Video: How To Wheelie Like A Pro | How To Bike Season 2 Episode 6

 What I’ve found to be really helpful, especially as an adult, is focusing more on giving up.

 Tried, reached balance point, grabbed left brake lever like he did in the video, front brake applied, looped out, head injury, died.

 This video wheelie isn’t enough for me to learn from. I’m going to need to buy more things to help.

 There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who can wheelie, and those who can’t. I’m the latter, but I do sometimes wish I could ride like guys like Jeff Kendall-Weed. The tread on his front tire must pretty much stay like new the whole season.

 Wheelies are super easy to do once you know how to do them and have mastered them.

 "The key to learning how to wheelie is practice and commitment."

Im out, thanks!

 Assuming you're out of your teens, commit to practicing minimum 3 times a week, 20 minutes a time for six months - that's about average I reckon from what I see on the Ryan Leech FB group. It might take more or less time, but it's important to recognise right from the top that this takes time.

Don't judge progress from session to session, but film yourself at least once a week and compare those and you'll see the (very gradual) progressions and that will keep you motivated.

All of these skills (wheelies, manuals, bunnies) are compound moves and they don't really work until your body internalises the timing and it becomes automatic. It's massively frustrating because your body will actively tell you it's doing one thing (e.g. leaning back) and then you watch the video and it's leaning forward just at the key moment to protect itself.

Repeated, regular practice is the only way to overcome that. Eventually your body will trust that it's OK and relax a bit, internalise the movement and then you'll progress a bit and be able to start learning the next part.

Don't try and learn the whole move at once (especially with bunnies), break it down and learn it a piece at a time.

Oh and one wheelie specific tip: Your power stroke should start after you have started leaning back as you arms hit full extension, NOT when you start to lean back. You need much less force to get the front wheel up if you do that and so there is less chance that a bit of an uneven pull will then cause you to topple to one side/

 I couldn't wheelie for the first 11 years or so and then suddenly it just clicked and now I'm pretty good at it. To those that can't yet: keep on trying, you'll get it and it's ruddy good fun

 Long wheelies are all about how well you can use your brake

 I know what to do, i just can't do it.

 Tried to master wheelies for years. Guess I will give it another go!

 Don’t wheelie with your seat up. It looks horrible which defeats the purpose of a wheelie and more importantly it puts your front wheel in the wrong place. The lower you can get your seat the higher your front wheel will be. With that spinning wheel high up the centrifugal force will make controlling your wheelie so much easier and you look like a 12 O’clock boy and get all the girls.

 I don’t think the rear brake can be emphasized enough, check if it works and don’t forget that you can still jump off. I jumped on my buddies townie leaving a brewery messing around in the parking lot and ended up on my back with my feet still on the pedals due to stupid rim brakes having no power

 Thanks Ben, I've been trying to do a proper wheelie for 50 years. Once and a while ill get a good one but i still panic-grabbing the brake. Here's one tip that has helped me big time. Buy a cheap unicycle and learn to ride it a bit. Get 2 big poles and use like crutches to get started. Easier than a wheelie and you will learn a few necessary skills. Looking ahead to maintain balance Transferring your weight from the pedals to the seat smoothly as you enter the balance zone. Steering with your hips

 For sure practice makes perfect. One spring I spent 30 days practicing in our cul de sac and could finally produce something resembling a wheelie, on my fatbike. It's def more stable side to side (my biggest problem) with that big lumbering tire to perch on. I also learned how to whip on the fat bike. It took some language to overcome that big gyro on the back, but that translated to me learning the motion. It also doesn't snap out so far as to throw you off balance. It was kinda counter-intuitive.

 With respect to identifying your "preferred power leg", I'm thinking there's a probably correlation to whether you snowboard regular or goofy foot. Is your power leg more likely to be the leg that you remove from your binding to 'skate' (ie for regular footed snowboarders your wheeling power leg would be your right leg)?

 I think this video is about how to manual rather than just doing wheelies. Cathro's got the highest seat height when he's doing that manual! Wished I had long legs like that to get my center of gravity behind the rear pivot that easily.

 Has anyone ever tried to count the number of wheelie videos on the internet?

 Lol a giant tryin to demonstrate how to do a wheelie. So tall just walks off the back of the bike when it flips backwards. So much leverage barely has to lean back and gets lift.

 Started learning to wheelie at age 10. Mastered wheelies around age 12. Been doing ‘em ever since and that’s about 35 years now….
Best way imho is to learn ‘em when you’re young….

 7b is missing and this is huge I think - side to side balance is the hardest bit for most I think and it really helps to look, where you are heading. Cuz at least I tend to look on the front wheel, which does not help.

 Wheelies are easy once you get the hang of it, just remember, the brake is your best friend

 Here's how to wheelie: get on your bike, go into an easy gear (truly any cog works) hover the back brake, and wheelie away. more time the better

 I was good at weelies. Then I started to ride clipless and the fear of not being able to bail made me bad over time. Increasing bike lenghts also made me worst at it since it makes it harder to lift the front wheel.

 Best way to learn how to wheelie as an adult is to learn how when you were a kid. Then its as natural as riding a bike.

 Instead of making manual practice stands, someone needs to make a manual loop out learning diaper for my ass.

 Wheelies are not a useless trick; you can apply the balance to technical climbing, for pedaling up over steps and whatnot. A good tool to learn IMO.

 Several years ago I went brakeless on my dj/street bike for a year or so. Manuals were easier (tho a bit scarier without the rear brake safety blanket). The reason was that my rotor was a tiny bit bent and rubbed a minuscule amount. Brakeless made me realize even tho minuscule and not noticeable while riding the rubbing made manuals slightly more challenging. So make sure you're not rubbing even a tiny amount to make it easier on yourself. Same goes for crunch hub bearings. But yeah, I'm still a pretty poor manualer.

 Why did I watch this video? I already know how to wheelie.

 What happened to ther intro music?

 I just want to wheelie like the SE bike kids on my block

 Step 4 is most important.

 I can pull the front wheel up no problem, but maintaining the balancing point for extended periods will never happen this lifetime.

 Practice? Commitment? No thanks. I'll just stick to trying for a top 100 strava segment, over, and over, and over...

 And steep STAs make the balance point (feel) smaller.

 Me simple man, me have simple advice, get off computer and on bike.

 Glad I learned certain skills as a kid lol

 After reading all comments under this video I am no better at wheelies

 1:52
Crazy and funny

 Pinkbike has descended into how to do a wheelie videos. Maybe next we'll get a plan for how to build a wheelie jig?

 No dreams , no goals