Manual

From TrialsWiki

A manual is when the rider is rolling along only on the back wheel. This is different from a wheelie, in that the rider does not pedal during a manual. Balance is maintained by either use of the brakes or the rider repositioning his weight.

The Manual is a very hard trick to learn, let alone put into a line. To do it, you need to really pull up with the bars, whilst leaning right over the rear axle to keep the front wheel up. This trick is very reliant on the balance point of your bike. Try to find this point before attempting a manual to see how far the front wheel should be off of the floor. The way to do this is to get your bike, lock the back brake and stand the bike on the back wheel. Now let go of the brake and try to find the point where you dont have to do much pulling or pushing to get the bike to stay there.

Now, for the actual trick. Firstly you need to be going along at a fast jogging pace. To get the front wheel in the air, you need to pull up on the bars quite violently whilst leaning back, and pushing forwards with the pedals. Try to get the bike near that balancing point, and then when you are there, keep pulling back a little. Your arms should be straightened, and your legs bent.

To keep the trick going, there are two things you can do. If the front wheel drops, push forwards with your feet and pull with your bars. If the front wheel gets too high, bend your legs and bring yourself closer towards the bike briefly. If the front wheel is too high to be saved by this technique and you start to loop out, you need to feather the rear brake. Feathering the brake means that you don't lock the brake, but pull it in just enough to get a bit of friction on the rim/disc.

If you can maintain balance without having to use the rear brake, a more stable manual will result, but it is wise to always be ready to use the brake if need be.

Maintaining balance to either side is more difficult and subtle than forwards/backwards, but will eventually come with practise. Manualling is usually not something that can be learnt quickly; perseverance will be required.