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Road Bike Wheelie?

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Old 05-31-09, 01:37 PM
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Road Bike Wheelie?

anyone got some tips on how to do a wheelie on a road bike? I tried a couple of times but failed miserably
I tried to pull up on my handle bars but they won't go any higher than like 2 inches. SO any tips or guidelines will be very appreciated =D
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Old 05-31-09, 01:39 PM
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Old 05-31-09, 01:43 PM
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Ask Robbie.



He did start in BMX though.
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Old 05-31-09, 02:10 PM
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Shift into a fairly low gear and pedal at low speed. Then, take a hard pedal stroke while pulling up on the bars. That will get the wheelie started, but keeping it going takes skill and practice.
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Old 05-31-09, 02:36 PM
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There was a youtube video of some guy riding a really smooth wheelie up a hill on a road bike. Couldn't find it but here is one.

It probably helps if you've done it on a BMX bike before. Stedalus pretty much described all you can really read about it. The rest is practice.
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Old 05-31-09, 02:55 PM
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Note Mckewan is wearing tennis shoes. Unless you really know what you're doing, its a bad idea with clipless, given that you may end up bialing off the back until you get the balance right.

As alluded to above, it has as much to do with the torque applied by your legs as it does pulling up on the bars.
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Old 05-31-09, 03:04 PM
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It's not so much about pulling up on the bars as it is having your weight as far back as you can get it. Put your butt far back so it is hanging off the saddle, then give a hard pedal stroke forward while pulling up on the bars. It's surprisingly easy.

The hard part is riding once you get the front wheel off the ground. Good luck!
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Old 05-31-09, 04:24 PM
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Old 05-31-09, 04:26 PM
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Old 05-31-09, 04:29 PM
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why it's hard with a road bike:
a: more weight at the front
b: taller gearing
c: no suspension or fat tires you can pre-load.
d: harder to shift weight

once you get the wheelies right, next up is bunny hoping those pot holes
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Old 05-31-09, 05:03 PM
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Old 05-31-09, 05:05 PM
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Old 05-31-09, 05:31 PM
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Originally Posted by AEO
why it's hard with a road bike:
a: more weight at the front
b: taller gearing
c: no suspension or fat tires you can pre-load.
d: harder to shift weight

once you get the wheelies right, next up is bunny hoping those pot holes


ive never tried a wheelie but id think bunny hopping with clipless is MUCH easier. I do it fairly often and i highly doubt i could ever pull off a wheelie
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Old 05-31-09, 05:57 PM
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It's not getting the wheel in the air that causes problems, It's bringing it back down.
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Old 05-31-09, 05:59 PM
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Originally Posted by AEO
once you get the wheelies right, next up is bunny hoping those pot holes
Bunny hopping potholes, and other obstacles is a valuable skill, wheelies not so much.
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Old 05-31-09, 08:22 PM
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If youre winning wheelies are so ****ing valuable! Bunnyhops are cheeseease. Wheelies are tough to get centered but your best bet is to go low gearing and just crank the front end up with a solid pedal stroke. keep one hand on the rear brake so you dont loop out.
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Old 06-01-09, 08:35 PM
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if you have never done wheelies on a bike before i wouldnt try and learn on a road bike if you are clipped in. put some platforms on their and try it its not to hard. but i started many years ago with bmx, then moto, mtn biking and dirt jumping

lean forward, pull up on the bars and straighern your arms and start pedaling, use your rear brake to help you with your balance point and to stop your self from falling backwards. once you get it down try this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWOVR...layer_embedded

Last edited by desertrat423; 06-01-09 at 08:39 PM.
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Old 06-01-09, 08:44 PM
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I would be afraid of putting all my weight on the rear wheel, especially if it's a carbon rim.
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Old 06-01-09, 09:03 PM
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Floyd can give you some tips too.

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Old 06-01-09, 09:11 PM
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Old 06-01-09, 09:30 PM
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Originally Posted by timster
I would be afraid of putting all my weight on the rear wheel, especially if it's a carbon rim.
really?
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Old 06-01-09, 10:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Barrettscv
It's not getting the wheel in the air that causes problems, It's bringing it back down.
+1

Popping a wheelie is easy, especially if you grew up riding a Schwinn stingray. You're not that likely to go over backwards, either. Letting a road bike front end down easy, not so much.
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Old 06-02-09, 05:44 AM
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Why not just get a unicycle?
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Old 06-02-09, 05:49 AM
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I usually do wheelies while standing up, in a big gear, and trying to catch back up to the pack after a smoke break...usually shift a couple times while the front wheel is still off the ground and pushing hard...still accelerating...but then again I'm a well over a CAT-1, some where in the negative, a couple above Pro, but to keep it fair I light another cigarette while I go past the pack with the front wheel still in the air.
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