I've been practicing on my manual machine off and on for 9months and your video gave me the missing piece of advice that I needed to take my "manualling" to another level. The simple "keep your front foot heel down" advice, actually helped actuate the hip rocking back and forth motion to keep my balance. Thank you for all your videos and advice. I guess you can teach a 45 year old dog new tricks.
Thats so cool!!! Thanks for sharing! Yeah so many skills benefit from that front heel drop, braking, flat corners, manuals, rock gardens, I hope that now you have that little idea in mind it will help a ton :)
Glad to hear it worked Going on 53 and just got mine assembled last night 👍👍👍
3 ปีที่แล้ว +72
There's coaches, and then there's Kyle. So much more thorough, much more thought out, coming from much more experience than 99% I see on youtube. Excellent stuff, thanks!
I built your version last weekend and am glad I remembered you'd also made this video. Everything you said a person could wrong, I was doing wrong. Ha! Biggest thing being the bent arms. Now if it would cool down enough to tolerate being in the garage for more than five minutes, I could get back at it.
I love the way Kyle speaks to April.. I think April is an amazing model - great eyes, desire to learn, excellent. This makes your content the best of any MTB educator I've seen. Great work team!
Hey Everyone! Hope you found this helpful! If you have any other questions regarding Manual Trainers or How To Manual out in the wild, put them below and we will do our best to answer them! Oh and here is the link to the manual trainer build - th-cam.com/video/qM8N3fc672Q/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for your training videos!! I have a manual machine and I find to pop my bike easier then in reality as you talked about. Is there a way to use manual machine to train my pop? Maybe using spacers under the trainer and back wheel to make pop harder? What exercises could help us to train our pop ability?
Why can't everyone teach like Kyle?! As much as I love watching you guys, with as many manual trainers videos already out there that I've watched, and you'd already done one, I was like "Another one, really? Boring. Ok, it's still them, I'll watch." Then I watched it and because Kyle breaks it down like no one else, I learned things at a deeper level and things that no one else had said AND got to enjoy watching a couple of the nicest people around. Always bringing the value. How could I have doubted?!!
haha thank you Jeff and we are glad you still gave it a watch! I am sure there is usually at least one tip or better understanding of something that people can learn from our videos even if it is a topic they have seen many times before.
Dude thanks!!! I’m totally building one of these. I never learned to manual correctly. I learned on a motorcycle and did the jerky way where your just clutching and braking the bike. Not something you can do on a bicycle. I struggle on the bike unless I’m going downhill. I really appreciate this. I’m building one right away lol! I’ll see if I can get my wife interested too. We are in our late 30s… never too late to learn!
I have watched Kyle and April's manual videos several times in anticipation of me and my son getting to get out on our bikes. I didn't really think I'd be able to get the tire off the ground. Following their example I was able to get to the turtle position on the third try lol. It's incredible that if you do exactly what they say, you can do this. Their technique for getting the tire up is spot on. I wasn't expecting it to be so easy so I was unprepared. This manual machine will help me with that. I forgot to cover the rear brake too lol. Live and learn.
Thats awesome to hear! Yeah It helped April a ton too. I hear some people say they are pointless but I think if its used in the right way it can be a great tool. Thats kinda what we were hoping to illustrate in this video :)
I saw in someone else’s how-to-manual video, the reason why having your head forward drops your front wheel down. Your head is a small bowling ball leveraged high on your body. An average adult head weights about 8 pounds. I hope that info helps others who are learning. Another great video, Kyle and April!
Yes, exactly! Have you seen our riding position video? We used scales to see how much weight can change with some movement, which is interesting to think about. -April th-cam.com/video/RkTPBtWDsD8/w-d-xo.html
Getting better I’m able to stay “in manual” for about 8 seconds. I found with ball of each foot position on the pedal helps a ton. Now I need to learn to relax the arms and legs. Thanks again for a great video.
Rainy days up ahead in East Texas. Sounds like a good project to start and complete! Yall are great and keep up the great work. I enjoy watching and learning from you!
Awww, thank you! Happy new year too! The goal is to do all 52 fridays this year! The past couple months we had been so busy getting everything in order so that April can leave her job and now her last day is next friday! I think we are gonna do a big livestream party next week haha
Another great vid you two. Happy to see this tonight. My wife and I rode South Mountain, AZ - Sara Park, AZ and McCollough Trails, NV on our way back from taking our son to college in Phoenix this last week. Your videos she has watched over this past year have helped a ton. We will be riding Wilson Creek for the next couple months until the foothills are ready and I know she will keep working on what you two have taught her, of course, I have learned so much too!!! Keep up the great work and I pray we get to see you two doing a little racing this year!
Thats so cool to hear! Thanks for sharing :) yeah i'm trying to convince April to do a dual slalom race or something this year haha :)Happy new years to you two!!
This is by far the best template I've seen online. Built it excatly like you guys suggested. Compact but feel very stable. Perfect for my small town house sized garage.
Can't wait to try the great tips! I built mine a bit on the longer side so that the front wheel is on the wood as well. Glad I did after seeing this. I was having such a hard time finding that sweet spot on my new bike, hopefully this works out!
@@AprilRideMTB thanks! I actually used your video instructions (slightly modified for only 2x4’s I had no 6” boards). I’ve got some back problems and I’m not very flexible - so this is a double challenge for me but also why I chose it. Plus it’s a good skill to have 🤘
Finally got my new bike and tried out your tips... they worked! My manuals are already getting much better and I can bunny hop higher too! Thanks so much for y’all’s vids
Thanks for addressing that the manual machine isn’t great for learning the popping motion. When I was learning how to manual, that was the hardest thing for me to learn. It’s something you just have to learn through practicing. I used a friends manual machine once and it was nice to find out how high I needed to go. Keep up practicing April! Soon you’ll be manualing down the street! 👊🏼
Any suggestions for learning how to pop? I feel like I can barely get the front wheel up at all. I'm a short person on a 29er and I'm feeling mechanically disadvantaged 😅
Good video. I made a manual trainer after seeing your first video about it. Works great and definitely worth it, and it's my usual bike rack now. Makes lubing chain and airing up easier with secure bike.
Kyle and April I’m in CT so it is winter but I just found your channel today!! Love it, I probably watched 10 videos today, keep it coming. I will be using to improve the technical aspect of my riding! Spring can’t come soon enough lol! Congrats on the new location!
Another great video guys! Very timely, this is exactly what I am doing in the garage. Here's what I have learned: 1. Warm out and stretch before jumping on the trainer or OUCH pulled muscle or ligament! 2. There other uses of the trainer too: a. Park the front tyre and practice bunny hop by lifting the back wheel. b. Or practice Endo turn with the front wheel parked in there. c. Just somewhere to keep your bike. d. It is a great work-out for your thigh flexors and core (hence the warm-up and stretch) 3. Apart from some risk of damaging the wheel, it will certainly damage the deraileur, or rip it out if there is a design flaw and the side support of the trainer comes up too high against the wheel. Just my two cents worth! Personally, it is soooooo frustrating but I am not about to give up.
Awesome, thanks for adding in your thoughts! I like to practice on this after stretch or warm up as well. Glad you are giving it a try and not giving up. Hopefully the tips from this video help you break though any plateaus you may have 😊
Fantastic tuition Kyle and April makes the perfect student! It's the small tips that make a big difference - heels down, straight(ish) arms, bent knees and so on. I thought you did really well April, great video.
Ive been struggling for YEARS trying to manual. I just can't get my weight back far enough to get the bike to lift enough. I'll build this and hopefully it will help. Thanks for the great
Great job guys! Built this after watching your first video a month ago. Perfect setup for winter months. Took me around 2 weeks to get a feeling of the movement and balance. And then one day it just happened. And since then I do nor have issue with standing in a manual for a long time. I do find it quite strenuous on the lower back though. The fact that I managed to learn it was such a huge self confidence booster. Thank you and April - you are doing awesome job with your videos. Cheers from Canada!
Great to hear! It is a killer ab workout too haha I usually can't hold it too long before I get worn out. I have a weak lower back too, so strengthening your core will help with lower back pain. Google "dead bug core exercise" and "bridge core exercise". Then try doing those regularly. My chiropractor had me doing those to help strengthen my lower back, which is pretty important for MTB. -April
👍 for wearing a helmet when doing this. I wouldn’t have thought to, but it makes sense. I could see myself bailing and smoking my head on something in the garage. Safety first 😉
Great video. Your build video and this instruction got me right up into a manual. After I got the hang of balancing, I pulled the chain and didn't find it any more difficult. After only about 20 minutes of practice, I can balance for about 30 seconds (or until my arms get tired). Doing it on a moving bike is a whole different thing though. I thought the momentum of my moving rear wheel would make it easier to get up to the balance point but it's much harder. At least I have the right technique to practice. 😁
I built the trainier with your manual in the other video and it already helped me a lot. I think it's great for getting the balance point and for the last weeks we hat lots of rain (now snow :-) ) and I could sit on the bike an train, I wouldn't have done this outdoors in the rain.
Great video. My 8 year old son gets out of his cast in three weeks. I'm planning on building one of these for me and him. I'm 49 and I think this would be a way for both of us to become more familiar with our new bikes since it's so hard to ride this time of year. I'm looking forward to us eventually learning all the skills you are teaching. Thanks for doing these basic skill videos for us beginners.
No problem at all Dale! Thank you so much for watching and being a part of the channel! It means a lot to us! We hope you and your son have a blast riding this coming season!
Bought wood and building my manual machine this weekend for XMAS thanks for the parts list as well made it easy at home depot and all your videos are super informative and your attention to detail is hands down top notch. Keep up the good work and happy holidays
Kyle and April, you are amazing team. Thank you for your very effective instructions. You raised the points, which I missed while using the manual machine. Since last 2 days I have been following your instructions to the point and I am very happy with the progress. NB now in the wintertime I am using my manual machine on a daily basis after spinning as part of my routine training. I love it and I hope to figure out how to manual my fat bike in the snow. So far it is just a work in progress. Romuald
Thank you so much for this, me and my son Alex have just built a manual trainer this morning and already your tips have provided us with the tools we need
Kyle. You should always start with the bicicle in a perfectly horizontal position, thus with the boards or a wood extension. If you build your machine as you did, your starting position is forward tilted. This makes it very very difficult for starters and it is not a real life situation. Nice video.
Thx guys, these tips are actually timely and helpful as I have not been particularly happy with my progression despite 2 weeks intermittently playing around with it during a quarantine lockdown. The trainer has helped me improve my wheel lift, down and across movement though which was pretty crap despite a couple of years lame riding skill development. I've now placed two boogie boards under the front wheel and will examine my head and pedal positions, thx heaps !
Thats awesome to hear Craig! Yeah let us know if the tips help at all! I know Its made a huge difference for April but I have heard a lot of people in your same situation. Good luck on the progress!!
Great vid guys. Such a a patience man Kyle. At 60, I am a lot like April when trying to learn new stuff. I built my trainer right after I saw your video build and now just need to take time to get on it and not be so scared. Thanks keep up the great training videos.
Knowing how to manual is great because makes you look like a pro (I don't know how), but there are many other good things about why we should learn to do manual. Will be great to see a video that explain the benefits. Great videos guys!!! thank you.
Thank you, that is a great idea! It definitely has uses on the trail too and not just for showing off. It is so fun to watch Kyle and other expert riders flow on the trails doing all kinds of manual, flicks and jibby things
Well done guys. It's good to see a little more detail of how to use these things!! I just chatted with a guy who said he had broke a rear wheel so yeah it can happen.
Just built one today and wow, these tips help so much!! What a fun tool to hang out in the balance point! I am on the shorter side, and I find I keep wanting to use my eyes and bend my elbows - any tips?
Great tip about raising the front wheel. That explains why I keep going over the back wheel when I try it for real. Another really helpful video. Brilliant👍
i still have problems getting the pop in "real life ", on the trainer i find it easy, but probably it comes down to being afraid to loop out.(in real life...) from tomorrow on i will use the trainer again on a daily basis, with the advice you gave here, and see what it brings me! happy with this video, as i am with all of yer vids :)
Nice tutorial! I don’t think you mentioned it specifically, but I noticed that you depressed the dropper post. I assume that’s a key step? As a 56 year old avid mountain biker having 20+ years of riding experience, I’m anxious to learn how to manual. I just got my first bike with a dropper post and am still learning how/when to use it. Suggestion for a video (if you haven’t done so already) is how and when to use a dropper post. Thanks!
Hi Geoff! Yes, the dropper post should be all the way down for manuals. Check out our how to manual video for more info on manual-ing without the trainer and we cover the seat position. th-cam.com/video/2YQrXfH-U38/w-d-xo.html Also we did do a video on how to use the dropper post here th-cam.com/video/8Y17e0HDmMc/w-d-xo.html
Also, if you add a block spacer to the back for vertical storage, try attaching it with an old door hinge and it will swing up and into place as you stand the trainer up.
Thanks RJ! We were working hard in the back end getting everything setup with sponsors for the next two years and we finally got everything sorted last week! April has one more week of work left and then its full time video making mode for you guys :) Our goal is to do one every Friday this year!
I'm gonna build one of these ! My advice to anyone who is going out to try and learn manual without a trainer is... Take off your super grippy pedals ! I was trying to learn, when I looped out, and couldn't get my feet off my dmr v8's. It hurt... Now I will build a trainer, and keep the less grippy pedals on until I'm more confident !
Thanks so much Mel! Yeah we have been slowly getting things set up and ordered for the shop! The biggest thing we are kind of waiting on is the large mezzanine but that should be here in a couple weeks! I think we will do a fun livestream / update video in the next couple weeks!
This is pretty awesome. I lack the mental skill to learn this over years of rising, I still don't get airborne over anything bigger than a foot or two, I have no good sense or timing of getting the front reliably up in the air, I always worry about nose planting on a drop. I would like to see that you guys remove that tool cart from behind April!! My god, just one mistake letting go of the bars and going backwards and there's a bad head injury waiting to happen. I love that there's safety built into the training stand, but how did people miss that cart back there???
Great instruction as always and congrats again on the new building. I also struggle with getting my heals down and this video demonstrated why you want them down maybe better than any I’ve seen yet. Also I have a tendency to veer off to one side and I never knew why, your explanation about it coming from your hips makes perfect sense, now I just have to concentrate on correcting it.
Glad you found some useful tips! The heel drop and hip alignment are so hard, but hopefully you can have that become second nature from repetitive practice on the trainer, so it's less to think about when you put it to practice outside!
Hey! Happy new years to you too man! Your garage is looking insane!! Yeah definitely build one, they are super fun on those rainy days! See how long you can balance for, I think my best is like 28 seconds haha
An awesome video to kick off the new year! Great job guys, I definitely think the tips about pushing with your legs and taking off the chain will help me a lot!
Another great video guys. Thanks for providing such detailed insight to learning new slills. Being in Canada, there's not much opportunity to practice on the trails rigth now but this is something I might have to build in the basement so me and my son can get these dialed in for the spring time. Cheers
Great vid. I was practicing wheelies on my hardtail this evening after watching your wheelie vid a few weeks ago. I need to go review it again now that i’m getting my wheel to stay up and feeling more comfortable on it :) keep the great content coming!
Thanks so much Bob! Yeah we have been having a blast doing these videos and we definitely have a bunch more in the pipeline! One of our big goals the past couple months was securing our channel sponsors so we could make some more videos like this where there is a definite audience for the information but its probably not going to get a ton of views. Now that all of that is settled its go time haha! It makes us both so happy to see when people get something from our videos and when they have that ah, ha moment. Thanks for watching!
@@AprilRideMTB Thank you replying my comment! Here I live in Kunming and ride mostly alone, and depend on very much to YT vids to be motivated😏 I followed your vids last year and would like to express my appreciation!
Thanks for this! I’m 47 (gulp) and never learned how to do proper wheelies as a kid. I recently looped out on pavement (at speed) and got pretty banged up. Anyway I built your trainer (thanks!) and it is working to rebuild my confidence. Only thing is with the rear wheel locked in my brake does nothing. I assume your rear wheel has a little play forward and back in the trainer so the brake drops the front?
When you use your rear brake on the trainer it still stops your frame from pivoting, so it does still work. It is also really good practice for getting use to using the rear brake to save yourself if you get back too far. When Kyle first tried to teach me to wheelie I did not want to cover my rear brake and it did not come as natural. I learned quickly in one loop out though how important it was haha
@@AprilRideMTB awesome thank you for the quick feedback. And yep I am definitely practicing covering the brake! Thanks so much and keep up the great work!
@@AprilRideMTB Likewise 👌I am well ,just waiting for wet season to finish so I can ride ! Thanks for being you ,it is my pleasure to support you guys. Happy New Year you legends 🙏🔥
Both y'all looking nice today in that nice new space!!! Also, is that a new bike? I'm planning on spending this weekend building a manual trainer and I'll be putting your instructions to good use. Thanks guys!
I've been practicing on my manual machine off and on for 9months and your video gave me the missing piece of advice that I needed to take my "manualling" to another level. The simple "keep your front foot heel down" advice, actually helped actuate the hip rocking back and forth motion to keep my balance. Thank you for all your videos and advice. I guess you can teach a 45 year old dog new tricks.
Thats so cool!!! Thanks for sharing! Yeah so many skills benefit from that front heel drop, braking, flat corners, manuals, rock gardens, I hope that now you have that little idea in mind it will help a ton :)
noted! )
Same for me!
@@fleetgt if it helps someone surely there isn't anything wrong with that.
Glad to hear it worked
Going on 53 and just got mine assembled last night 👍👍👍
There's coaches, and then there's Kyle. So much more thorough, much more thought out, coming from much more experience than 99% I see on youtube. Excellent stuff, thanks!
I appreciate that, thank you!
kinda funny when a smallish channel is doing a better job than the big boys like gmbn and such
This 🎉
thanks ,you're a great teacher, kind and patient, and it's easy to see why April likes you so much! for me!
Thank you so much! 😊
I built your version last weekend and am glad I remembered you'd also made this video. Everything you said a person could wrong, I was doing wrong. Ha! Biggest thing being the bent arms. Now if it would cool down enough to tolerate being in the garage for more than five minutes, I could get back at it.
I love the way Kyle speaks to April.. I think April is an amazing model - great eyes, desire to learn, excellent. This makes your content the best of any MTB educator I've seen. Great work team!
Wow, thank you!
Hey Everyone! Hope you found this helpful! If you have any other questions regarding Manual Trainers or How To Manual out in the wild, put them below and we will do our best to answer them! Oh and here is the link to the manual trainer build - th-cam.com/video/qM8N3fc672Q/w-d-xo.html
I will have one of these before the months over!
@@ononewheel7 Yeah let us know how you like it!!
Good video
Thank you for your training videos!! I have a manual machine and I find to pop my bike easier then in reality as you talked about. Is there a way to use manual machine to train my pop? Maybe using spacers under the trainer and back wheel to make pop harder? What exercises could help us to train our pop ability?
Move that to box! Omg - I'm watching in terror!
Why can't everyone teach like Kyle?! As much as I love watching you guys, with as many manual trainers videos already out there that I've watched, and you'd already done one, I was like "Another one, really? Boring. Ok, it's still them, I'll watch." Then I watched it and because Kyle breaks it down like no one else, I learned things at a deeper level and things that no one else had said AND got to enjoy watching a couple of the nicest people around. Always bringing the value. How could I have doubted?!!
haha thank you Jeff and we are glad you still gave it a watch! I am sure there is usually at least one tip or better understanding of something that people can learn from our videos even if it is a topic they have seen many times before.
You guys are awesome! Kyle, you're a great teacher, kind and patient, and it's easy to see why April likes you so much! 🤙🏽
Thank you so much Paul, its so fun to be able to share these little videos with you guys. Thanks for being a part of the channel :)
Dude thanks!!! I’m totally building one of these. I never learned to manual correctly. I learned on a motorcycle and did the jerky way where your just clutching and braking the bike. Not something you can do on a bicycle.
I struggle on the bike unless I’m going downhill.
I really appreciate this. I’m building one right away lol! I’ll see if I can get my wife interested too. We are in our late 30s… never too late to learn!
Watched a bunch of videos on how to manual, but your tip regarding pushing with your legs finally helped me get a consistent lift.
Thank you.
Great to hear!
I signed up for an MTB ninja camp on a weekend. Two days of hopefully learning. We'll see how it goes. Love your videos.
Thats so awesome! They are a rad group of people! Have fun Carlos!!
I have watched Kyle and April's manual videos several times in anticipation of me and my son getting to get out on our bikes. I didn't really think I'd be able to get the tire off the ground. Following their example I was able to get to the turtle position on the third try lol. It's incredible that if you do exactly what they say, you can do this. Their technique for getting the tire up is spot on. I wasn't expecting it to be so easy so I was unprepared. This manual machine will help me with that. I forgot to cover the rear brake too lol. Live and learn.
That's awesome Dale! So glad you were able to do it, I think we all have to learn the rear brake lesson the hard way at least once haha
The manual machine helped both my manual and bunny hop! As a new rider i think this helps a ton especially with setting how far back you have to get
Thats awesome to hear! Yeah It helped April a ton too. I hear some people say they are pointless but I think if its used in the right way it can be a great tool. Thats kinda what we were hoping to illustrate in this video :)
You are simply great! I love the way you explain things...Your videos really do help. Thank you for that!
Thank you so much to both of you! Both of you have been such a BIG help for me and my son. Great team work. Love it!
I saw in someone else’s how-to-manual video, the reason why having your head forward drops your front wheel down. Your head is a small bowling ball leveraged high on your body. An average adult head weights about 8 pounds. I hope that info helps others who are learning. Another great video, Kyle and April!
Yes, exactly! Have you seen our riding position video? We used scales to see how much weight can change with some movement, which is interesting to think about. -April th-cam.com/video/RkTPBtWDsD8/w-d-xo.html
Getting better I’m able to stay “in manual” for about 8 seconds. I found with ball of each foot position on the pedal helps a ton. Now I need to learn to relax the arms and legs. Thanks again for a great video.
Glad you are seeing progress! 😊
Rainy days up ahead in East Texas. Sounds like a good project to start and complete! Yall are great and keep up the great work. I enjoy watching and learning from you!
Glad to hear, hope you have fun making it!
Built it and it is awesome! At least now I can practice on rainy days!
Welcome back. It now feels like a happy new year.
Awww, thank you! Happy new year too! The goal is to do all 52 fridays this year! The past couple months we had been so busy getting everything in order so that April can leave her job and now her last day is next friday! I think we are gonna do a big livestream party next week haha
Another great vid you two. Happy to see this tonight. My wife and I rode South Mountain, AZ - Sara Park, AZ and McCollough Trails, NV on our way back from taking our son to college in Phoenix this last week. Your videos she has watched over this past year have helped a ton. We will be riding Wilson Creek for the next couple months until the foothills are ready and I know she will keep working on what you two have taught her, of course, I have learned so much too!!! Keep up the great work and I pray we get to see you two doing a little racing this year!
Thats so cool to hear! Thanks for sharing :) yeah i'm trying to convince April to do a dual slalom race or something this year haha :)Happy new years to you two!!
This is by far the best template I've seen online. Built it excatly like you guys suggested. Compact but feel very stable. Perfect for my small town house sized garage.
Great to hear! 😊
Can't wait to try the great tips!
I built mine a bit on the longer side so that the front wheel is on the wood as well. Glad I did after seeing this.
I was having such a hard time finding that sweet spot on my new bike, hopefully this works out!
Yeah let us know how it helps!! congrats on the new bike too :)
@@AprilRideMTB thanks! I actually used your video instructions (slightly modified for only 2x4’s I had no 6” boards). I’ve got some back problems and I’m not very flexible - so this is a double challenge for me but also why I chose it. Plus it’s a good skill to have 🤘
Your manual video is the best of the bunch! Great job!
Thank you!
Finally got my new bike and tried out your tips... they worked! My manuals are already getting much better and I can bunny hop higher too! Thanks so much for y’all’s vids
Thats so rad Kade! Congrats!!! Keep it up!
Thanks for addressing that the manual machine isn’t great for learning the popping motion. When I was learning how to manual, that was the hardest thing for me to learn. It’s something you just have to learn through practicing. I used a friends manual machine once and it was nice to find out how high I needed to go. Keep up practicing April! Soon you’ll be manualing down the street! 👊🏼
Thank you, I hope so too! haha
Any suggestions for learning how to pop? I feel like I can barely get the front wheel up at all. I'm a short person on a 29er and I'm feeling mechanically disadvantaged 😅
Good video. I made a manual trainer after seeing your first video about it. Works great and definitely worth it, and it's my usual bike rack now. Makes lubing chain and airing up easier with secure bike.
Thats rad! I love hearing when these videos actually help people out!!
Kyle and April I’m in CT so it is winter but I just found your channel today!! Love it, I probably watched 10 videos today, keep it coming. I will be using to improve the technical aspect of my riding! Spring can’t come soon enough lol! Congrats on the new location!
Another great video guys! Very timely, this is exactly what I am doing in the garage. Here's what I have learned:
1. Warm out and stretch before jumping on the trainer or OUCH pulled muscle or ligament!
2. There other uses of the trainer too:
a. Park the front tyre and practice bunny hop by lifting the back wheel.
b. Or practice Endo turn with the front wheel parked in there.
c. Just somewhere to keep your bike.
d. It is a great work-out for your thigh flexors and core (hence the warm-up and stretch)
3. Apart from some risk of damaging the wheel, it will certainly damage the deraileur, or rip it out if there is a design flaw and the side support of the trainer comes up too high against the wheel.
Just my two cents worth!
Personally, it is soooooo frustrating but I am not about to give up.
Awesome, thanks for adding in your thoughts! I like to practice on this after stretch or warm up as well. Glad you are giving it a try and not giving up. Hopefully the tips from this video help you break though any plateaus you may have 😊
Hey Kahn, Brilliant idea to use it as an endo machine as well, thanks!
Fantastic tuition Kyle and April makes the perfect student! It's the small tips that make a big difference - heels down, straight(ish) arms, bent knees and so on. I thought you did really well April, great video.
I really like that April is always smiling. Think it's time to build one for myself and the kids.
Ive been struggling for YEARS trying to manual. I just can't get my weight back far enough to get the bike to lift enough. I'll build this and hopefully it will help. Thanks for the great
Great job guys! Built this after watching your first video a month ago. Perfect setup for winter months. Took me around 2 weeks to get a feeling of the movement and balance. And then one day it just happened. And since then I do nor have issue with standing in a manual for a long time. I do find it quite strenuous on the lower back though. The fact that I managed to learn it was such a huge self confidence booster. Thank you and April - you are doing awesome job with your videos. Cheers from Canada!
Great to hear! It is a killer ab workout too haha I usually can't hold it too long before I get worn out. I have a weak lower back too, so strengthening your core will help with lower back pain. Google "dead bug core exercise" and "bridge core exercise". Then try doing those regularly. My chiropractor had me doing those to help strengthen my lower back, which is pretty important for MTB. -April
You guys are the Fred and Ginger of MTB Technique, great advice, great channel.
👍 for wearing a helmet when doing this. I wouldn’t have thought to, but it makes sense. I could see myself bailing and smoking my head on something in the garage. Safety first 😉
Great video. Your build video and this instruction got me right up into a manual. After I got the hang of balancing, I pulled the chain and didn't find it any more difficult. After only about 20 minutes of practice, I can balance for about 30 seconds (or until my arms get tired). Doing it on a moving bike is a whole different thing though. I thought the momentum of my moving rear wheel would make it easier to get up to the balance point but it's much harder. At least I have the right technique to practice. 😁
I built the trainier with your manual in the other video and it already helped me a lot. I think it's great for getting the balance point and for the last weeks we hat lots of rain (now snow :-) ) and I could sit on the bike an train, I wouldn't have done this outdoors in the rain.
Great video. My 8 year old son gets out of his cast in three weeks. I'm planning on building one of these for me and him. I'm 49 and I think this would be a way for both of us to become more familiar with our new bikes since it's so hard to ride this time of year. I'm looking forward to us eventually learning all the skills you are teaching. Thanks for doing these basic skill videos for us beginners.
No problem at all Dale! Thank you so much for watching and being a part of the channel! It means a lot to us! We hope you and your son have a blast riding this coming season!
I’ll be doing it all winter as exercise and Zen flow movement. Thanks!
Bought wood and building my manual machine this weekend for XMAS thanks for the parts list as well made it easy at home depot and all your videos are super informative and your attention to detail is hands down top notch. Keep up the good work and happy holidays
Kyle and April, you are amazing team. Thank you for your very effective instructions. You raised the points, which I missed while using the manual machine. Since last 2 days I have been following your instructions to the point and I am very happy with the progress. NB now in the wintertime I am using my manual machine on a daily basis after spinning as part of my routine training. I love it and I hope to figure out how to manual my fat bike in the snow. So far it is just a work in progress. Romuald
I built one. And now I know how to use it. Thanks
Sweet! That was the goal haha. We saw so many cool photos of building the trainers and we figured we need a follow up video!
Thank you so much for this, me and my son Alex have just built a manual trainer this morning and already your tips have provided us with the tools we need
Hope you guys have fun with it!
Kyle. You should always start with the bicicle in a perfectly horizontal position, thus with the boards or a wood extension. If you build your machine as you did, your starting position is forward tilted. This makes it very very difficult for starters and it is not a real life situation. Nice video.
Thx guys, these tips are actually timely and helpful as I have not been particularly happy with my progression despite 2 weeks intermittently playing around with it during a quarantine lockdown. The trainer has helped me improve my wheel lift, down and across movement though which was pretty crap despite a couple of years lame riding skill development. I've now placed two boogie boards under the front wheel and will examine my head and pedal positions, thx heaps !
Thats awesome to hear Craig! Yeah let us know if the tips help at all! I know Its made a huge difference for April but I have heard a lot of people in your same situation. Good luck on the progress!!
Built it! So far so good. I got a turbo but it seems to be working just fine with a bit heavy bike! Thanks for the help!
🎉
Great vid guys. Such a a patience man Kyle. At 60, I am a lot like April when trying to learn new stuff. I built my trainer right after I saw your video build and now just need to take time to get on it and not be so scared. Thanks keep up the great training videos.
Knowing how to manual is great because makes you look like a pro (I don't know how), but there are many other good things about why we should learn to do manual. Will be great to see a video that explain the benefits. Great videos guys!!! thank you.
Thank you, that is a great idea! It definitely has uses on the trail too and not just for showing off. It is so fun to watch Kyle and other expert riders flow on the trails doing all kinds of manual, flicks and jibby things
best vid on manual machines ive seen.
Thank you!
Just finally got the pop of a manual today. Hopefully this can get me even better and actually hold it for a while. Thanks guys
Thats so awesome! Congrats Josiah! Hopefully this helps :)
@@AprilRideMTB can’t wait to get on the bike and give it a go! I’ll let you know how I do :)
Well done guys. It's good to see a little more detail of how to use these things!! I just chatted with a guy who said he had broke a rear wheel so yeah it can happen.
Glad you enjoyed it. That is a bummer to hear about his wheel though :/
Just built one today and wow, these tips help so much!! What a fun tool to hang out in the balance point!
I am on the shorter side, and I find I keep wanting to use my eyes and bend my elbows - any tips?
Thanks, just got mine built based upon your vid!
I need help with Manuel luckily I stumbled across this vides
Hope it can help out a little bit :)
Thank you very much for this Video! I was searching for this for a long time
Great tip about raising the front wheel. That explains why I keep going over the back wheel when I try it for real. Another really helpful video. Brilliant👍
i still have problems getting the pop in "real life ", on the trainer i find it easy, but probably it comes down to being afraid to loop out.(in real life...) from tomorrow on i will use the trainer again on a daily basis, with the advice you gave here, and see what it brings me! happy with this video, as i am with all of yer vids :)
Nice tutorial! I don’t think you mentioned it specifically, but I noticed that you depressed the dropper post. I assume that’s a key step? As a 56 year old avid mountain biker having 20+ years of riding experience, I’m anxious to learn how to manual. I just got my first bike with a dropper post and am still learning how/when to use it. Suggestion for a video (if you haven’t done so already) is how and when to use a dropper post. Thanks!
Hi Geoff! Yes, the dropper post should be all the way down for manuals. Check out our how to manual video for more info on manual-ing without the trainer and we cover the seat position. th-cam.com/video/2YQrXfH-U38/w-d-xo.html
Also we did do a video on how to use the dropper post here th-cam.com/video/8Y17e0HDmMc/w-d-xo.html
Also, if you add a block spacer to the back for vertical storage, try attaching it with an old door hinge and it will swing up and into place as you stand the trainer up.
That would be trick!!
Your channel has been my go to video in learning new skills. Great job guys!
Great video best breakdown of a manual I have seen thank you.
The “I Suck” part is awesome. Nice to see it isn’t always easy for everyone.
Haha thats how I feel about 80% of the time! Editing makes things look too easy :)
Great coach, great student & of course great chemistry between you which makes even the less exciting of your videos very watchable.
Finally!! been waiting for you guys for a long time...😍😍😍
Thanks RJ! We were working hard in the back end getting everything setup with sponsors for the next two years and we finally got everything sorted last week! April has one more week of work left and then its full time video making mode for you guys :) Our goal is to do one every Friday this year!
happy to see you guys in the new space!
Thanks Clyde!! We have some fun plans to share with you guys in the next few weeks! Hope you are having a great start to the year!
Your really stand out when it comes to how to videos. Great tips!
Thank you so much Magnus!
I'm gonna build one of these !
My advice to anyone who is going out to try and learn manual without a trainer is...
Take off your super grippy pedals ! I was trying to learn, when I looped out, and couldn't get my feet off my dmr v8's. It hurt...
Now I will build a trainer, and keep the less grippy pedals on until I'm more confident !
Thanks guys! Keep the great instruction coming!! Hope the new space is coming along. Love to see an update video when you have time!
Thanks so much Mel! Yeah we have been slowly getting things set up and ordered for the shop! The biggest thing we are kind of waiting on is the large mezzanine but that should be here in a couple weeks! I think we will do a fun livestream / update video in the next couple weeks!
@@AprilRideMTB Look forward to it!!
Another great video, will be making a manual trainer. Thank you for the content, very much appreciated.
Awesome, hope you have fun building it!
Every time you guys do a manual video I learn something new or see something I've been doing wrong lol
So awesome! There is a lot to think about for what seems like such an easy skill when you watch the pros do it.
Thanks Kyle, and great job April.
Yeah thanks so much for watching!! Happy new year!
This is pretty awesome. I lack the mental skill to learn this over years of rising, I still don't get airborne over anything bigger than a foot or two, I have no good sense or timing of getting the front reliably up in the air, I always worry about nose planting on a drop.
I would like to see that you guys remove that tool cart from behind April!! My god, just one mistake letting go of the bars and going backwards and there's a bad head injury waiting to happen. I love that there's safety built into the training stand, but how did people miss that cart back there???
Glad you think it is awesome!
We were aware of the tool box and we felt that it was far enough away in real life for safety..
Great instruction as always and congrats again on the new building. I also struggle with getting my heals down and this video demonstrated why you want them down maybe better than any I’ve seen yet. Also I have a tendency to veer off to one side and I never knew why, your explanation about it coming from your hips makes perfect sense, now I just have to concentrate on correcting it.
Glad you found some useful tips! The heel drop and hip alignment are so hard, but hopefully you can have that become second nature from repetitive practice on the trainer, so it's less to think about when you put it to practice outside!
Great follow up view. Going to built one once the weather warm up here in Raleigh NC. Keep making the great videos. 👍
Awesome! Thank you!
Happy new year guys!
I plan on making one of these over the winter as our riding days are numbered w the cold weather here 😫
Nice background music 😎
Hey! Happy new years to you too man! Your garage is looking insane!! Yeah definitely build one, they are super fun on those rainy days! See how long you can balance for, I think my best is like 28 seconds haha
@@AprilRideMTB thank you!
i am dying to ride i just picked up a new bike a few weeks ago but this is on the todo list this winter 100%!
An awesome video to kick off the new year! Great job guys, I definitely think the tips about pushing with your legs and taking off the chain will help me a lot!
Happy new year Aidan! Thanks! Yeah We hope the tips help! Learning to manual is such a fun skill and I know you will crush it!
Another great video guys. Thanks for providing such detailed insight to learning new slills. Being in Canada, there's not much opportunity to practice on the trails rigth now but this is something I might have to build in the basement so me and my son can get these dialed in for the spring time. Cheers
Already starting the year with the good stuff 🙌🏼
Thanks Art! Glad you enjoyed!! Happy New Year!
@@AprilRideMTB Thanks! Looking forward to the new content :)
One more excellent vidéo. A lot of given tips to improve my skills. Thanks a lot!
Glad you liked it!
That’s awesome! I’m building one ASAP!
Have fun building it!
I needed this manuals help with trails, there a cool trick, and very fun!
Glad we could help!
Always make sure to have the corner of a workbench behind you!
Your videos are so great! Thanks for sharing 🙏
I’d love to learn how to do this. It’s always been something I’ve seen people do but never been able to get it.
Awesome video! I can't wait to build one. Great tutorial as always. Hope you guys have a superb 2021
Thank you! Hope you do too!
Oooooo, nice. Maybe I build one and learn during winter and snow :-) And, nice to see your vids again :-) wish you all a great 2021 :-)
Thanks Tony! Hope you have a great 2021 as well!
Great vid. I was practicing wheelies on my hardtail this evening after watching your wheelie vid a few weeks ago. I need to go review it again now that i’m getting my wheel to stay up and feeling more comfortable on it :) keep the great content coming!
Thanks so much Devon! Thats awesome to hear! Keep up the great work!
I enjoy your coaching style! Expecting more and wish yall a successful New Year!
Thanks so much Bob! Yeah we have been having a blast doing these videos and we definitely have a bunch more in the pipeline! One of our big goals the past couple months was securing our channel sponsors so we could make some more videos like this where there is a definite audience for the information but its probably not going to get a ton of views. Now that all of that is settled its go time haha! It makes us both so happy to see when people get something from our videos and when they have that ah, ha moment. Thanks for watching!
@@AprilRideMTB Thank you replying my comment! Here I live in Kunming and ride mostly alone, and depend on very much to YT vids to be motivated😏 I followed your vids last year and would like to express my appreciation!
Thanks for this! I’m 47 (gulp) and never learned how to do proper wheelies as a kid. I recently looped out on pavement (at speed) and got pretty banged up. Anyway I built your trainer (thanks!) and it is working to rebuild my confidence. Only thing is with the rear wheel locked in my brake does nothing. I assume your rear wheel has a little play forward and back in the trainer so the brake drops the front?
When you use your rear brake on the trainer it still stops your frame from pivoting, so it does still work. It is also really good practice for getting use to using the rear brake to save yourself if you get back too far. When Kyle first tried to teach me to wheelie I did not want to cover my rear brake and it did not come as natural. I learned quickly in one loop out though how important it was haha
@@AprilRideMTB awesome thank you for the quick feedback. And yep I am definitely practicing covering the brake! Thanks so much and keep up the great work!
..its always a pleasure to watch your videos..a lot of information packed in a super smooth and understandable way..and a cute one too ❤🍀🍄🌻
Thank you so much! 😊
I am going to try to build one of these. Thank you for the info.
Have fun!
Great video, definitely building one! It seems like one block would be 'mandatory' to raise the front wheel to be level with the rear wheel.
It is very helpful!
Thanks bro! I have some scrap wood and some rope, 🤞 😝 gonna give it a go!
That was really well produced and detailed.
Thanks guys 👑👑🔥🔥🙏🙏
You are the best T! Happy new year hope you have been doing good :) Thanks for being such a huge part of our channel!
@@AprilRideMTB Likewise 👌I am well ,just waiting for wet season to finish so I can ride !
Thanks for being you ,it is my pleasure to support you guys.
Happy New Year you legends 🙏🔥
Great video. Very detailed information that you are presenting to us. Thank you both!
Thanks so much Paul! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks I am going to build one .
Both y'all looking nice today in that nice new space!!! Also, is that a new bike?
I'm planning on spending this weekend building a manual trainer and I'll be putting your instructions to good use.
Thanks guys!
Thank you so much! Have fun building it!! They are really fun to mess around on!
thanks for those useful tips! happy to see first phase of your Lab definition ;)
Glad you enjoyed it! Can't wait to show you guys the progress on the shop!!!
I will try this ! Thanks for sharing ! 🚴♀️❤
Hope it helps you!
This manual training holder really cool.
Always very good learnings. Thank you
Yeah no worries at all! Thanks for watching Tom!