How to Do a Wheelie

Doing a wheelie is one of the most fundamental technical skills of a mountain biker, or any biker for that matter! Not only is it fun to play around with, but it can be an essential move on the trail. However, the trick can be extremely frustrating if you don't know how to go about doing it.

1. Find a flat or slightly uphill surface. It will make lifting the front wheel easier without throwing you off the back
2. Start pedaling at a pretty slow speed. Since it's the quick acceleration of the back wheel that lifts up the front, you want to be going as slowly as you can while still balancing easily, but make sure you are in a gear that can give a lot of kick. I would use gear one in the front, gear two or three in the back. I also suggest keeping your butt on the seat, which is a lot easier than trying to wheelie while standing (given the seat is high enough for you to have a strong pedal stroke when sitting).
3. At a point when you have your strong foot at the top of the pedal stroke and you feel quite balanced, push down hard on the pedal while shifting all of your weight backwards, which will raise your front wheel off the ground. This weight transfer is key. Make you are not just pulling back on the handlebars with your arms, but your whole body.
4. Try to balance there :)
   

Once you can get your wheel in the air, it's all about experimenting and finding your balance point on the back wheel. Lots of practice always helps, too! Here are a few other things to keep in mind once you start getting comfortable with wheelies:

• The faster you go, the easier it is to balance in a wheelie. However, it's a lot harder to get your wheel up at high speeds.
• You can use your rear brake to put your wheel back down if you are getting too far back. You can even use it to balance in the wheelie, but a little brake goes a long way in this regard!
• When using a wheelie on the trail to conquer obstacles, it's almost always best to lift your butt off the seat at least a little. That way your seat won't give you an impromptu colonoscopy when your back wheel hits the log, rock, pedestrian, etc.

Good luck, and happy wheeling!