So i know my wheelies are still pretty bad,
i think i just need to lean back more and straight arms or am i missing something else?
I know its practise practise practise but i dont wanna miss an important step,thanks for the help
just wanna ask if im doing good so far on wheelies or am i missing something
byu/FortuneOk6385 inMTB
by FortuneOk6385
16 Comments
You did miss an important step.
Get a helmet on there.
You’re doing fine but if you loop out you want that helmet.
You are yanking up on your bars and then starting to pedal, that is not how you start a wheelie. Straight arms shift weight back and down but most importantly a power stroke on the pedals is where the front lift should come from, not yanking up.
You missed the most important step: Putting on a helmet.
Queue incessant ranting about helmets…
Looks fine just keep practicing
Good job, man! Keep on going and wear helmet always.
Better than what I can do
Try straightening your arms. It’s gonna give you more control
If you dont have a helmet the specialised tactic 4 is rated 6th safest by virginia tech and it’s 90 CAD/65 USD. I just got one after everyone yelled at me for posting wheelie vids without a helmet.
You’re chasing the wheelie and not getting into the balance point. You’re gonna have to lean it back a bit more. When you’re there you can stop pedaling for a second or two and remain there. You’ll know it when you’re in it.
I knew you weren’t going to wear a helmet before you even rolled into frame.
Put on a helmet. *All of us* fall when learning.
Your pop is good, but you’re using a lot of body momentum and yanking on the bars to get up. If you get the timing of your pedal crank dialed in, you need far less force on the bars. Finding that perfect timing and motion is part of the process, but you’ll feel it take less effort as you get closer.
Giving a few good cranks on the pedals and then kind of losing power is really common when learning. You have to focus on the first crank (half rotation) being powerful enough to get your wheel all the way up where you want, and then maintain a smooth and constant pedal after that. It’s a “crank-pedal-pedal” not a “crank-crank-crank”.
Once you get the hang of that, you reach the next issue: You’ll hang below the balance point, constantly accelerating and pedaling faster, until you reach your limit and drop the wheel. The solution is simple, but the hardest part mentally: You need to pedal hard enough to tip over backwards *before* you run out of speed. This lets you ride the brake to both slow down and bring the front back to the balance point.
This cycle of accelerating to bring it too high, braking to bring it too low, repeats over and over. As you get more comfortable, you can stick closer to the balance point and be smoother, but it’s still happening.
Play with seat height, it can make a big difference. Usually a higher seat makes it easier to find and stay in the sweet spot, but maybe lower is more comfortable for you/your bike. Experiment.
Also, some bikes just don’t wheelie as good as others. Mountain bikes are more difficult than a lot of other styles if you’re learning. Beach cruisers are usually super easy to wheelie and learn on.
Instead of pulling the bike up with your arms, lean back and keep your arms as stiff as you can, pedal on a lower gear ratio with higher torque and wear a helmet. 👍
I would also practice over-leaning and dismounting off the back of your bike so you get used to the feeling. learn how to safely catch yourself, and you won’t be so hesitant with leaning back further. You have to Fall before you fly.
And wear a helmet.
Helmet, helmet, helmet. The one time you fall back and try to brake instead of putting your foot down will be enough to never ride again
I can say, the wheel did leave the ground. 👍
Just practice practice practice. There is a lot of good advice in the comments but u just gotta keep practicing. It took me about 3 months and i practiced every day now I can wheelie. Practise is key. I don’t need to tell you to wear a helmet as others have already.