[ehansen007]

I think this is a can of worms but this looks like a fun place to open it! As some of you have seen, I've been building up a Kona Stinky with a Sherman fork. Well I got it together yesterday and rode it a round a bit and man, what a difference from my trail bike! I mean not only the 10lb difference but the geometry as well. It though with the shorter cockpit it would be easy to wheelie I couldn't get the front end off the ground for a manual or wheelie or anything. It makes me think I'm going to nose dive if I ever get the thing in the air! Does it just take some getting used to? I'm guess it's supposed to be a bit of a tank to take the big drops but I'm a bit concerned now. Any advice and ridicule will be accepted.

Thanks from the newbie.:thumbsup:

 

[08nwsula]

preload the fork when trying to do a manual, let it do the work. It is only 10lbs heavier than your trials bike?

 

[ehansen007]

Trail bike! LOL.

 

[skatetokil]

Gonna have to disagree with my esteemed colleague. I've taught several people how to do this, and the trick is to explain that the manual is all in the legs. if you're relying on fork preload for a drop, a lot can go wrong and you have all your weight over the front of the bike when it does.

You don't want to think about pulling up the front end but about shoving the rear wheel under the bike. Think of your body as shaped like a banana. You basically rock your wieght downward into your feet while holding your arms tight and the front end comes up like magic.

 

[coma13]

I think this is a can of worms but this looks like a fun place to open it! As some of you have seen, I've been building up a Kona Stinky with a Sherman fork. Well I got it together yesterday and rode it a round a bit and man, what a difference from my trail bike! I mean not only the 10lb difference but the geometry as well. It though with the shorter cockpit it would be easy to wheelie I couldn't get the front end off the ground for a manual or wheelie or anything. It makes me think I'm going to nose dive if I ever get the thing in the air! Does it just take some getting used to? I'm guess it's supposed to be a bit of a tank to take the big drops but I'm a bit concerned now. Any advice and ridicule will be accepted.

Thanks from the newbie.:thumbsup:

more travel + longer chainstays will make it way more difficult to get the nose up. you will need to distribute your weight further back since you have more bike behind you.

 

[ehansen007]

I did take the bikeskills clinic with Joe Lawwill here at Aliso and let me say that skateoil is right. I don't know if you guys know Joe or have seen him ride but he is the manual king! I watched him manual to a balanced wheelie for about 200 yards down an asphalt road without pedaling. He mentioned that it's not a function of pulling up but more of shooting the bike out in front with the legs and letting the front end come up. I can do short ones over streams and such with my Teocali Super but this new Kona is going to be a challenge!

 

[skatetokil]

Some bikes are just harder to manual. Stinkys arent known for being especially long bikes, but is it too big for you by any chance?

You'll eventually get a feel for how hard you need to thrust on your own bike and it takes time to get used to doing it on a new one. Havent had much saddle time but i always found konas kinda twitchy on drops myself. i would either nose dive or pull it up way to far.

 

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

start taking steroids you girlie man.......

 

[Goliath_2]

the compression of the rear shock gives me problems

 

[Merkyworks]

ya i can manual on my DJ bike fine but it has short cs and its a ht. now on my fr bike, that thing is hard to manual because of the rear compressing. it just takes practice, you didnt just hop on your trail bike one day and pop a manual did you? so dont expect the same with your new stinky. plus single pivots are harder to manual in my opinion.