll forward slowly, standing on your pedals with your knees slightly bent and your weight back. Then, like a front brake endo, you start by grabbing the front brake and throwing your weight forward while you let the rear of the bike come up into your body and you tuck your buns WAY back. But for The Hopper you have to do a few other things in rapid order. As you grab the front brake you quickly crank the bars to the left so that they're at a 90 degree angle to the rest of the bike. Make sure you keep the front brake locked at all times. Then you let go of the bars with your right hand and use it to grab the back of the seat. This makes it easier to tuck WAY back and gives you more control for balancing, As the endo progresses, let the bike go all the way forward so that the lower end of the bars gently touches down on the ground. Between the front wheel and the end of the bars, you're now set up on sort of a tripod. Your front wheel will probably be flexing a whole bunch. At this point, you're constantly trying to find your balance point. You'll be twisting the bars and the bike back and forth so that the rear end of the bike stays pointed skyward. It helps if you leave your left hand on the grip and front brake lever, but bring the bars around until you can grab both the grip end AND the front of the seat in your left hand while still keeping a two-finger death grip on the brake lever. Balance for as long as you can. Then, to get back to the normal riding position, move your hand from the back of the seat to the halfway point of the seat post, lean forward slightly, and then throw your weight back HARD 'cause it's way harder to get out of this trick than it is to get into it. The faster you pull back, the easier it is to keep your balance. As the rear end is heading back toward Mother Earth, release your hold on the seat post, straighten out the front wheel,- and grab the right grip. Hold onto the front brake lever until the back wheel reaches the ground. When the back end touches down, you'll naturally go for a short rollback, and then you just ride out of it. That's it !! The Miami Hopper took me about three days before I had it down. I recommend that riders learning this trick put the bike in the vertical position and then practice how to balance before trying to ride into it.