BMX - Help with 1st trick - Wheelie

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Spy
08-14-03, 11:18 PM
Ok I have just gotten a BMX bike just recently and decided that the first trick I wanted to try to learn was a wheelie/manual. Throughout my life I wanted to do this but never could and recently I have tried so hard but still can't do it. I was wondering if anyone could help me on this.

This is what I do...

I bend down a bit and then pedal from 12o'clock. Once I pedal I start to lift the front but once my foot gets to 6 o clock it seems to bring the bike back down (I think this is the reason I cant do the wheelie, because my feet bring it back down), never giving me a chance to experience more than a second of glory. Can anyone help me? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Jonny B
08-15-03, 04:40 PM
Wheelies are actually not easy to do on a BMX, due to the low seat hight. That's the difference between wheelies and manuals; with wheelies, you're sitting and pedalling, but with manuals, you're standing up and just rolling. To be honest wheelies suck, it's what little kids do to impress their mates. Manuals are much cooler, and more useful in freestyle, but they are actually very hard to learn. It's basically a matter of just practicing EVERY time you go out on your bike, and eventually you'll get it. Just stand on your pedals, knees slightly bent, and all at once, pull your hands up, push your hips and feet forwards and pull your body backwards. Try not to touch your back brake, the front will drop straight away. Adjust the bend of your knees to control your balance (by moving your bodyweight back and forth), and lean your shoudlers to one side or the other to turn. If your speed starts to drop, you can put in a little pedal kick to keep going. Hope that helps.
Spy
08-16-03, 06:10 PM
Hey thanks for the reply. I tried what you said about the manual and not pedaling to get the bike up and I find it MUCH harder. I can only get the front up for a second and then it comes crashing back down. I'm not quite sure how do you bring the front up to the point where the manual begins and leave it at that spot. Thanks for any help.

Anabolic
08-28-03, 08:09 AM
you should lean back more so your hips and back are doing most of the pulling, not your arms. it takes a while to learn how to keep the front wheel up, but it is well worth the effort