Front Wheel Lift

[Kitsune06]

... I can't do it! Today, I did everything I could, even including lowering the seat and *throwing* my weight backward so far I almost felt the nubbies on my back tire on my butt while going downhill! ...is it something I'm doing, or something about the bike?

[Tuckervill]

I can't do it, either. Seems impossible. It's something only boys can do. I'm scared of it. Holdover from falling while trying wheelies when I was little.

My 12 yo boy can ride wheelies and bunny hop and jump off ramps and lift his bike tires over everything, no matter if it's the little trick bike, the old Buick or his Trek mtb. I try to learn from him. Can't do it.

However, he can stand on the seat on one foot in a graceful arabesque, and he can't do a track stand. But I can.

Karen

[ktbikes]

I've been working on acquiring this skill that I formerly have appreciated from afar, and made some progress recently by weighting my fork and then quickly unweighting and lifting up at the same time. I could lift maybe 4-6 inches, but I felt like I did not have good control over the process - I could not predict how big of a lift I would get given a similar forcing on my part. I was pretty happy about this development, but it paled in comparison to others' wheel lifts. It's definitely a skill thing, as I was biking recently and saw an awesome woman doing wheel lifts with a cross bike in the woods... I think this is where a bike camp could come in (I've never been, but would love to), or even an hour of practicing wheel lifts over the same log with a friend (friend necessary to either catch you on one side of the log, for moral support, and to run for help if you get hurt ). However, I just put a new fork on my bike this weekend and wow. Just took it for a 1 block spin down the street and back, and I can do awesome wheel lifts with no more effort. Maybe your fork is too stiff - you could try softening it (on my fork, it's a size 5 allen key hole on top of each fork arm, which I turned (and turned and turned) counter-clockwise).

[SadieKate]

It's something only boys can do.

What the heck did our mothers' burn their bras for with this attitude?

Put on platform pedals and practice on the grass. If this old lady whose father taught her to fear everything can do it, so can you.

And, get thee to a skills clinic.

[SadieKate]

Kitsune, are you using a power stroke when trying to lift? This helps if you are on the flat.

A plain old vanilla manual lift is easier to learn going off a curb because just shifting your weight back and a tiny lift on the bars will lift that wheel.

[SadieKate]

Have you seen this video? It goes beyond the basics and covers lifts really well.

http://www.westcoaststyle.org/temp_s...ain_biking.htm

[Kitsune06]

I start with pedals at 12 and 6, good foot on top, and pull my weight up and back while doing a power stroke. It seems like I should be getting more out of it than I am (?) I've had decent success in just jumping the front of the bike (just lift up for little ones, compress forks and lift for bigger ones) but I can't to any sort of "graceful" lift, or have any control over dropping right back down. Falling off doing a wheelie doesn't scare me (it's endoing!)
... I've already scuffed my pants on the back wheel... (Yow! ) so no fear there.

I'd get myself to a skills clinic, but I'm seriously not in any position to be able to pay for it at the moment.

My pedals are flats (never had the guts for clipless)
...oh, and part of my motivation is the awe and wonder I experienced watching one hardcore bikerchick show off, picking her front wheel up and set it on a post in a parking lot while waiting for all us slowpokes. *faints!*