Dude, the hips!!!! Holy crap man. So, I've always been very sub-par at wheelies. I'm 46, ride a lot, coach NICA, yadda yadda.... I have been making an effort to get better at wheelies for good while. The part I keep not getting is being able to steer the bike once the front is up. I always drift off to one side after a few pedals, and then end up needing to abort. The hips explanation was so perfect! I went out, ride no hands and really felt what I do when I ride that way to steer. (I love riding no hands!) Then, I popped up a nice wheelie, and just concentrated on trying to steer with my hips. OH. MY. GOD! Thanks man. 🤘🏻
I reallt struggled with side to side balance, decided to spend a couple days just trying to ride with no hands. Didn’t focus on wheelies at all, just riding with no hands. It helped my side to side balance so much!!! Probably the biggest/quickest gain for my wheelie performance because I learned how to steer with my hips instead of sticking my knees to the side like everyone says.
Great video. As my first year mountain biking, and about the same schedule for going out and ride my bike. You're video is spot on to everything I am doing wrong. And your absolutely right we need a tutorial from the beginning. Thanks so much for sharing
Thanks for the positive vibes. I hope it helps you or someone unlock their wheelie. I really did learn so much that I haven’t seen anywhere. Find your consistency flow and let me know when you unlock yours.
Nice vid and great points. Just a couple of real basic things. One. Cover your back brake with your index finger. 2. Wear some elbow pads and a chest/ back plate. A life jacket will work. You're going to loop out. In fact , you should try to loop out and catch yourself with your feet. You will thank me the first time you hit the pavement on your back. Peace
For me it is the 5th gear(28 teeth) of my 12-speed cassette that was/is the sweet gear for learning. For me it is much easier to get the front tire off the ground, and maintain the wheelie, in that gear. The most important thing in my case for learning and maintaining the wheelie is the back brake. I've said since the beginning: once you have the faith in the back brake, you're pretty much there. As far as the seat goes, just high enough so that my knees have a very slight bend. Good goin' on learning the wheelie! Long live the wheelie!!!!!
@@soggywafflesmedia Yes! Of all the dimensions to a straight forward wheelie, the back brake is the only one that made it take so long to learn. About 4 months is what it took me to gain almost full faith in the brake. The rest of the dimensions only took about a month. It was/is a blast even just learning the straight forward wheelie!
Thank you for the great advice! I have put in about 30 practice sessions already this year and am still struggling with the bike falling off to the side quickly and having to abort. About one in 5 times it comes up straight and feels great, but why all the bad lifts? I'm trying to pay attention to hips being level, as you suggest, as well as to my pedal stroke and to my weight transfer back, but just can't find the solution for consistently straight wheel lifts. Any further suggestions?
Ok, you didn't mention it but it was in the video. So maybe you tried it. But I'll say it anyway. Try to make sure your knees are pointed out away from the bike. By pointing your knees out you widen your left/right balance angle. While you may still drift it wont be as drastic and you might be able to correct it. It also helps align your hips...which you said you are already doing. I noticed on some of my worst wheelie launches I was tucking my knees in towards the bike. Which makes make a very small balance angle. Dude if you are hitting 1 in 5...I know it sucks but in a few weeks it will be at 1 in 3. Your body WILL recode and learn. Even though 4 out of 5 times suck right now...they are exactly what you need to master the wheelie. Stay calm stay positive one day everything will just click. Focus on what feels right on that one correct one not what feels wrong on the bad ones.
@@soggywafflesmedia Thanks for reply! I had missed this tip in your video. I will try keeping my knees wider and see if that helps me come up straighter. Did you practice coming off the back of the bike? Being older I have wanted to skip that step. I do find the balance point quite often, it seems like it's just a matter of getting comfortable there and learning to maintain it.
@ebenf6768 I was pretty comfortable with that concept from my youth. We would intentionally try to kick the back wheel of the bike to the moon while holding on to the handle bars. I tried it a few times to make sure I had the muscle memory but did not spend any real time there.
Know what… this s a good one. Your head determines posture and your eyes determine where the bike will go. At times I still have no idea where I am looking when in a wheelie.
![The 12 "Backwards" MTB Basics for Beginners [The RIGHT Way - 4K]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IfwwgTkrTU4/mqdefault.jpg)
Dude, the hips!!!! Holy crap man. So, I've always been very sub-par at wheelies. I'm 46, ride a lot, coach NICA, yadda yadda.... I have been making an effort to get better at wheelies for good while. The part I keep not getting is being able to steer the bike once the front is up. I always drift off to one side after a few pedals, and then end up needing to abort. The hips explanation was so perfect! I went out, ride no hands and really felt what I do when I ride that way to steer. (I love riding no hands!) Then, I popped up a nice wheelie, and just concentrated on trying to steer with my hips. OH. MY. GOD! Thanks man. 🤘🏻
This comment is the absolute best. So glad it helped you!🔥🔥🔥
Fantastic! I have been wheelie ing for four years and have come to the same conclusions and you are spot on!!!!!
Awesome, good to know I am not completely crazy.
This is exactly the kind of important, supplementary information no one else is sharing. Thanks!!
Super stoked you found it valuable! Thanks for the support.
These are brilliant insights, well done. Always said learners have so many more vital tips that most seasoned pro's.
Totally true. It’s amazing what you can forget. Without my notes I had already forgotten most of this. 😳
I reallt struggled with side to side balance, decided to spend a couple days just trying to ride with no hands. Didn’t focus on wheelies at all, just riding with no hands. It helped my side to side balance so much!!! Probably the biggest/quickest gain for my wheelie performance because I learned how to steer with my hips instead of sticking my knees to the side like everyone says.
Also, that 11:50 moment had a serious ‘regular car reviews’ UA-cam channel vibe lol
It’s crazy how quickly it translates too.
Great, now I need to go follow another UA-cam channel.😂
Great video. As my first year mountain biking, and about the same schedule for going out and ride my bike. You're video is spot on to everything I am doing wrong.
And your absolutely right we need a tutorial from the beginning.
Thanks so much for sharing
Thanks for the positive vibes. I hope it helps you or someone unlock their wheelie. I really did learn so much that I haven’t seen anywhere.
Find your consistency flow and let me know when you unlock yours.
Incredibly good tips here man, thank you very much for posting this. Can't wait to get out for a wheelie session!
Glad you like them. Let me know if they help!
Great insights, dude!
Congrats on wheelieing!
Once you learn how to keep that wheel up, it's hard to stop, hahahahah. Cheers from Brazil
Thanks for the positive vibes!!!
Nice vid and great points. Just a couple of real basic things. One. Cover your back brake with your index finger. 2.
Wear some elbow pads and a chest/ back plate. A life jacket will work. You're going to loop out.
In fact , you should try to loop out and catch yourself with your feet. You will thank me the first time you hit the pavement on your back. Peace
Totally!
For me it is the 5th gear(28 teeth) of my 12-speed cassette that was/is the sweet gear for learning. For me it is much easier to get the front tire off the ground, and maintain the wheelie, in that gear. The most important thing in my case for learning and maintaining the wheelie is the back brake. I've said since the beginning: once you have the faith in the back brake, you're pretty much there. As far as the seat goes, just high enough so that my knees have a very slight bend. Good goin' on learning the wheelie!
Long live the wheelie!!!!!
Well said about the brake. You need to be OK with the thought of looping out and grabbing the back brake to prevent it.
@@soggywafflesmedia Yes! Of all the dimensions to a straight forward wheelie, the back brake is the only one that made it take so long to learn. About 4 months is what it took me to gain almost full faith in the brake. The rest of the dimensions only took about a month. It was/is a blast even just learning the straight forward wheelie!
Took me forever to build the dexterity to modulate the brake enough to maintain the wheelie.
Nice job 👏 thanks Mate
Thanks for the positive vibes.
Thank you for the great advice! I have put in about 30 practice sessions already this year and am still struggling with the bike falling off to the side quickly and having to abort. About one in 5 times it comes up straight and feels great, but why all the bad lifts? I'm trying to pay attention to hips being level, as you suggest, as well as to my pedal stroke and to my weight transfer back, but just can't find the solution for consistently straight wheel lifts. Any further suggestions?
Ok, you didn't mention it but it was in the video. So maybe you tried it. But I'll say it anyway.
Try to make sure your knees are pointed out away from the bike. By pointing your knees out you widen your left/right balance angle. While you may still drift it wont be as drastic and you might be able to correct it. It also helps align your hips...which you said you are already doing.
I noticed on some of my worst wheelie launches I was tucking my knees in towards the bike. Which makes make a very small balance angle.
Dude if you are hitting 1 in 5...I know it sucks but in a few weeks it will be at 1 in 3. Your body WILL recode and learn. Even though 4 out of 5 times suck right now...they are exactly what you need to master the wheelie. Stay calm stay positive one day everything will just click. Focus on what feels right on that one correct one not what feels wrong on the bad ones.
@@soggywafflesmedia Thanks for reply! I had missed this tip in your video. I will try keeping my knees wider and see if that helps me come up straighter.
Did you practice coming off the back of the bike? Being older I have wanted to skip that step. I do find the balance point quite often, it seems like it's just a matter of getting comfortable there and learning to maintain it.
@ebenf6768 I was pretty comfortable with that concept from my youth. We would intentionally try to kick the back wheel of the bike to the moon while holding on to the handle bars.
I tried it a few times to make sure I had the muscle memory but did not spend any real time there.
Wooooow! This is golden! Why didn't anyone mention this trick with hips? Why?! :) Gonna try it out after the work. Thank you!
Tell me it’s golden if it works for you. LOL. Good luck!!!!
Well done
Thanks, and thanks for dropping tips along the way.
@@soggywafflesmedia Yw
@TheWheelierider1 👏
What are the next basic biking skill you planning to pick up ? Thanks for the great video
Manual feels like the next natural progression. I think the wheelie has taught me a lot that will carry over.
Keep your head up don't stare down at the front wheel
Know what… this s a good one. Your head determines posture and your eyes determine where the bike will go. At times I still have no idea where I am looking when in a wheelie.
This what did it for me I started focusing on the horizon Instead and it's made a huge difference
@860_HUNTER alright. I see you.i know i am only looking a few feet ahead.
Dude! Where can I get that chimp painting behind you?
My wife painted it based on a stock photo we found online.
So you tried to learn manual for the first 15 days...
Yes basically…lol. I first read your message wrong. I am trying to learn manuals now…you comment makes too much sense.