My manual my beautiful manual....

Bikerbaboon

Ive lost it my laid back manual
with my body back behind the saddle arms straight and up pops the front wheel and hold it for the next week ( ok 3' ) gone.
I know what im doing wrong. I bottle it as my legs pass the saddle and i grab it with my knees and then lift the front with bent arms.
Any one with a good tip to get out of a bad habbit and regain the balls to be ass out in hte air manual going again.

supertwisted

So you could manual before and now you can't? What's made you suddenly change technique?

If you've previously been able to do it I imagine it won't be too hard for you to regain the bravado to go back to the way that works.

I still can't manage it at all. No matter how far back I think I am, it still feels like I'm trying to pull Excaliber from the stone when I try and get the front wheel up.

I am getting better at wheelies and trackstands though.

Salsa

Manuals are just practice, I can sit down coaster manual my xc race bike with the back brake & I can proper pump manual my bmx.
If the pull up is your problem just keep practicing that until you can do it smooth & the same every time.
It sounds like you know what your doing wrong so just go out & practice, as for bottling it just keep a finger on the brake & you can't really come off the back.
Once you get good & 100% nail the balance point you don't need to hang right off the back anyway, I tend to shift my body forward & tuck my body in after 10metres or so, then just glide rarely pumping till I run out of speed or get bored.

Couple of tips, point your heels down, scoop forward with your legs without pulling much with your arms, practice in a car park for hours over & over.