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I've stalled around day 8/9 as well. I had a trip to A&E after Xmas to get my head glued back together after falling backwards off my niece's new hoverboard (after standing on it for about 3 seconds) sp I think I'm extra cautious of over doing the balance point. On a good practice I'll definitely get the wheel up and have started to feel the effect of turning the front wheel, but I'm not comfortable enough with the balance point and haven't got anywhere near looping out so don't really feel I can move forward yet. MrsP is doing it as well and after a struggle with the early sections is catching me up, so that might give me a bit of an incentive to push on through the fear.
there's a practice where you deliberately loop/jump off the back. If you're worried, I'd give that a decent go to learn the feel. With a lowish saddle you should be able to get your feet down in time or just jab on the rear brake
I spent the best part of a week concentrating on looping out and also catching it with the brake. It's a nice feeling the first time you catch it and realise you've done it subconsciously.
I've signed up for this. I ride a lot (although I've been off the bike for 8 months following 2 heart attacks) but have absolutely no skills!
I noticed that in the text of the preparatory lesson Ryan encourages you to use your non-dominant leg/foot to drive the wheel lift (suggesting that this may help with other skills later on); the voice over for the first video suggests that either leg will do (use the one that works best).
I'm finding that using my non-dominant leg gives me a another step I need to consciously think about and gets me in a muddle; using the dominant (left) leg helps a little.
Will I be storing up trouble later on (if I decide to try & learn other stuff) by using my dominant leg?
Currently I've learnt that I can't do the course in my back garden, so I'm going to have to pluck up the courage to go out in public & make myself look an idiot!
Im on day 4 or thereabouts, after 3 weeks. I can lift, do 3-4 pedals, cant turn, loop out or much more. But my practice is over a 6m lawn. I must also now move out to the real world...
I've just signed up! God knows when I'll get to practice, but it should be fun!
I think I'm on day 8, thinking about steering. My discipline is not very good, explains why after 20 years I'm still rubbish on the guitar too. Was a bit wary of looping out deliberately, then did it by accident and seemed to manage it no bother. Did it another two times just to be sure. No idea how many pedals, can't pedal and count at the same time.
I got up to lesson 18, but I don't think I had the fundamentals down enough to turn while wheeling out of choice. So I have gone back to lesson 13 to get my side to side balance better. I find that I will have a couple of really good days and I'm all positive, then I'll have a couple of frustrating days where I feel like I should be better than I am; but that's all part of the learning process. I wish I had a big flat car park to practice in nearby, but you have to made do with what you have close by. Just remember that the majority of people that see you in public probably won't be able to wheelie themselves 🙂
I found that using my left leg (I'm right footed) to start the 'pop' felt more natural to me, personally I went with what felt best to me. I need to film myself again and post it on the lesson to get some more feedback on my technique from the coaches.
On day 5 with my son. Great fun and I'm slightly better than my son which makes it all the better..
Practicing in local park on grass.
How we all getting on? I'm now consolidating days 8/9/10 - experimenting with side balance and float zone. Struggling with the side balance a bit as I am still only managing short (5-12 ish pedal stroke) wheelies so don't get much chance to get my knees out or turn the bars much.
I've just started and I'm rubbish!
I've tried several Day 1s but just can't develop a pattern where I'm regularly lifting the front wheel. Sometimes I find myself yanking on the bars (bending the elbows), sometimes the wheel lifts easily and once suddenly I'm flat on my back with the bike on top of me, the front wheel having shot up as if it was rocket propelled! I just can't get a feel for what's making the difference.
I also find myself lifting my bum out of the saddle a little on the power stroke (being watched my multiple dog walks doesn't help either). I don't know whether I should progress to Day 2 or stick on Day 1.
I've also been off the bike since October (2 heart attacks and ongoing issues) and I'm wondering whether I shouldn't just get used to being back on the bike first and getting a few rides under my belt.
Good luck to everyone who's trying!
Second pedal stroke gets the front up properly, you have to pedal quite hard to keep the wheel up especially uphill.
I'm also stuck on 8/9/10 spending days concentrating on various balance techniques trying to get beyond 8 or so pedal strokes!
I'm frustated by how many false starts I keep doing. When it does all come together, I do several pedal strokes but find that I lose it just when I want to bring a knee or handlebar tweak in. Repeating these days until I feel I can move forward with at least a basic grasp.
I spent a day a while back deliberately chucking myself off the back. Great thing to do. First couple of times I landed like a sack of spuds. Then it became a graceful step off. Now, I seem to use rear brake subconsciously. Great confidence boost & fear killer.
Keeping on keeping on! One day it will be satisfying.
@nakedrider Thanks for sharing - I'm with you on the false starts thing! I'm deliberately not looking ahead in the course so I don't feel the urge to try something else as well as knees, bars and front/back balance
Persevere folk, it will come, not as quickly as we'd like but it will happen.
This is me after two months, previously couldn't wheelie at all.
The really important days I found for me we're getting comfortable with stepping off the back and back brake, not necessarily the control but subconsciously catching it before going over backwards.
Consistency is getting much better and I found the key to this was to make sure the lift was carried out in one fluid motion and the lift comes from the legs not the arms/torso, once I'd sussed this then I was much less likely to veer off to one side (still not very good at steering but it is improving)
Keep at it, it gets better.
It's really useful to hear how other people are getting on. I started about 6 weeks ago and have been doing 2/3 sessions a week at the local park (thankfully not too busy) but feel I should be much better than I actually am! Oblivious Ryan Leech is a pro so makes it look really easy, but it would be useful if he had other people on the tutorial who were learning so you could maybe get an idea as to how you should be progressing. This may help me feel less demoralised!
I'm also on about 8/9/10 but keep going back to basics as feel like I need to get these sorted before I can progress. Every now and again I get a decent one with 7/8 pedal strokes but it's more luck than skill, and not at all consistent. Will keep practising as its something I've always wanted to do.
Nice work flicker.
I agree that progress is slow - clearly way slower for me than you but there is progress.
I'm at the stage where I'm comfortable with stepping off the back - in fact maybe I'm stepping off a bit too soon.
If I can resist the urge to bail, and remember to feather the back brake, I might just get this.
I have sort of given up on the videos....but I can do it!! Went through a huge spell of wheelieing about 50m bit only 1 in every 10 times, the rest pathetic 3/4metre attempts. The big breakthrough came when I had to revert to my 29er FS as I’d tacoed the back wheel on my 26ht from all the practice. All of a sudden it just twigged...balancing the bike seemed easier on the full suss, and can regularly pull of 40m wheelies without embarrassment. Did have my first fall last week on a road though...not covering the rear enough. The 2 beers probably didn’t help 😜
I had a lot of fun and success with this earlier in the year - and a 50% off code (MANUAL50OFF) for the manuals course popped up on my facebook feed so I bought it - £35 for the course seems good value - plus giving a little back for the first course too.
direct link (I think) is https://learn.ryanleech.com/manual-masterclass-sale