Manualing

[tombi]

How the hell do u manual. I cant get it. I can wheelie for a good 20-30 metres fairly easily but i cant manual wat do i actually do.
Which ways do i need to move to make this work.

[LTR]

To learn to manual, the way i started was to lean back all the way over your rear wheel, past the seat. Then attempt to lift the front up to the balence point of a manual, and try and hold this pose for as long as possible. When you get comfortable with your body all the way over the rear wheel, it looks cooler, as your front wheel isnt very high off the ground. :p

[scottmeister]

Just keep trying, one day it will click and you'll be able to manual for ages ;)

[live_to_ride_47]

The way i do it is to pre-load on the shocks and imediatly after, lean back as far as you can. hopefully, the front will come up a fair way and if you come close to looping out, feather the brake. i have been told that you have to be standing up for it to be clasified as a manual. My mate can manual really well and this is the technique he uses, it takes heaps of practice.

[Regan]

Remember how hard it was to wheelie as first... :rolleyes:

When I was learning I found it easier to start off by doing a wheelie and then just stop peddling once you get the bike on a nice balance point. Then shift your weight around to keep the bike there...

It just takes practice...lots or practice. It took me over a year to get it right. :o

[matt24]

do the out of a wheelie so u get comfortable with the balance feel free to use the back brake if u go back to far, dont stay in one spot u have to move back and fourth to balance just nail them from a wheelie start and then try them without doing a wheelie, practice is the only real way.
hope that helps

[2 smooth 4 u]

what i did is practice using some thing to help u get up like a lump in the grass and when u are doint them always keep ur ass behind your seat thats how i am learning i can sorta do them just keep practsing

[MUGEN]

Yeh, as Regan has mentioned, do a wheelie, get comfortable, then stop pedalling and try to stay up for as long as possible, remember to have a finger on the rear brake, if you feel your going to flip backwards, tap the brake gently. That way you get the feeling for maintaining the balance point by weight shifting instead of by pedalling.

Then after your are good at cheating manuals, you go for a proper one.
Pull up high enough to reach the same balance point you achieved doing wheelies. If you find the front end hard to pull up to that sweet spot, push on the suspenion a little and let the rebound assist, use a lump on the ground, or anything with a gentle gradient as long as you get the front wheel high enough so you sit at the balance point. Just keep practicing, you'll get there eventually.

[Pixsoul]

*insert instructional bullshit here*

IMO manual is different to alot of tricks, its not about the technicality, or how you do it etc. etc.

ITS ALL ABOUT FEELING!!! Balance to be more precise.

The only way to learn is to practice, LOTS! You will suck at it for a while but hang in there one day it will click and you will just be able to do it, then progressively get longer and longer. (anyone noticed its like cooking toast, it takes ages, then suddenly its done in the space of 15 secs even though it sits in the toaster for ages doing nothing for minutes!) Maybe i should stop trying to relate things to food?

Anyway, just practice and FEEL. The best tip i ever got though for manualling was how to control your balance over the bike, move your weight back and forward by moving your knees back and forward. This moves your whole body, some ppl try and lean back and forward, all they do is move their torso.

PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

Cheers,

Ken

[rollie87]

before taking my breaks off i could already manual pretty good. but after re-learning to manual with no brakes ( i never used brakes, but had a finger on the lever incase) i have soo much more confidence. i can now manual just as far, if not further with no brakes... worth a try for anyone wanting to take the art of manualing a little bit further :D

(yes, i am running no brakes)

[jasevr4]

after trying for about 30 minutes, i can now do about a short manual (5 metre max)

i have to do a mono first on my seat, then stand up though..

but still. keep trying tombi! :D

[CRS01]

Try them without moving first by finding your ballance point using a wall to steady your side movement. Adopt the usual manual position with the front wheel raised and your arse over the back, then just get used to shifting and correcting your weight over the rear axle to ballance the bike. Using the end of your bars/side of your arse to stabalise yourself against the wall helps a lot and after about 10-20 mins you get a "feel" for it and you will probably never do this again, but its worth a crack....oh and smooth walls are better than brick.

[norcorider_12]

i honestly just learned manueled (spellin?) today about 4 hours ago. As i was leavin the train station and when I was going down the ramp, i pulled back and used all the tricks that everyone has been posting (except for the pedaling) and because i was going down it popped up easier. Also try using a speed bump or sumthing to help pop your front up.

[cheese]

I wouldnt consider myself very good at it but I can do it. When learning go downhill, find out if its easier for you to do one of the "ass hanging to the wheel" manual where your front wheel is only just above the ground, or whether you are better at balancing with your front wheel pointing to the sky. When first going for it ide reccomend getting far back over the rear wheel and trying the lower down manuals. It'll give you more confidence as it will be very hard to flip over backwards which can happen a lot when trying the other style.
Anyway what other people have said, practice a fair bit and youll evetualy get it.


EDIT: One more thing I forgot to add, its much easier to balance while going fast, so if you are confident enough that you wont fall off the side or flip off the back head to a nice hill and try it with some speed.

[Octane_Matty]

for a good manual i would think you should be able to pull alot more than a 25-30m mono

i am just starting manuals (about 20m max atm) and i can mono for probably 400m

[MTB_91]

before taking my breaks off i could already manual pretty good. but after re-learning to manual with no brakes ( i never used brakes, but had a finger on the lever incase) i have soo much more confidence. i can now manual just as far, if not further with no brakes... worth a try for anyone wanting to take the art of manualing a little bit further :D

(yes, i am running no brakes)

That my friend is something that I will never do again.......
I've had my fair share of ripped up pants, seats etc.

My most recent was on the last day of 2nd Term. I was cruising off to school (free dress day) down my hill manualling then I knew I was going to loop out so I went to feather my back brakes and what do you know, they didn't work until the levers were practically hitting my bars. I was going about 20-30km/h and fell flat on my ass and slid down the hill. There wasn't any holes in my pants (I didn't think) so I picked my bike back up and rode off to school.........Not knowing that I had a big ass hole in my pants, someone finally told me that I did at second lunch......I'd preferred not to have known.:(

[green_sasquatch]

practice makes perfect buddy

[Le toro]

i started learning manuals goin downhill, it makes getting to the balance point easier and you get better confidence getting your weight over the back

[hucker booner]

personally i think it is all in the braking. because as long as u can control steady braking it doesnt matter how far back u really lean. because ur brakes bring the front wheel down. when u get that going it is a piece of pis and u can go for aslong as the street is :cool:

[jasevr4]

personally i think it is all in the braking. because as long as u can control steady braking it doesnt matter how far back u really lean. because ur brakes bring the front wheel down. when u get that going it is a piece of pis and u can go for aslong as the street is :cool:

agreed - too much brakes and it's all over

[Pixsoul]

agreed - too much brakes and it's all over

i would have to disagree, when learning you use the brakes......

but ultimately manualing is about balance, you should be able to do it without use brakes or pedal power.

plus if you consistently use your brakes to control your balance rather than your body weight, you are slowing the bike's momentum down (your braking duhh) so you can't manual as long as possible.

i still use brakes anyway, because i am not 37334 at manualling yet..........................one day!

Cheers,

Ken