Fabio gives winter a kick and shows that no matter the season, you can still have fun on your bike. Here are 20 tricks you can try out, in order to make the summer waiting game less painful.
Honestly I think most experienced riders would find that if they put their minds to it over a winter, they could learn a lot of these tricks. It would be good for handling too, and keep you comfortable in your bike so you're sharp as soon as the riding weather comes around. (That nose runner shit might be another story...) I think stuff like this is a good, relatively safe way to increase your confidence on the bike.
Executing any of these as smooth as Fabio is where the real challenge begins! Awesome video.
I'm gonna release a rival film for mortals, it will include some classics such as - the seater, the one hander, the skid, the 1 second track stand, the micro-wheelie, the nearly 90 and the all impressive dismount !! That should show that young good looking, talented, makes everything look easy, gonna punch him when I see him, little shit !!
Keep up the good work Fabio, you continue to inspire me and my kids (just stay away from my wife)
@Garpur44: Yes, people do pay that. Rather big numbers. And they are happy to learn it And then some more stuff. 30$ is a rather small amount of money compared to whatever bike part you can but to upgrade your bike. And wheelie will make you faster on trails than any bike component other than electric engine. One year and you have it.
It's about practice but there are a few things you can do to make it easier and safer. Make sure you have a decent rear brake that you trust, get used to dismounting off the back (over the rear wheel) start slow on a slight incline, find your balance point and keep pedaling in a high gear. There $30 saved.
@djm - I tried coaching people and saw others coaching people. It is not that simple. Many people need a manual and a minimum of supervision to learn something. It does not matter if it is a wheelie, driving a car fast in snow, being social, or learning a software. I am natural with learning CAD and graphic software because I am doing it since I was 10. I see patterns, similarities and I know how to practice, when to climb a wall, when to dig under it, when to go around and when to crush it with a hammer (wall being a particular problem). I know how to avoid creating bad habits when learning, like getting stuck on one way of doing things (like trying to learn a wheelie by just pedalling faster to mitigate side to side balance. But I am totaly not natural with learning bike skills.
@WAKIdesigns Well it is beyond many peoples comfort zones so it takes positive reinforcement for them to realise it's possible. It's also a tough thing to coach because of the time it takes (most) to master. So yes, I agree.
I agree, I'm not doubting his ability as a coach it just amazes me people are willing to pay $30 for a coaching plan of how to do a wheelie, firstly there is a wealth of info available in the net for free and secondly easiest way to learn is to walk away from your PC and get on your bike. Practice and trial and error is the key and after all isn't that the fun of it?
@Garpur44: yeah, dedication and goals, I taught myself to wheelie and manual probably 15 years ago now. Practice is key. However once it had clicked & believe me, if you're learning, one day it just will, I have taught others quickly with simple steps. But getting out and on your back wheel is the best way!!!
@WAKIdesigns: @WAKIdesigns: How is it better than the trials videos he put out ages ago? I can't pedal kick not because Ryan didn't coach it well enough. I've been jumping bikes since I was 5 and have tons of bad habits that are hard to unlearn. It just takes tons of practice especially if you have slow reflexes, poor healing, bad habits and shitty equipment.
@choppertank3e: it is better because it works for many people. I can see it on his Facebook group where they post videos with questions. The very fact that you have a course that is a structure to follow makes it good
@Garpur44: I've been riding for years and I could do wheelies ok (10-20 ft?). Ryan not only teaches the correct way to do a wheelie, he teaches how to keep a wheelie going as long as you want it to. Not to mention he shows all kinds of tricks like the one hander, no front wheel, turning on a tree, etc. I learned way more in those 30 days than I ever did just going out and riding. I can keep a wheelie going pretty much forever now, which I think was well worth the dollar a day.
a.k.a how to do 1980's flatland freestyle tricks with new names on a mtb. The faki nose runner for example, used to be called the switzerland squeaker.
There are ton of these that are 80's BMX freestyle tricks here. G-Turns, Rock Walk, Nose wheelie, Karl Cuiser, Watch Denis McCoy, R.L. Osborn, Martin Aparijo... jus to name a few..
I was going to say the same thing. Looked like the intro to the movie Rad! But have you tried doing any of those old tricks on a mountain bike? Suspension and the raked-out head tube angle brings a new level of challenge. Even a simple endo is tough -- not counting when you get your tire wedged in some rocks on a steep, technical trail.
@FunctionalMayhem: close. With the surfer, you're supposed to put one foot on the seat, the other on the handlebars. I think head his foot on the top tube.
I don't understand how I'm pretty good at holding long wheelies but I have absolutely no clue how manuals work. I just don't get how the bike stays up in a manual without constant pedal pressure used in a wheelie. It's like freakin' sorcery when I see a rider hold a long manual. Seriously, can someone explain? Just finding a perfect balance point? I've got all winter to learn this one
1st tip is straight arms, then have a friend hold your fork and bars with you on the pedals counter-balancing. It's all in your hips and knees to put more weight behind the rear wheel. Also you can put your front wheel on a bench to get a feeling of the balance point.
Without any humbleness, I can say I'm pretty good at them - and for me the key is not in brakes (at the beginning though you obviously need them), but rather keeping my balance point as low as possible, and from there you can control everything with the subtle movements of the hip with a relaxed upper body. Once you master them it's a pretty awesome feeling - good luck!
@properp: is right at first you can support yourself by using the rear brake to manual at a slight downhill until you figure out how to move your body to keep in the sweet spot.
You balance just barely forward of the perfect balance point. Then you snap your legs straight and your hips back a tad to raise the bike up just a little bit. Keep your hips low to make it easier.
If you are really good (like this guy!) then you are really close to the balance point and the move is very subtle. If you try and hold exactly at the balance point its really hard and you end up having to modulate the brakes to keep the wheel low. That works but its even harder because you have to use the brake to bring you back down and the leg pumping to bring it back up. Good luck!
I forgot to tell you if you can wheelie start your wheelies fast and learn to slow them down. Start a wheelie at 15 mile an hour and when you're done you should be rolling 2 mile an hour. Learning to slow your wheelies down will help you with manual skills
@0gravity: 1) straight arms, bent legs until you hit balance point. 2) hit balance point, knees out & hips back, arms just bent a touch 3) use knees to aim your direction, simple need to go right, stick the right knee out... 4) you should have easily enough bounce in knees and arms to keep the front from falling.
Very basic rules, but so simple you can think of them whilst on one wheel. Let me know if this works, it did for most of my mates. Always cover your brake too!!!
Thanks Fabio. Freezing rain be damned I'm heading out tonight to do as many as I can! Hmm, should I bother with the camera or would the footage be too disappointing...
"Check this out bro I learned it in a video from this guy that has 10,000% more talent than I do!" Promptly ends up face down in the parking lot, unconscious with a broken ass bone.
Executing any of these as smooth as Fabio is where the real challenge begins! Awesome video.
the seater, the one hander, the skid, the 1 second track stand, the micro-wheelie, the nearly 90 and the all impressive dismount !!
That should show that young good looking, talented, makes everything look easy, gonna punch him when I see him, little shit !!
Keep up the good work Fabio, you continue to inspire me and my kids (just stay away from my wife)
www.ryanleech.com/wheelies
If you are really good (like this guy!) then you are really close to the balance point and the move is very subtle.
If you try and hold exactly at the balance point its really hard and you end up having to modulate the brakes to keep the wheel low. That works but its even harder because you have to use the brake to bring you back down and the leg pumping to bring it back up. Good luck!
1) straight arms, bent legs until you hit balance point.
2) hit balance point, knees out & hips back, arms just bent a touch
3) use knees to aim your direction, simple need to go right, stick the right knee out...
4) you should have easily enough bounce in knees and arms to keep the front from falling.
Very basic rules, but so simple you can think of them whilst on one wheel. Let me know if this works, it did for most of my mates. Always cover your brake too!!!
Titty Wibs.