There is always that moment we’re riding along the trail, a fallen log comes along, and we think, “can I get my front wheel over that?” Well if you’ve got pulling a wheelie down pat, you should have no trouble getting it up. And it doesn’t have to take much upper arm strength to do this.
There are two ways to pull up your front wheel. The easiest way is what I call the “pedal-stroke” wheelie. This is best for slower speeds along a flat or uphill section. As you approach the obstacle, lean forward, so your chest almost touches the handlebars. When your front wheel gets to about a pedal stroke away from the obstacle, push the handlebars DOWN towards the ground (like you’re doing a push-up), which will send your upper body backwards. At the same time, STOMP on the pedal (whichever is your dominant foot) from the 2 o’clock to the 6 o’clock position as hard as possible. These two movements, done simultaneously, will easily lift your front wheel off the ground.
As you go backwards, straighten your arms and try to squeeze your shoulder blades together. Throw your weight as far over the back wheel as possible. You may stay in the saddle (although you can also do these out of the saddle). Keep one finger on the back brake in case you feel like you’re going too far backwards. Don’t worry, “looping out” doesn’t happen much with beginners… And if you want to show off a little and ride the wheelie (without the obstacle), find the balance point and just keep pedaling!
The other type of wheelie is similar, except you don’t use a pedal stroke to generate your backward force. The “speed wheelie” is done at higher speeds, and usually out of the saddle. Instead of cranking that pedal stroke, push down on the handlebars like before, and then throw your hips and butt backwards behind the back wheel as you straighten your arms. Use your lower body weight like a pendulum. Again, you don’t need a bunch of strength to perform this, just big ovaries!
