I can't do it, I just can't seem to learn how to manual. If anyone has any tips or tricks they used when they were learning or anything of the sort, please post em up. This is driving me nuts.
Argh, manual help
- Thread starter Rideforfun
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Be patient grasshopper, for now, wax on, wax off.
How much time have you spent practicing?
Pretty much every time I've been on a bike for the past few weeks. I don't know if I'm not getting my weight down and back enough or just not getting the front end high enough to begin with...
Lean your feet back as though you are pushing the bike away with your feet and pulling it back with your hands. Doing this usually allows me to keep a manual for several blocks.
So what your saying is try and angle my heels down more and push the bottom of the bike away?
Correct. Your body is changing its position in relation to the bike, so your feet should as well.
yeah that's right. try to keep your grips in the same place and your front wheel about the same place--relatively low off the ground, then use your feet to adjust.... sometimes you see people try to stiff leg it, then use their arms to pull forward and back--that's not right. it's more of a foot pressure thing, so your knees have to be bent. another thing that helps is imagine some kind of triangle, where your body weight is behind the rear wheel, the rear wheel is the bottom of the triangle and the front end of your bike makes the other point. you just sit right there on the balance point. it's better to keep the front end low and just pressure it off the ground. if you are locked in, you shouldn't have to feather the brakes at all.
my MOB is my favorite bike to manual:
these fellas are right, however if you stand tall it takes alot of physical strain off of the trick. really you just need to practice as much as you can and over time you will develop the touch of maintaining balance point. you can try as many tips and tricks as you want but in the end it boils down to time time time
You're going to need a LOT more than a few weeks of practice!
It's a skill that has to be burned into muscle memory.... unless you are some kind of a freak of nature, it's going to take some time.
It's a skill that has to be burned into muscle memory.... unless you are some kind of a freak of nature, it's going to take some time.
pull up and lean back in one motion so that your arms are out straight and your body is over the back tire. adjust your front wheel up or down by pulling the bars in towards you. also you can do some pedal kicks to keep the front up but not too much or then its just a wheelie 
just takes learning the balance point of your bike and getting some coordination. keep a finger on the brake lever in case you start to loop. first try and go between between 2 points like cracks in the sidewalk that are like 3' apart, then 6' then 10' etc. set little goals and do it over and over. nobody can really tell you exactly how to do em most of it is learning the balance for yourself. dont accept defeat just try again and again. its a simple trick but very satisfying imho.
just takes learning the balance point of your bike and getting some coordination. keep a finger on the brake lever in case you start to loop. first try and go between between 2 points like cracks in the sidewalk that are like 3' apart, then 6' then 10' etc. set little goals and do it over and over. nobody can really tell you exactly how to do em most of it is learning the balance for yourself. dont accept defeat just try again and again. its a simple trick but very satisfying imho.
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like i said it takes almost infinite time, but the next best thing is a smooth, slow pull-up, make sure to rock real far forward before making the strong yet slow and gradual pull-back to get the front end up.
I always try to lean back and low over my back tire while keeping my arms extended which helps keep the front end a bit lower when Im at my balance point, and I also feel more in control that position. But like sealclubber have said it really just takes lots of practice..
Only thing I can add to the above is to look ahead, if you look down the front wheel will go down. keep your head up and look ahead to a goal to manual too, like the end of a side walk, table top, roller dub or whatever you are trying to manual.
arms straight, knees out, ass back and down. That's it.
knees out like boner style? ahha
not way out, just not pinching the seat tube.