Wanted: A Coach

[Paul H]

im 33 and was in your shoes about 8 months ago. just started mountain biking and got hooked real quick. I started out on my own wanting to learn manuals wheelies etc, and did a short session with biknben mainly covering body positioning, how to lift your wheels, and cornering. I took that stuff and just rode the shit out of my bike. i did lots of the same drills that he did with us in my back yard until I was super comfortable with everything. After that I just started watching videos on how to do manuals and wheelies, bunny hop. I can now wheelie 20-30ft, manual a few feet, and bunny hop over a cinder block (the short side haha). manuals and wheelies are extremely important on the trail. I'm not saying im a great mtb rider and I'll probably never be one. However, the more i learn, the more fun I have. look up videos by skills with phil. the cornering ones REALLY helped me. i also built some skinnys in my back yard to practice that, and a small kicker ramp (sethsbikehacks) that has started to get me comfortable with leaving the ground. practice practice practice man. Do stuff at home, and every time you hit the trail make it a priority to focus on something.

damn... only 8 months? I can only lift my front wheel for 2 secs and its been almost 3 years for me lol

 

[Patrick]

damn... only 8 months? I can only lift my front wheel for 2 secs and its been almost 3 years for me lol

it's the bikes. well sort of

first thing is not to think about lifting the front wheel, its about balancing your weight behind the "center" - think pivot over the back wheel rather than lift.
or as @clarkenstein once explained it, get your weight impossibly far back, and be ready to squeeze the rear brake......

 

[clarkenstein]

whatever you do - don't practice anything clipped in!

to beat the horse, i have done it myself and highly suggest just to practice. set up some 2x4s in the yard for skinnies. prop them up on cinder blocks. a 2x4 set up on cinder blocks in the yard is plenty to practice on. riding it lengthwise, bunny hopping it, "dropping" off it. picnic tables/picnic table benches are really good to practice on too.

and like @soundz said - i personally think fitness is more important than anything, especially with technical riding. the more fit you are, the more fight you'll have, which translates to more power to push through to get up and over stuff.

 

[Paul H]

it's the bikes. well sort of

first thing is not to think about lifting the front wheel, its about balancing your weight behind the "center" - think pivot over the back wheel rather than lift.
or as @clarkenstein once explained it, get your weight impossibly far back, and be ready to squeeze the rear brake......

Yeah, I tried the "L" move where you drop down and then pull back with your hip and I am only able to have the wheel leave the ground for 2 secs.
I thought having a dropper would make the difference and it did a bit. I guess I need to practice more and try to pull my weight more further back.

 

[The Kalmyk]

Yeah, I tried the "L" move where you drop down and then pull back with your hip and I am only able to have the wheel leave the ground for 2 secs.
I thought having a dropper would make the difference and it did a bit. I guess I need to practice more and try to pull my weight more further back.

Sounds like paralysis from analysis to me.


Don't over think- go by feel.

 

[Juggernaut]

My f-ing arms are too short!!!! Short arms and legs but a long torso make this whole manual thing a real PIA.

Oh shit, in my past life I must have been one of those wiener dogs!

 

[clarkenstein]

My f-ing arms are too short!!!! Short arms and legs but a long torso make this whole manual thing a real PIA.

its not your body make up - its that pulling a manual isn't easy! if you haven't looped out yet, you haven't been committing to go far back enough.

 

[The Kalmyk]

if you haven't looped out yet, you haven't been committing to go far back enough.

This!!!

 

[Juggernaut]

its not your body make up - its that pulling a manual isn't easy! if you haven't looped out yet, you haven't been committing to go far back enough.

Oh, I’ve looped out all right.

Pretty sure the neighbors kids thought da T-Rex was coming.


It’s the damnedest thing. Two foot high ledge on the trail.. I pop right up-n-over.. not even a seconds thought. But a parking-lot manual? Nutt’n.