The lasso peptide benenodin-1, a naturally occurring and bacterially produced [1]rotaxane, undergoes a reversible zip tie-like motion under heat activation, in which a peptidic wheel stepwise translates along a molecular thread in a cascade of “tail/loop pulling” equilibria. Conformational and structural analyses of four translational isomers, in solution and in the gas phase, reveal that the equilibrium distribution is controlled by mechanical and non-covalent forces within the lasso peptide. Furthermore, each dynamic pulling step is accompanied by a major restructuring of the intramolecular hydrogen bonding network between wheel and thread, which affects the peptide’s physico-chemical properties.