manuals............

[= 4 1 3 0 =]

ok, ive been having alot of trouble with my manuals.....and i know manuals dont come the next day u try em..........ive been at it for a while.............ive gotten like 1 or 2 manuals down for a couple of seconds after 20 attempts at my front door..........i pull up with my forarms and i can never reach my sweet spot, everytime i pull up i can never get it all the way up where its stable......are there and tips?

gear and technique?

thanks for ur time!

[superman_4]

i learned by simply practicing. at first i could go maybe a meter, now i can go about 100 meters. never measured. the key is just keep trying it to see whats right for you, since manualing is different for everyone. i find that sometimes it is easier if i keep my butt low near my seat, or sometimes if i stand up really high. it all depends. make sure you are doing it with lots of speed too eh. good luck though:P

[Rexington420]

lean back really far....
well not really far but far enough for you to stay up for a while... for drop to manuals i just lean back ALOT..... and just practice pumping kinda hard to teach someone how to pump...

[= 4 1 3 0 =]

ok
icic..........would stems or the rise of bars affect it by any chance?

[Rexington420]

no i don't think that would do anything, just as long as your comfortable with it then it should be all good

[Del]

a shorter stem might help a bit actually.

But also try pushin with your legs a bit, keeping knees bent etc

[CheeseDogs]

thx for the tips i need the tips very bad:D

[BiG D]

hey jimmy man
just pull back as far as you can
then when your about to go back wards tap your brakes
then when your about to go forward pump your legs...
once you learn em its hard to forget

[Incorrigible]

Easy as riding a bicycle - for some!!!

[= 4 1 3 0 =]

Originally posted by BiG D
hey jimmy man
just pull back as far as you can
then when your about to go back wards tap your brakes
then when your about to go forward pump your legs...
once you learn em its hard to forget thanks for that tip there.......ill do some more practice later tonight

[CheeseDogs]

Originally posted by = 4 1 3 0 =
thanks for that tip there.......ill do some more practice later tonight


me too

[Norman]

the trick isn't so much lean back more, its get your ass down low and behind your seat so you can counter balance with the front end. the lower your center of gravity and the longer you make your self (ie: ass out back) the easier it is to keep the sweet spot. most peeps when they are learning are way to upright. stretch the arms out and look ahead of your wheel. once you stop thinking about all the balance and concentrate on where you are going, the sweet spot will come more naturally. its like when you first learn to ride a bike as a kid - hard to get the balance part but after awhile you don't even think about it at all. really concentrate on keeping your upper body relaxed, including your arms and keep your knees nice and bent and pump them to keep the sweet spot. and don't forget about the rear brake, which you can feather to keep yourself in the right balance zone.

[Monster Mike]

keep arms and legs bent.

[~Gravity~Guy~]

good tips..i gotta practice them too

[MiKeY]

and lots and lots of practice!! :lol: also learn how your rear brake works, and then once you figure it all out, have confidence in it.

[LostBoyScout]

haha i was driveway practicing myself tonight. i have the opposite problem - i always have to tap my brakes, and that usually brings the front wheel down. but hey.. at the beginning i was manualling like 10 feet, now i'm manualling an average of 15 - 20. so thats better..

I had them a lot better on my old bike. trying to get used to the short stays - i know they'll be better in the end but right now, the bike just wants to flip over backwards all the time!!

[Steve]

Originally posted by Monster Mike
keep arms and legs bent.

Hmm, I would have to say keep arms fairly straight...and you're legs should be slightly bent and ready to pump if it's required. The biggest mistake I see people making is having there arms really bent and pulling the bike up to there chest, not only does this look ugly, it is extremely difficult to balance for long at that point. Get behind your seat a little bit, with slightly bent legs and fairly straight arms. Remeber of course to always have one finger on the brake lever to prevent flipping back. Practise Coasting in a wheely then start standing up that should help getting the balance point.

[DangerBoy]

The key to manuals is........practice.......theres no magic technique or body placement that makes you do them longer.....it is whatever you can do to get your front wheel up......if you keep doing them eventually your body will eventually learn how to move........I think it's called muscle memory.....it's all experience.....it's all practice......like learning to ride your bike without hands

[C.C.]

Jimmy, you're right, manuals don't come over night. And playing hockey instead of riding doesn't help;)

Here is what I've found helpful. In terms of gear, a short stem (50mm) or less and/or a 24" rear wheel really helps on getting the bike up in the air.

In terms of technique, I've found that going at a decent pace helps me to keep my balance. Because you're probably not going to be on the sweet spot right when you start riding, going a bit faster will allow you more time to try and balance on your rear wheel.

Also, Ive found that when I pull up really hard to manual, I end up going to one side. When I relax and try to pull back in a fluid motion, it seems to be smoother.

I'm still trying to stay on the sweet spot so I haven't quite discovered the caramilk secret.

[= 4 1 3 0 =]

hey, thanks all again..........sweet tips here and there

and colin, hockey strengths the wrists.......:rolleyes: :D
and i was actually planning on getting a new stem as well, mines 70mm:(

[Stinky_Rider]

Thanks guys...its kinda funny how a one hander came before my manuals even though I've been practising manuals for over a month and one handers for an hour. I think I could get pissed off soon.

I'm gonna go an dpractise tonight. Maybe the being fluint crap will help me.

Cya,
Chris