Wor lass can't wheelie….advice/tips please

She's been riding for 3yrs now and still can't manage this seemingly easy skill. I've tried to help her, but it hasn't worked. She can hop the rear wheel no problem, but can't get the front wheel up. This means she struggles with drainage ditches etc.

Advice/thoughts/links??

Cheers

It's sometimes a lot more difficult on smaller bikes – I find it easier to get the wheel up on a bigger bike. Why don't you try wheeleying her bike, and her yours… just for comparison…

I'll give that a go. She's 5'9", about an inch taller than me, but rides a smaller frame size for the top tube length. She couldn't find a girlie specific that fit

I've been riding bikes on and off since a boy, and I cannot wheelie.

Has she considered a skills course?

PS Do you mean wheelie (pedal with front wheel up) or manual (roll with front wheel up)?

Awhile back i was waiting for her at the end of a section of singletrack which had a ditch, i shouted "its ok if you wheelie it"….she heard "its ok if you really go for it"…..stamped on the pedals, didn't lift front end…staight over bars… 😕 😆

Three fish – not manual, just getting the front up in order to clear obsticles etc

Instead of trying to pull the bars up, tell her to move her hips (and her weight) back and pull the bars back when her arms straighten. That's the correct technique. Oh and tell her to watch a skills video or go on a course. The Dirt School DVD is a good one that covers manuals well.

I

It's probably just lack of commitment.
No strength is required, just weight movement.

Try it with flat pedals on a nice soft grass field or something so she can get the confidence without worrying about the consequences of going off the back.

Three fish – not manual, just getting the front up in order to clear obsticles etc

That's a manual. Quickly over one/small obstacle, prolonged for several. As others have said, it's really more about weight transfer than just pulling up on the bar. Weight back and hips forward lifts the front, then slowly (in a relative sense) shift forward to bring the front back down.

That's a manual.

No, it could be either. If you're using your pedals to power the lift, it's a wheelie. If you're using purely weight-shift, it's a manual.

Most important, always cover the rear brake!

I can't wheelie for toffee, I can hop on the back wheel for minutes and I can manual though. Just can't get the balance thing right while my legs are moving!

Do you sit or stand and if sitting how high is your saddle?

and still can't manage this seemingly easy skill.

That might be part of the problem with you teaching her……..you may think it is easy but she obviously doesn't!!!!!

Not QUITE the same, but bikeradar has some skills Q and As like this one with some advice on how to pop the front wheel up for drops…..

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/fitness/article/skills-qa-how-to-flow-over-drops-25040

I agree with part of it being my tuition. I've tried to work out how i wheelie, then explain, but that didn't work

Defo sounds like she would benefit from a skills day/weekend and practicing with flat pedals – thats exactly the type of thing they work on 😀

I have been with Cycleactive, so they are the only ones I could recommend. just a thought – is it her birthday soon?!?!

THIS is what I was looking for!!!

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/article/skills-qa-how-to-master-the-wheelie-19946

http://www.forestfreeride.co.uk

Under an hour to have her lifting her front wheel over logs, steps, etc … or your money back 😉

Stuart

I was rubbish at wheeling but just practise and eventually you'll be able to balance with the front wheel so high up and go on for 20 metres, it'll stop traffic 8)

She's been riding for 3yrs now and still can't manage this seemingly easy skill.

That totally sexist, your suggesting cause she's a girl she can't do it… 7 years here and I still can't do it – though I don't stress about it either (and I'm a boy)!

i didnt notice him mention it was cos she was a girl zippy just the fact shes ridden for 3 years and cant do it

Nothing sexist about it. Replace wor lass with my partner if that makes you any happier 😕

Cheers for the links and advice guys 🙂

sorry lads that was as much tongue in cheek about the sexist comment 😳

you never lift the front wheel . you unweight it by pushing away and shifting your weight behind the bb

I can't wheelie,manual,or owt else,but I get round ok. The "how to" sections in magazines and advice like Jedi's make no sense to me.

A wheelie is lifting the wheel using pedal power, popping the front over objects is not a wheelie, and is done as per jedi's process.

ydr, thats beacuse you learn by feel. stand on your bike and lean against a wall to support you then practice pushing the bike under you to move you weight back behind the bb

This probably won't help you 'willie' but the commentary had me in tears towards the end. Keep an eye on the angel yeah.

Yeah had a look on YouTube earlier. Strangley Ryan Leech made no mention of weight movement and it was about pedal power. May have been searching wrong thing though.
We'll get Tasha padded up and go practice, i'll try and report back. Cheers for the advice

Jedi,I will try that.I,like most ride by instinct.I'm not aware of dropping heels,moving hips back etc….
I have altered my descending technique,by listening to the better riders inour group.Previously,I just hung my arse off the back of the seat and hoped(must say,it usually worked). Doing it correctly gives more control/confidence.

let me know how it goes!

I don't think the ontology helps. A pump is gadget in my rucksack. A manual came with the bike, but I threw it away.

they are just words.

True. Basically if Tasha manages to get the front wheel off the deck enough to clear simple/small
things then she'll be happy. Not bothered if it's a manual, a wheelie, wrist movement, arse movement, black magic,etc just something to help her on the trail

Thanks all for the advice (I am the girlfriend…Tasha!). p20 has taught me a lot in the last 3 years and though I am still a point it down the hill and see what happens rider I have come on a long way! However, I know that if I could just get the front wheel up more than 1 cm for a few seconds I might enjoy certain parts of riding more…like the damn drainage ditches you find in Scotland! Grrrrr! I'll give the suggestions a go and see how I get on (we got some flats for the winter which may seem less daughting than my spds) – if nothing else it will give the neighbours something to laugh at while I practice on the field (they already think we are mad)!