Start here · Essential guide
How to Perform a Wheelie on a Bike
A careful beginner-to-intermediate guide to the seated pedal-up wheelie: gear choice, using the rear brake as a safety, and a slow progression on flat ground.
Tricks and Stunts
Wheelies and Manuals
Lifting the front wheel and holding balance.
How to Perform a Perfect Wheelie
For riders who can already lift the front wheel: how to find the balance point, then hold it with light rear brake touches and your knees, with safety in mind.
How to Perform a Wheelie on a Cyclocross Bike
How a drop-bar cyclocross bike changes the wheelie: where your hands go, how brake reach affects safety, and why the gearing feels different from a flat-bar bike.
How to Perform a Wheelie on a Downhill Bike
How long travel suspension and slack geometry change a wheelie on a downhill bike, why the rear brake matters, and why practice belongs on flat, safe ground only.
Mastering the Art of Manual and Nose Manual
What separates a manual from a nose manual, why the nose manual is harder and more sensitive to the front brake, and how to approach both cautiously.
The Science Behind Bicycle Wheelies
A plain-language look at wheelie physics: the balance point over the rear wheel, how pedalling torque lifts the front, and how the rear brake corrects a lift.
Related topics
More in tricks and stunts
Beginner Tricks Low-risk starter tricks and how to progress safely. Off-Road Skills and Tricks Skill and trick progressions on mountain, gravel and downhill bikes. One-Wheel Balance Wheelies, manuals and unicycles approached safely and in steps. Freestyle Riding Freestyle disciplines and safe ways to start them. Jumps and Drops Pumping, jumping and drops with careful progression. Spins and Tailwhips Rotation tricks explained, with safety limits. Flips and Big Stunts What advanced stunts involve and why they need coaching. Stunt Guides by Level Stunt and trick overviews for beginners, adults and kids. Freestyle Disciplines BMX, MTB and road freestyle styles and their skills. Tricks and Wellbeing How tricks and freestyle riding can support fitness, mood and friendship. Tricks for Every Age Why riders of different ages learn tricks, and how to start. Essential Trick Lists Curated lists of core tricks for each stage of a rider’s progress. Trick Guides by Rider and Season Big-picture trick guides for different riders and every season, safety first. Bike Parks, Clubs and Coaching Where to practise and who to learn with.