# Do women like to wheelie?



## yvanblo (Sep 26, 2011)

Hello everyone,

I recently got my wife into mountain biking, she is wonderful, and loves to try new things! Actually it was her idea to buy mountain bike this year after she enjoyed renting so well!

A few questions for the ladies on MTBR: How many of you ladies like to wheelie? As well, how many of you know how to wheelie (more than just popping the front over a curb)? Lastly, what tips can you give me to encourage my wife to learn how to wheelie?

The reasons behind the questions are plenty. Personally, I love popping a good wheelie, and find it quite enjoyable and rewarding. Secondly, a wheelie can help immensely in certain situations, or keep you from getting a wet face and legs. 

Thanks!


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## MtbRN (Jun 8, 2006)

What "we ladies" like to do or can do is kinda irrelevant to your situation. The right question is does your wife want to learn how to wheelie and can you teach her? 

Obviously, you are aware of the utility of this ability, which is the best argument for encouraging your wife to learn. Is your question to gauge if women can learn how to do a wheelie? If so, I assure you your wife can learn it. Many people, including women, have. 

Hopefully you and your wife will be riding for many years, and having a blast! It is a good sign that SHE was the one who suggested buying bikes. Don't mess things up by pushing her into trying something if she doesn't feel ready to learn. If you feel strongly she should learn to wheelie, buy her a day at mountain bike skills clinic. They can really help beginners progress quickly.


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## yvanblo (Sep 26, 2011)

Thanks for the response.

This post is in no way an attack on women, or the skill set of women, or even the ability of women to learn a skill. There is no doubt in my mind whether my wife (or any other woman) 'can' learn to wheelie, the question is; do other women find it helpful or fun? Nothing is impossible, and I'm sure there are ladies that can wheelie far better than a lot of guys, with myself at the top of the list.

The reason for this post is to determine what sort of percentage of women wheelie. If 98% don't wheelie, there has to be a reason. I think a lot of guys wheelie because it's fun, and it helps them master skills to help them go faster... and show off. What are some reasons that women have learned to wheelie?

"_does your wife want to learn how to wheelie and can you teach her?_" - If a wheelie will help her ride better, then yes, she will want to learn. If it won't, then probably not. For me it's a valuable and fun skill to have. Is it valuable to you and/or the rest of the women riding community? If it's not, then it probably won't be valuable to my wife. If someone is willing and able to learn something that I personally know how to do, I will most likely be able to teach them.

I have only hinted to her about wheelies, and have only given a few tips here and there about doing them. I have the utmost respect for my wife, and we have a great relationship! I would never force her to do anything, and she knows that. Again, my post is a feeler to see if I should help her invest some time into learning that skill. Are there other areas that would be better to help her learn?


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## Bethany1 (Jan 18, 2012)

Good questions.

Here's why I don't/can't wheelie. I'm scared to do it. All I can see is either I flip over the top (nearly did that and slid into the handlebars) or falling off the back and landing on my head. My balance is getting better, but it's still not great. 

However; my fears are more medically founded than just being a wimp. I have a really bad back and the thought of being on the couch for a week, going through physical therapy, and living off of pain meds for 3 seconds of a thrill just doesn't seem worth it. Falling off a bike just terrifies me and I've had to work really hard over the summer to get through it. 

I had two concussions over the summer (clipless pedal related) and the last thing I need is another. I already have permanent brain damage which gives me seizures and I really don't want to add more to the mix. A helmet will save my head from being cracked open but doesn't do anything for a concussion.

I think being a mom makes a difference. If the mom is sick, everything falls apart.

Do I want to do stunts and crazy things? Yes. I would love to do a wheelie down the road and jump off of stuff and envy anyone that can.

There are some great videos on YouTube that show how to do a wheelie and if you have access to a mountain bike clinic even better as I don't. It's not all about upper arm strength, it's also about being able to pull up and move back to lift the wheel up. The rest of it is balance.

I think guys have a more a support base than girls. If a guy falls off it's cool. They all burst out laughing, high five each other and keep going. If a girl falls over she looks inept.


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## yvanblo (Sep 26, 2011)

Bethany1, thanks for the response, that's exactly the sort of response I was looking for! 

It never occurred to me that it would be a scary thing, but I CERTAINLY can see that now.

I'm sorry to hear that you have brain related injuries, and I hope you can still enjoy the activities that you want to do. I am also interested to know if you still use clip in pedals? We have been pressured from LOTS of people to use clipy type pedals, but personally I'm terrified of using them, and think they should stay on the road.

I'm glad you responded, and I totally didn't think about being scared of it! Makes total sense, and I will not push the issue with my wife unless I think her skills, desire and confidence are where they should be for learning advanced skills, not just wheelies.

Thanks again!


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## Bethany1 (Jan 18, 2012)

As long as I take my meds I'm seizure free and it's never stopped me. You just tend to be a little more aware of things. The only thing that does scare me is having a seizure on a bike and wandering into traffic. However; if I was having seizures that bad, I wouldn't be on a bike in the first place.

If you don't like clipless don't use them. They are nice and have some great advantages, I just don't have the coordination to use them effectively. I also didn't like walking around in the MTB clipless shoes if I ended up walking home or up a hill. Road bike shoes are even worse to walk in.

I did my first one over the summer and was surprised at how well I did. I figured landing in the dirt was safer and worth any battle scars than the pavement and wasn't as worried. Then I discovered I was having too much fun to be scared. My back didn't hurt going up and down like I thought it would and going down descents were cool. Too bad the trails are up in Omaha, costs 30 dollars in gas money and DH doesn't want me up by myself in case something happens. Once school is out I can take my son, plan some trips and have fun and on weekends take my DH.

Yes I need to learn to do wheelies to get up through the trails. Practicing on the trail when it's not as busy would probably be the best way to learn. I'd rather eat dirt than pavement anytime.


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## MtbRN (Jun 8, 2006)

yvanblo said:


> Thanks for the response.
> 
> "_does your wife want to learn how to wheelie and can you teach her?_" - If a wheelie will help her ride better, then yes, she will want to learn. If it won't, then probably not. For me it's a valuable and fun skill to have. Is it valuable to you and/or the rest of the women riding community? If it's not, then it probably won't be valuable to my wife. If someone is willing and able to learn something that I personally know how to do, I will most likely be able to teach them.


Your question makes no sense to me. Men ride mountain bikes. Women mountain bikes. A wheelie is a useful skill to have. You say _yourself_ that it is a "valuable and fun skill to have". So why would you even ask if a wheelie would be valuable to your wife?

There is no subset of mountain biking skills that only of use to one gender, at least not that I am aware of. Knowing how to ride a wheelie is a good skill to have. I would not say that it is the first thing a beginning rider should learn, but if she wants to why not? It is fun to practice and if you can "get" it, it is totally cool.


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## formica (Jul 4, 2004)

A front wheel lift and a manual are also good skills to have, and I think easier to learn than a true wheelie.


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## yvanblo (Sep 26, 2011)

The reason I ask if it would be valuable is simple: I'm not a woman, but this forum has lots of women... sssooooo what is useful and valuable to me, a man, may not be as useful and valuable to you, a woman. Does that make more sense? Just like reading a book and drinking a cup of tea is useful and valuable to my wife, the same is not true for me. I could care less about sitting and reading a book, but to her it's important. Likewise, I can't sleep without socks on, others I know are just the opposite. Some people would never consider riding without clip in pedals, where others would never ride with them. Enough belaboring the point.

I'm trying to get some information, if you want to help, help. It's nice to see that you find a wheely a valuable part of riding, just as I do. That is useful information, and it's nice to see that at least one female rider finds value in a wheelie.

Everyone is so different that we often have to ask questions to see if our view align with their views. I didn't consider fear a part of not learning to wheelie, but now I can take that into consideration. I didn't know if women riders did wheelies, so I'm asking the general public of women mountain bikers what their thoughts are on the subject. Just like a tandem bike is not meant to be wheelied, or jumped, or do other things that you would do by yourself, women have a different riding style than men and I am not certain that they do things that men do. Another example would be riding an endo, where the back wheel is off the ground and is kept there by using the front brake. That is something I do every now and again on the trail, and it has no real purpose, it's just fun.

There are so many ways to get down the trail, and a wheelie may not be a part of every riders arsenal. If I asked this question in the general forum, about men riding wheelies, I would get very different responses. What men find useful, women don't always agree on. Agreed?


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## yvanblo (Sep 26, 2011)

formica said:


> A front wheel lift and a manual are also good skills to have, and I think easier to learn than a true wheelie.


Indeed, thanks for the tip!


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## screampint (Dec 10, 2001)

I can wheelie, but I can't go more than a few feet, ten might be my best attempt. However, it's very helpful on ledges, especially when you're riding a rigid fork.

Here are a couple places where I wheelie so I don't have to walk:










In these photo, the camera is about halfway up the ledge on a mini ledge:




























The trick is to time the pedal stroke with the lifting of the bars, when done correctly there is little effort.


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

yvanblo said:


> There are so many ways to get down the trail, and a wheelie may not be a part of every riders arsenal. If I asked this question in the general forum, about men riding wheelies, I would get very different responses. What men find useful, women don't always agree on. Agreed?


I get what you're saying, but I don't think I agree. (And I definitely don't agree that women necessarily have a different riding style than men...)

There are guys who don't/won't/aren't interested in wheelies. And there are women who do it just fine. The only thing I see out of all of this is that some people (both men and women) just want to ride to get a good cardio workout on a nice smooth trail or bike path, and some people (both men and women) like developing their technical skills so they can ride technical trails and challenge themselves in areas other than fitness. And some like to challenge both. None of this is gender specific.

I can ride a wheelie (not endlessly, but more than a couple pedal strokes usually), but I've never found a purpose for doing so on a trail beyond being able to pop the front wheel up and over an obstacle on a climb. Beyond that is mostly for just the enjoyment of challenging myself.

I coach with the Dirt Series (women's mountain bike skills camps) and I've taught plenty of women how to wheelie enough to loft their front wheel over obstacles. Beyond that it's just a matter of practice and interest in working on developing a move that doesn't have much practical application other than showing off in a parking lot. I'd say anyone can learn it if they really want to and are healthy enough to be mountain biking in the first place.


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## Bethany1 (Jan 18, 2012)

Wow. Gorgeous trail. Nothing like that where I live. 

Are you asking why more women aren't doing tricks with their bikes? If so, I don't know. I just started last summer after not riding for 20+ years. It's taken a long time to build up confidence and it's still not enough to try serious tricks. I can get the front tire up, but not for very long nor can do it on command yet. 

If you need a laugh, I got out my DH's Electra Rat Fink Chopper bike and rode it around the block a few times. I had every car slow down and wonder what it was and why I was on it. If I could do a wheelie on that monstrosity, it would awesome. Hmm..maybe I should try that tomorrow.


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## BlueEyes (Jul 22, 2008)

I never learned how to do a wheelie because when I was twelve, I had better (and by better, I mean more girlie) things to do than ride my bike around all day poppin' wheelies in the neighborhood. Now, what I wouldn't give to have learned it when I was twelve. Dressing Barbies and doing hair is of no help to me trying to get over a ledge higher than a curb. 

My two cents: My hubby gets confidence by doing new things. I need confidence to do new things. Maybe your lady is like me.


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## Meowhead (Jan 15, 2012)

+1 On needing confidence to do new things. That is how I am too.

Also, I seem to be more willing to try new things on my bike if I am alone and there is no one to witness my failure! I'll try riding across a plank or doing a small jump only if there's no one there because if I fall big deal no one has to know  Maybe your wife would try on her own when you're not around, HOWEVER maybe it's just not something that matters to her so leave it be.


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## yvanblo (Sep 26, 2011)

Bethany1 said:


> Are you asking why more women aren't doing tricks with their bikes?


Nope, having only ridden with two women... there is no way I even know if women do tricks. I would assume that some do and some don't.

What I'm after has mostly been answered, and at this point I'm just curios how many of you ladies: 1. Do wheelies 2. Enjoy wheelies 3. Find them useful when riding and finally 4. What reason do you have for not doing wheelies.

screampint - Nice pics! Your pretty hard core running single speed rigid! I kept rigid for road, and got a 6" travel all-mountian bike for the rough stuff.

connie - Nothing personal, but men and women are different... talent, style, speed, etc. have nothing to do with it. You ride differently than I do. My wife rides differently than I do. You and my wife may have more similar riding styles. I constantly scan for berms and jumps, and places to ride wheelies and ride stoppies.


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

yvanblo said:


> connie - Nothing personal, but men and women are different... talent, style, speed, etc. have nothing to do with it. You ride differently than I do. My wife rides differently than I do. You and my wife may have more similar riding styles. I constantly scan for berms and jumps, and places to ride wheelies and ride stoppies.


Well, I'll at least agree that everyone is different and has their own preferences. But I guess I just don't see firm lines between the sexes. My own riding preferences haven't even stayed the same over the years. I used to race DH and love going as fast as possible and high speed cornering was my favorite thing. These days my favorite trails are more low speed tech. If I need to ratchet my pedals and trackstand and do a front wheel lift and dodge a rock to get around a switchback - that makes my day. And I spend loads of time playing around working on one-handed/no-handed trackstands (for no apparent reason other than it's fun to try) and wheelies and whatnot just to entertain myself. But the other women that I've raced with often have completely different strengths in their riding. Many women I ride with love jumping a lot more than I do, for instance. (Not that I don't like it, but you know, given the option, I'll take Goat's Gully over A-Line...) As far as I can tell, you just like what you like, male or female. And it's not guaranteed to stay the same forever.

If you want to generalize, I'd say that many women have a little bit more of a self preservation instinct - though I think often this is related to learning to ride as adults instead of learning as kids, which seems more typical for guys my age, who grew up riding BMX, MX, etc. and are merely transferring skills to a different kind of bike. Anyway, a lot of times, women prefer to have more explanation, to understand how a skill is supposed to work and how to do it safely before trying it. They're not as likely to be willing to learn something by throwing themselves off an obstacle until they figure it out. That's just a generalization though, not a rule. I've got more old injuries than I care to admit from attempting the "just go into it faster, it'll be fine" method, until I wised up and took a bunch of skills clinics.


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## catzilla (Jan 31, 2004)

connie said:


> Well, I'll at least agree that everyone is different and has their own preferences. But I guess I just don't see firm lines between the sexes. My own riding preferences haven't even stayed the same over the years. I used to race DH and love going as fast as possible and high speed cornering was my favorite thing. These days my favorite trails are more low speed tech. If I need to ratchet my pedals and trackstand and do a front wheel lift and dodge a rock to get around a switchback - that makes my day. And I spend loads of time playing around working on one-handed/no-handed trackstands (for no apparent reason other than it's fun to try) and wheelies and whatnot just to entertain myself. But the other women that I've raced with often have completely different strengths in their riding. Many women I ride with love jumping a lot more than I do, for instance. (Not that I don't like it, but you know, given the option, I'll take Goat's Gully over A-Line...) As far as I can tell, you just like what you like, male or female. And it's not guaranteed to stay the same forever.
> 
> If you want to generalize, I'd say that many women have a little bit more of a self preservation instinct - though I think often this is related to learning to ride as adults instead of learning as kids, which seems more typical for guys my age, who grew up riding BMX, MX, etc. and are merely transferring skills to a different kind of bike. Anyway, a lot of times, women prefer to have more explanation, to understand how a skill is supposed to work and how to do it safely before trying it. They're not as likely to be willing to learn something by throwing themselves off an obstacle until they figure it out. That's just a generalization though, not a rule. I've got more old injuries than I care to admit from attempting the "just go into it faster, it'll be fine" method, until I wised up and took a bunch of skills clinics.


This. 100% this.


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## screampint (Dec 10, 2001)

Agreed, Connie.


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## catzilla (Jan 31, 2004)

yvanblo said:


> I constantly scan for berms and jumps, and places to ride wheelies and ride stoppies.


For what it's worth, so do I. And last I checked, I wasn't smuggling any grapes in my spandex.

Here's a little ditty about wheelies, chicks, and tenacity from a few issues ago in BIKE. Though the perspective is female, it seemed like the experience of trying (and trying and trying) hit close to home for folks regardless of whether they had a Y in their genes. Or, at least, most of the folks who wrote in identifying with it were fellas.

The best teachers are those who can read the individual and assess what that particular person needs to learn a skill.


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## screampint (Dec 10, 2001)

catzilla said:


> For what it's worth, so do I. And last I checked, I wasn't smuggling any grapes in my spandex.


TeeHee!


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## yvanblo (Sep 26, 2011)

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions! I won't be bugging my wife to ride wheelie's, at the moment, as I don't think she is quite ready for them. At some point she will ask me, or her brother (he works at a the LBS, and rides mtb a lot) for advice on how to go faster, or ride better, and I/we can bring up the subject at that point in time.

Keep it up, your front wheel, that is.

Thanks again everyone!


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## NicoleB (Jul 21, 2011)

i can wheelie a little bit, but its hit or miss. i can only do them if i'm aimed a bit up hill. i would be helpful for me to yank my front wheel up a little higher for obstacles, rather than just wheelie down the road to show off.

i also agree with some of the above posters, that many women "tend" to be a bit more cautious. not all, but many. you dont see as many women doing the crazy stuff, its true. I can relate to the poster who's had injuries in the past. I have thin blood, and have had multiple surgeries on my nose and jaw. they were BAD surgeries! so the thought of possibly crashing in a bad way, doing something stupid and having to possibly have MORE work down, is a big paranoia of mine. (which is why i ditched clipless for mtb, i dont escape them as fast) 

mtb will always be a risk. even those who take it easy will still crash now and then. I still do. but i try to keep my risk reasonable. nothing wrong with that.


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## CycleMainiac (Jan 12, 2004)

Like connie said, I think way more men learn to do wheelies as kids than women so they are transferring the skill to a bigger bike with out much thought. 

Generally beginner women mountain bikers assume doing such a move requires upper body strength which they know they do not have so they don't think it is something they can do. 

In Ride Like A Girl we actively teach lifting the front of the bike and try to show it's leverage, as screampint pointed out about the placement of the pedal stroke, rather than strength that makes it happen. When we break it down into a series of movements and create safer practice scenarios (confidence) we have very good luck teaching anyone motivated.


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