Just wondering how you are supposed to get your feet back on the pedals after you get done wheelwalking? I’ve got WW down pretty well, but when I get tired and want to go back to normal riding, I find like it’s a guessing game when you put your feet down. With my big KH-style saddle, I can’t see the pedals at all unless I lean really far, and then I usually fall. Is there some trick to it? Thanks, guys! 
That’s a good question!
I found that was the most difficult part of ww. It wasn’t until I learned 1 foot ww that I was able to consistently get back to pedals.
What I do now to get back on the pedals from ww is to drop my left (non-dominant) foot to the pedals 11 o’clock position. If the pedal is already there then I drop the other foot and I’m done. If the pedal isn’t there then I keep pushing the wheel with my right foot until it is.
Unfortunately this means that I cannot arbitrarily get back to pedals in any position.
Hope this helps.
-mg
If you try to look for the pedals over the front of the seat and between your legs you will find that you have to lean too far forward and that will throw off your balance. The trick is to look to the side over the outside of your leg rather than between your legs. You just need to tilt your head to the side and look down while keeping your upper body mostly straight. You’ll be able to get a glimpse of the outside edge of the pedal. You won’t be able to see the entire pedal, just the outside edge. But that’s enough.
Getting back to the pedals is the tricky part of wheel walking. It’s usually where I mess up. I’m in the process of learning how to one foot wheel walk. Once I get the one foot WW mastered I’ll be able to do the little trick that mg described. Doing it that way you don’t have to look down at the pedals at all. The problem is that one foot wheel walking isn’t coming easy to me.
tyler,
just keep practicing, after awile you will be able to pause and lift one foot off the tyre onto a pedal, then the other.
if your having trouble 1 footing john, try one footing but leave the other foot on the pedal and just let it go around while the other i foots, soon the new feeling will come and putting your non-walking foot on the crown wont be such an odd feeling.
Try practicing it on a slight slope, so that you’re going downhill. This will aid in getting your foot to do some more gliding as you bring it back for the next push.
When I go back to the pedals, I wait till the pedals are in a similar position to how I mount- with the left pedal horizontal and at the back, and slip my non dominant left foot back to the pedal, and then the right foot follows soon afterwards. Thats how I found it to be easiest but something else might work for you too.
I’m starting to get the hang of it. My main problem is that I only practice my 1 foot ww once every week or two and even then my practice isn’t focused. I’ve been practicing when I go to indoor practice with The Uniques one a week. I had a handful of 10 to 12 foot rides last week so it’s getting there. 10 to 12 feet is more than just a prolonged controlled fall so I was actually doing at least a little 1 foot wheel walking.
I’ll look for an outdoor spot with a slight downhill and see if Gilby’s tip helps.
Since Michael Grant can do it I know it’s not an impossible skill for a talentless hack like myself.
I found that the most difficult part of ww was ww! Going back to the pedals was rather easy for me. I just looked to see when the pedal was down all the way, then I put that foot down and brought the other down.
The wheel walking is the hard part. Getting back to the pedals is just tricky at first and takes practice till you can do it consistently. I can do it most of the time, but I still mess up more often than I would like. I’m not consistent yet. The consistency is what separates those who have mastered a skill and those who still need more practice.
First you have to see the pedals. A common mistake made by many riders is then watching the pedals until they get to where you want them. This tilting down of the head messes up your balance. You really only need a single glance. After that you will know where the pedals will be for the next half-turn of the wheel or so, which should be all you need.
I think I usually step down to the rear pedal. For this to work, you just need to let the wheel get a little in front of you. Then when you put your foot down on the pedal it will be pushing up to grip your foot. If you step to a front pedal, get yourself out in front of the wheel first so you get resistance there. Then when your foot gets to the pedal you can just push down and continue riding.
But here’s the fun part. Once you get used to it, you don’t have to look at the pedals at all. I never worked on this specifically, but I can get my feet back to the pedals without looking. If your WW technique is smooth, you can feel where the pedals are, by the zig-zagging of the wheel. Once you get to where you can feel that, you can put your feet down without ever taking your eyes off the audience.
As with any physical skill, just keep doing it over and over to make it easier…
I didnt have that problem.When i was learning i could ww 1 revoulution then get back on the pedals easy,but i cuold never ww more than 1 rev.getting back on the pedals was the easy part.
I geuss im jus’ weird.