Shame that I haven't took any videos or photos of these. But I have lately being working on two different practices to learn manual.
1.Practice: For the whole pump track try to hold your weight as far back as you ever can. With cruiser bike your butt can hit the rear wheel once and a while. So you are like hanging from the handlebars. But you need to be back and low. It feels stupid and looks even more stupid. It helps you to get the feeling what is it like when your front wheel gets of the ground. Even more it helped me to feel what is it like when you don't have any weight on your front wheel. Most of the times when I have practiced manualing, I have had my weight over the front, even if the wheel is off the ground. After some rounds you will get little rythm there and start to lean back even more when you are on the top of the jumps. When you are hanging all the way back, bike doesn't go sideways at all.
2. Practice: While doing single manuals you can think that someone would punch you in belly. Uhh, and your whole upper body moves back and it stays back. I have used to come back in front far too early.. doing this I realized that I'm supposed to stay back.
You should have check-lists for each skills. Gates, jumps, manuals.. for examble my check list for manuals is:
- pump up
- feel the ground
- look up
- let the wheel come up (is the same as lean back)
- push with the legs
Everyone has their own, but I recommend to have 3-5 things that you will go thru your mind before trying. Quality not the quantity.
1.Practice: For the whole pump track try to hold your weight as far back as you ever can. With cruiser bike your butt can hit the rear wheel once and a while. So you are like hanging from the handlebars. But you need to be back and low. It feels stupid and looks even more stupid. It helps you to get the feeling what is it like when your front wheel gets of the ground. Even more it helped me to feel what is it like when you don't have any weight on your front wheel. Most of the times when I have practiced manualing, I have had my weight over the front, even if the wheel is off the ground. After some rounds you will get little rythm there and start to lean back even more when you are on the top of the jumps. When you are hanging all the way back, bike doesn't go sideways at all.
2. Practice: While doing single manuals you can think that someone would punch you in belly. Uhh, and your whole upper body moves back and it stays back. I have used to come back in front far too early.. doing this I realized that I'm supposed to stay back.
You should have check-lists for each skills. Gates, jumps, manuals.. for examble my check list for manuals is:
- pump up
- feel the ground
- look up
- let the wheel come up (is the same as lean back)
- push with the legs
Everyone has their own, but I recommend to have 3-5 things that you will go thru your mind before trying. Quality not the quantity.
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