Manual

A manual is a BMX trick where the rider balances on the rear wheel and rolls along with the front wheel off the ground, without pedalling. It looks like a wheelie, but the bike is held up by balance and body position, not leg power. It is the core balance trick in street and park riding and links tricks together.

Overview

Riders use manuals to roll between obstacles, extend a line, and connect grinds or spins. A long, steady manual shows control, so many street parts are built around them. The harder cousin is the nose manual, where you balance on the front wheel.

Manual versus wheelie

	Manual	Wheelie
Pedalling	No	Yes
What holds it up	Balance and momentum	Power from your legs
Speed	Slows down as you roll	Can hold or gain speed
Control	Hips and arms	Pedals and brake

The balance point

Every bike has a balance point, the angle where the weight sits over the rear axle and the bike stays up with almost no effort. Find it by lifting the front wheel until it feels light and floaty. Too far forward and the wheel drops. Too far back and you fall over backwards.

Your job is to stay near that point and make small corrections:

• Hips back to go up or hold the front end.
• Hips forward to bring the front wheel down.
• Arms and legs act as shock absorbers, always soft.

How to do it

Learn on a flat, smooth surface with a gentle slope behind you if possible. Roll slowly and keep your cranks level.

1. Roll at a walking pace. Stand with your pedals level and your knees bent.
2. Pull the front end up. Drive your hips back and pull the bars toward your chest, the same way you start a bunny hop.
3. Straighten your arms. As the wheel rises, let your arms extend while your weight sits behind the rear axle.
4. Find the balance point. The bike should feel light. Hold still and look ahead.
5. Make tiny corrections. Move your hips forward to lower the front wheel, or back to raise it.
6. Put the wheel down. Bring your hips forward, bend your arms and land softly.

Practise in short bursts and aim to add a metre each session.

Using the brake

Riders with a rear brake can touch it lightly to stop a backwards fall. Brakeless riders learn to roll forward or shift their hips instead. Both approaches work. See brakes or brakeless for the trade-offs.

Manual pads

Manual pads are small plastic or metal guards mounted near the rear axle or rear dropout. Learners often scrape the frame or tyre, and pads take the damage so the bike does not. They are optional and many riders never use them. Their only job is to protect; they do not change how the trick works.

Variations

• Nose manual. Balance on the front wheel instead. See nose manual.
• Fakie manual. Roll backwards in a manual. See fakie.
• Manual 180. Spin 180 degrees on the back wheel and keep rolling. See 180.
• One-footed or no-footed manual. Lift one foot or both, once your balance is stable.
• Manual to bunny hop. Hop out of a manual to clear a gap or lip.
• Long-distance manual. Hold a manual for the full length of a spot, which is a common test of control.

Common mistakes

• Locking your arms too early. Stiff arms leave no room to correct.
• Pedalling. If you pedal, it becomes a wheelie. Keep your feet still.
• Looking at the front wheel. Look ahead at where you want to go.
• Starting too fast. Slow speed gives you time to feel the balance point.
• Fear of falling back. Practise bailing: step off the back and keep the bike under you.
• Wrong gearing or setup. Very low tyre pressure or a loose headset makes the front end feel vague. Check your tyres and headset.

History

Rear wheel balance tricks are very old in cycling. In BMX, the manual became a staple of freestyle through the 1980s and 1990s, and street riding later made long manuals a standard part of a good line. The name "manual" is borrowed from the same trick in other riding styles, and its exact origin in BMX is debated. See rise of street riding for context.

Related tricks

• Nose manual
• Bunny hop
• 180
• Fakie