GrowSomeBalls1
06-05-2007, 12:41 PM
HOW TO MANUAL
Learning to manual is something which bugs most people for ages before they can bang them out consistently. It really just needs a lot of practice, and every time you find that balance point try to remember how far you're leaning back, how bent your elbows and knees are etc...so that you can try and do the same again next time.
To help stop the bike looping out you could try lightly squeezing the brake just as you're about to tip over, which will make the front end dip down again. The best way though is just to pull your stomach towards the bars to send your weight forward.
It's very difficult to hit that balance point spot on every time, which is why humping the air is so important because it allows you to shift your balance until you get it in the right place to just coast along effortlessly.
1. Roll along with arms and knees slightly bent and pedals level.
2. Lean your weight over the front of the bike ready to pull backwards.
3. As you throw your weight backwards don't change what your arms are doing, but bend your knees just before the front end lifts. (Manuals are pretty much all to do with your legs, not your arms).
4. Now that you weight is over the back of the bike, kick forwards sharply with both legs to make the front end pop up, but not so much that your legs go straight.
5. Now that you're coasting on the back wheel, you need to repeat that leaning back and kick motion if the front end starts to drop...or leaning forward if it comes up too high.
It sounds complicated when I write it out like that, but once you know the movements it all becomes one quick motion.
Just remember that you're aiming to have your ass directly above your backwheel as you do it. So use that as a guideline for how far back you should be leaning.
I personally find that I can get a more steady balance in the manual by leaning really far back but also having my knees bent a lot, so maybe that's worth a try. You could also see what difference it makes keeping your knees tucked in compared with pointing them outwards. Also experiment with going fast or slow to see which you find easier to start with.
It's all about finding a way that works for you, remembering it, and then practising at keeping the front end under control. Consistancy is the hardest part of the manual, as you'll find that sometimes you'll pull a really long one and sometimes it'll just fail straight away...but that all changes with practise.
if you just read this and have no clue what im talking about...
click here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKfoXRjvXtA&mode=related&search=)
Learning to manual is something which bugs most people for ages before they can bang them out consistently. It really just needs a lot of practice, and every time you find that balance point try to remember how far you're leaning back, how bent your elbows and knees are etc...so that you can try and do the same again next time.
To help stop the bike looping out you could try lightly squeezing the brake just as you're about to tip over, which will make the front end dip down again. The best way though is just to pull your stomach towards the bars to send your weight forward.
It's very difficult to hit that balance point spot on every time, which is why humping the air is so important because it allows you to shift your balance until you get it in the right place to just coast along effortlessly.
1. Roll along with arms and knees slightly bent and pedals level.
2. Lean your weight over the front of the bike ready to pull backwards.
3. As you throw your weight backwards don't change what your arms are doing, but bend your knees just before the front end lifts. (Manuals are pretty much all to do with your legs, not your arms).
4. Now that you weight is over the back of the bike, kick forwards sharply with both legs to make the front end pop up, but not so much that your legs go straight.
5. Now that you're coasting on the back wheel, you need to repeat that leaning back and kick motion if the front end starts to drop...or leaning forward if it comes up too high.
It sounds complicated when I write it out like that, but once you know the movements it all becomes one quick motion.
Just remember that you're aiming to have your ass directly above your backwheel as you do it. So use that as a guideline for how far back you should be leaning.
I personally find that I can get a more steady balance in the manual by leaning really far back but also having my knees bent a lot, so maybe that's worth a try. You could also see what difference it makes keeping your knees tucked in compared with pointing them outwards. Also experiment with going fast or slow to see which you find easier to start with.
It's all about finding a way that works for you, remembering it, and then practising at keeping the front end under control. Consistancy is the hardest part of the manual, as you'll find that sometimes you'll pull a really long one and sometimes it'll just fail straight away...but that all changes with practise.
if you just read this and have no clue what im talking about...
click here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKfoXRjvXtA&mode=related&search=)