[skatetokil]

I've been watching videos trying to get my manual better, but I'm having some trouble. When getting the front end up, is the dominant motion

A) pulling with arms
B) pushing with legs
C) leaning back/pedaling
D) all at once

Do you keep your chest up high with or above the bars, or sag down so you're almost dragging ass on the rear tire? Also, i often feel like I'm going to flip over backwards so I grab too much brake. any tips other than "go practice, fool" would be much appreciated since I'm already doing that.

 

[PatBranch]

I would say D). I manual in a similar position as one way I wheelie. When I manual, my ass is anywhere from near my seat to just above my tire.

Just lean back and balance. The brake is a good idea. Everyone uses it (i'm pretty sure). I modulate my rear brake very lightly with one finger, then I can pull harder when i'm going to fall over. I try not to pull it too much, so I can continue the manual.

-hope that helps

 

[The Mad Haderer]

biggest mistake i see ppl make is to actually pull up with their arms...the key is to actually make ur arms all the way straight and lean your body back/down towards the rear wheel. the lower you keep your weight the easier it is to balance using ur knees and legs. youll find the sweet spot and use a feathery rear brake to keep it there.
hope that helps a bit

 

[BKQuill]

I find it to be in the legs for the most part...

 

[TWISTED]

biggest mistake i see ppl make is to actually pull up with their arms...the key is to actually make ur arms all the way straight and lean your body back/down towards the rear wheel. the lower you keep your weight the easier it is to balance using ur knees and legs. youll find the sweet spot and use a feathery rear brake to keep it there.
hope that helps a bit

EXACTLY!
Don't pull with your arms, snap your ass down while keeping your arms straight, which pulls the front end up.
Bent elbows = bad.
I like to hover just over the rear tire.
It also helps to focus on a distant point in front of you, aim at it to help keep yourself straight.

 

[Spunger]

If I can get up a wheelie from sitting flat on the seat I'm money to keep it going. The lower the better you sit near the rear wheel.

But if you pull up with your arms + lean back on the seat all thats gonna happen is the bike will pop out from under you quickly. It's a good exercise if you're new to manuals to practice because it gives you that feel of when you've gone too far. If your front goes down while trying a manual no biggy, but if it comes out from under you........well you could get hurt

I can do a manual just riding, but I can't jump to something and manual. That's the hard part!

 

[mandown]

i would say that you should have a bit of bend in the arms. it helps you adjust the front end height. i do think they should be close to straight.

i have found that different fork lengths require different balance points. with my pike at full travel, i lean back and low over the tire more. with it in the shortest travel position, i stand higher and closer to center. not sure that is a good thing, but it is what is easiest for me at this point. it does seem from the videos i have seen that the good guys always keep the front tire low and arms straight and they move the hips and legs to keep things moving.

 

[Arm@ndo]

My experience tells me that one should first learn to hold a wheelie while not "chasing after it"... this meaning, not having to pedal to keep the front end up. I assume most ppl are capable of holding a decent wheelie before moving onto manuals. One should be able to do a wheelie in pretty much all gears, and once the sweet spot comes comfortably it is much easier to work on cleaning up your manuals. Use slight grades up-hill to clean up the wheelie and slight DH grades on soft surfaces to perfect the manual.

I'm still working to clean up and stretch out the length of my manuals, and so far, the motion I'm using is to swiftly shift your body slightly behind the rear axle by combining a "lean-back squat" move that may seem like you're pulling on the bar.
Keep your body as lose as you can (slight bend on the arms feels good) and use your hips and rear brake to hold front/back balance, and depending on your speed, use your legs and front wheel as counter weights to keep the bike from leaning to either side.

Obviously, some riders are more blessed with talent than others, but practice makes perfection... I just wish I had more time for the bike.

 

[TWISTED]

Different bikes manual differently.
My 9.5 DH bike I have to really yank to get the front end up, then I hover against or just behind the seat. Once in the sweet spot I can go down a hill forever.

My Fall Guy hardtail with 14.75" chainstays manuals very differently. The front end comes up effortlessly, then I must finesse the balance point. The bike is so light and nimble that it takes very little body english to keep the front tire just a couple inches off the ground.

Don't even attempt manuals until you've got wheelies dialed. Wheelies are the stepping stone where you can gain balance and confidence.

 

[JTVW]

don't manual like you're doing a wheelie, two totally different skills in my opinion.
and DON'T use your brake!!! learn to find the balance point without it, using body english (mostly legs and lower back, but arms help too). being dependant on your brake is not the best way to do it, and if you learn with your brake then it's hard to do without it. start out trying to flip over backwards and learn to catch yourself (by taking a foot, or both, off). it's not hard and it's not that scary. then once you've gotten comfortable with flipping over, then you can work on finding the balance point. just practice this, nothing we can tell you can help you find the balance point on your bike, with your body, it's just something you have to do for yourself.
and lifting up is just a combination of everything. you can lift with just your arms as long as your good enough to find the balance point from there, but leaning back into the balance point with a tug on the bars is the most effective. and if your confused about how to use your legs, just imagine that you're trying to kick the bike out if you're falling forward, and basically sitting down if you're falling backwards

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

Using the brake WILL help you learn, but it is a bad habbit. You will not be able to make long manuals because you scrubbed off all your speed.

Learn to eject off the back and land on your feet instead of looping out onto your tailbone. Now take your finger off the brake and learn to manual. You will have to eject a lot, but your manuals will improve.

 

[TWISTED]

An easy and safe way to find the balance point is to set your bike parallel to a wall with the end of your bar just touching. Get on the bike and lean back into a stationary manual while leaning your shoulder against the wall. Try to hold the front end up for as long as possible while trying not to rely on the wall, using your legs to pump the front up and down. Try it, it's fun. Eventually your lower back and calves will start burning once you're doing it for minutes at a time.

Another trick is to get on your bike while facing away from a wall. Hold the rear brake and pull the front wheel up untill your back is against the wall. Keep the front end up by practicing balance for as long as possible. If it gets easy, take a foot off, X-up, or do other tricks.

The next tip is: when you're out riding around town, never set your foot down. Whenever there's a red light, hold a track stand until you get a green. Practice this everyday and you'll have better balance, more strength, and be a much better rider.

Don't listen to these guys about not using the rear brake. I'll touch the rear brake instead of falling off the back of the bike. In fact, I've only ever fallen off the back of my bike once. Train yourself NOT to use it, but DO touch it before looping out. If your a young teenager then it's a different story, you have rubber bones. Guys in their twenty's or even late thirty's (like me) can't afford to slam our backs on the ground.

I'm not the best guy at manuals, but I have gone for over a mile's distance and at speeds up to 45mph. I can go down stairs, around corner, and manual the triples on the BMX track. I've seen some bmx guys who have far more talent than me though (but then one of the guys I ride with has a gold X-Games medal for BMX park)

Tim

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

An easy and safe way to find the balance point is to set your bike parallel to a wall with the end of your bar just touching. Get on the bike and lean back into a stationary manual while leaning your shoulder against the wall. Try to hold the front end up for as long as possible while trying not to rely on the wall, using your legs to pump the front up and down. Try it, it's fun. Eventually your lower back and calves will start burning once you're doing it for minutes at a time.

woah... is your brake locked while you do this?

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

Don't listen to these guys about not using the rear brake. I'll touch the rear brake instead of falling off the back of the bike. In fact, I've only ever fallen off the back of my bike once. Train yourself NOT to use it, but DO touch it before looping out.

of course you tap the brake rather than eat **** in traffic. But if you learn to rely on it, then it will be a crutch. Use it, don't abuse it.

 

[TWISTED]

woah... is your brake locked while you do this?

No brakes. Try it.