Dork Wheelies

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Okay- most people call these peg wheelies these days- but at first they were always called dork wheelies because they were the 'stupid' way of doing wheelies...  Now, of course, there is a ton of tricks you can do into and out of dork wheelies...  so most people have accepted the change in name.  But I like the name 'dork' wheelies.   :o)

There is no trick that you MUST learn before dork wheelies- but it helps to be comfortable with your bike overall.  People think wheelies are easy-  They aren't.  Dork wheelies are no exception- in fact they can be worse than regular wheelies...  When you fall forward in a dork wheelie there is no way to pedal to get the front end back up in the air- you are going down.  So balance is the key to this trick.

• Begin by rolling at a medium speed standing on your rear pegs and holding the grips normally.
• Take your right foot off the right rear peg and put it out behind you.
• Lean forward over the handlebars then snap your weight backwards.
• When your arms are straight and your weight is travelling backwards the front wheel should come off the ground...  Bend your elbows slightly to bring the bike up closer to you.
• You should also bring your right foot closer to the rear wheel- do not move your right foot side to side but forward to backward while riding in.  Pulling your right foot towards the back tire pivots your body and helps get the front wheel off the ground.
• While learning this you should be travelling slow enough so that if the bike comes up to high you can step off the peg run out of the trick.
• Keep two fingers on the back brakes to keep your back wheel from shooting out from under you...  Eventually you want to do this trick without touching the brakes at all.
• HARD PART:  Balance with the front wheel off the ground in a wheelie.  This may take 3+ months to learn how to do AFTER you are already comfortable with some other tricks.  This is NOT a good first trick.
• To control your balance turn the handlebars slightly from side to side and push your right foot left to right and forwards and backward to keep your weight centered over the bike.
• You should also bend your elbows slightly to help maintain balance.
• To ride out simply lean forward or touch the rear brakes gently to get the front wheel down.
• Step to the pedals and ride away.

There are several tricks that people do into and out of dork wheelies...  More typically people do tricks OUT of dork wheelies rather than into them.  Some people can actually do a rolling decade into a dork wheelie (Ross Smith) and some people can do rolling undertakers into them.   Mostly though people do tricks like dump trucks and time machines out of dork wheelies.

For fun you can put your right foot on the right rear peg and let go of the bars...   Actually push them down gently and bounce the front wheel off the ground then catch the handlebars again!  If the bars twist and you are going to fast you may crash really hard though- so be careful.

If you have a question about this trick please feel free to e-mail it in...