Never really mastered manually properly and tend to revert to a little pop when required. So watched a few videos during the week and decided on a bit of practice (session !?!) yesterday full of confidence (ha!)

So with ar5e scrapping the back wheel, arms nice and straight, dynamic movement (supermarket trolley image) and……..de nada, rien, nowt. Extraordinary! Am I the only rider who can have his weight all over the back and still ensure how the front wheel is well and truly glued the ground. 😉 I mean not even a centimetre, in fact not even a millimetre. I think that’s a rare (if unwanted) skill.

So next step put some logs on the ground and try that. Maybe a target helps. Ok, so that worked but still didn’t feel like a proper manual. I got over the logs ok, but bunny hop, yea right!!! Third step, try some puddles. Even more comical and wet!!

It’s a really odd feeling being totally unable to master a basic skill. 😀

Today, different skills – drop offs. Fine on some reasonable steps on various trails and then the odd mental block on others! Fascinating how the mind plays such crazy tricks!!

You mean there’s a manual for STW that explains which forum to use? Is that the one you’re finding so elusive?

Isn’t this a chat topic?

THIS is a Topic worth chatting about

Had a bad day SR? 😉

Having the same “fun” on the bmx. I will keep trying though. Sick of looping out from forcing the front wheel up.

You have to stick your arse way further back than you think

It was skimming the back wheel!!

I need some video I think to see what is going wrong!! Feel my face is screwed up in a comical way.

it’s not that you need to be scraping the rear wheel, your arse needs to be over the rear axle, so not height but distance… does that make sense?

i made my peace with this “manual” maybe some people wont learn this wizardry 😥

It does nick, yes and thx, I felt almost as if I couldn’t reach the handlebar and still nothing!! The videos make it look so easy as do others 😉

Try wearing a grey tracksuit with hood up and tied tight constantly grabbing yer balls with cigarette in mouth.

The local neds seem to manage no bother.

teamhurtmore – Member
Had a bad day SR?

Au contraire – had a great day.

Excellent, it’s just you seem a little tense

Can’t lift front wheel enough for a manual or jump from MTB

Quite a lot rings a bell including the OP here!

Hoodie for next week it is then!!!

Arse up head down low XC style stack height can make it a bit harder to get the front wheel off the ground!

Looking at some videos, I think my legs might be a bit lazy. I am shifting weight and pushing arms forward, but kegs largely passive.

Something to work on next weekend!

[purelyhypothetically]I thought you were supposed to ‘push’ with your hands and (especially) your feet to get loft?[/purelyhypothetically].

At least I think that’s what the Ryan Leach skills video tells you.

He seems to mange it no bother…. 😆

I know it’s just another video, but if you can video yourself there’s a guy who’ll tell you what you’re doing wrong.

Have a look at Neil donoghue’s vid on gmbn. It’s a down and back movement with your ass; clearly you’ll need your seat down too unless you have mad skillz….

I’m far from amazing at holding a manual but key to getting lift in my mind is the action of pushing forwards and slightly down with your feet. Straightening the legs from a bent position seems to procide enough loft.

This bloke reversed the stem to get the front wheel off the floor.Worked for him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RGHQMCWCsc
I keep practicing wheelies.I’ve been told to learn them first & get a feel for the balance point,thing is I’m still crap at doing wheelies!..
Old dog new tricks…

In my admittedly pitiful experience, it’s as much about the movement of your feet and legs. Sort of a forward scooping motion with the feet, heels down. As if you were scraping mud off your shoes in the pedals. Weight back, then a gentle pull back but not up on the bars.

Wheelies and manuals have always been a source of irritation for me…never been able to do them. Largely but not entirely because of this, last year I got myself a unicycle and started to learn that. Its great, now I can unicycle all day just like a clown!!

Can I wheelie….

Can I balls 🙂

Thx for on-going advice – itching to get out and practise more. I think the legs are key from a lot of the above – mine are far too passive.

I watched better riders on Gibbet Hill and on the bomb holes yesterday and they were considerably more dynamic and aggressive (ok, all on bigger bikes) than I was – helped a lot to copy their style.

I can feel a day with jedi coming up!!!!

ndt 😀

It’s a really odd feeling being totally unable to master a basic skill.

OMG, if a good manual is a basic skill, I’m a lot worse at mountain biking that I thought 😆

I can manage a little manual through puddles and the like, but I’m a long way off from cruising down the street on my back wheel waving at passers by. I definitely push down to pop back up again.

The way some articles are written, you shouldn’t be let alone on trails without such a basic skill!! 😉

Tried to practice manualling this weekend. Couldn’t get the front up at first. Then ended up off on my ass on the grass, seeing stars. Gave up.

It’s the sort of thing I feel like I can kinda do when trail riding – as you weight the bike off obstacles, jumps and drops – the bike often hits a sweet balance point with the front wheel hanging in the air and weight resting over the rear tyre. But I have no idea how to achieve this sweet spot feeling on the flat.

It’s probably not holding me back any though. Maybe.

I have to say over the last few months these basic skills,Manuals,wheelies & bunyhops have become a bit of an obsession with me.I regret that I never got round to mastering them years ago when I bounced better..

I can’t manual, I’m poor at bunnyhops, not a great wheelier either.

I’ll learn it one day I’m sure.

I was riding with jambas of this parish about 18 months ago and he had just been jedi-ed. If I recall correctly, he was working much more on just a simple pump and release to clear small obstacles. That works for me generally but manuals have become an annoying itch especially as want to get more air and most instructions seems to be master pump, manual and bunnyhop first.

You need to drop your heel down and push into the pedal- like you’re forcing it away. Once you’ve got your front wheel off the ground, your legs and core do all the work in balancing and pumping. If you feel the front drop then push forward on the pedals.

This is really hard to explain actually..hopefully you can get something from that. Practice makes perfect though.

Can you wheelie? Once you find ‘that’ balancing point on the bike then a manual is a whole lot easier.

If only!! (But thx!!)

Can you wheelie? Once you find ‘that’ balancing point on the bike then a manual is a whole lot easier

That’s why I’m practicing wheelies,Old dog new tricks! 😆
I even built up my ancient Hardtail to practice with.

I can manual over doubles and trebles at speed, but cannot do the cruise along the trail on the back wheel manual that a few guys seem to have mastered. Watched Donny’s ‘L’ technique video this weekend so I’ll give that a try.

Don’t know if it helps but yes wheelie technique of shifting body weight is similar , like you don’t use your arms really, it’s throwing your weight back from your chest. Then push with legs and pull a little with arms. Practice downhill in a car park . You have to get used to and comfortable with falling off the back to so downhill in grass is good.

Teamhurtmore – I hopefully have the Ben Deakin from proride mtb coming to do a private skills day in April in surrey hills. He had a few option days either side of the one i’ve chosen (18th April) so might be worth a mail to them if you want to do it on local trails.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6EaoPMANQM[/video]

One thing that helps, put your front foot almost at the top, rather than at the front, and back foot almost at the bottom, rather than at the back. (Does that even make sense??), and point your toes upwards as you move back.

That’ll naturally put your weight further back and make getting the front wheel in the air easier.

Hope that helps.

Thx gotama – could he cope with me mincing down the trails on their slow mo!! Good idea as saves the trip to Herts.

IF you are looking to find that balance point, you’ll probably need to go past it. It’s further back than you think.

Get some flat pedals on, and some shin-pads. riding along, get into the wheelie/manual position and make a really bike pull back on the bars with the INTENTION of flipping the bike out in front of you. Make sure you’re ready to jump back with your feet to stop yourself landing on yer arse.

Do this repeatedly, and start to try and ‘save’ the bike by grabbing the back brake to prevent the bike flipping out from underneath you. You’ll probably be left almost stopped, balancing on the back wheel for a split second. This is the balance point, and you need to get used to this sensation, as it’s the place where all good wheel;ies and manuals start happening.

worked for me.