This trick’s a sod, no two ways about it. How it lingers around the level 5 mark
is a mystery to me. Anyway…
I started learning this last Summer when my BMX was bust and in desperation I
started on my uni again (the ‘learning more wheelie variations on my MTB’ option
was out too). I practised every day for about a week and nearly had it but then
my new stem came through and I was back to BMX. So that’s the background: I
didn’t suss this trick in one weekend!
I would say that tricks as ‘fragile’ as these definitely deserve a seriously
smooth flat surface to learn on initially. Britain has the most dire
road/pavement surfaces in a non-developing world I’ve ever seen. (With Brussels
coming a close second 
Learning on the pavement outside your house may not be
the best option - I have to ride up to a newly surfaced supermarket car park.
Any interference from the surface you’re practising on will cause an imbalance
that’ll be to difficult to correct for a learner. This is probably the main
reason I’m still so crap at BMX freestyle; I’ve never had a chance to practise
in gym hall.
Have a wall that’s a comfortable height so you can rest on it. A rail would
probably do, although I suspect it’d be too low, especially on a 24".
Mount the uni next to the wall and hold yourself against the wall, uni straight
up and your hand/arm at a comfortable position ie don’t be reaching down at some
awkward angle. Your back should be reasonably straight and upright and your good
foot at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Now take your other foot and rest it on
the wheel. People who can 1-foot idle will find this not too uncomfortable. It’s
best to try to get as much contact as possible but don’t let it be
uncomfortable: my feet naturally point outwards for example. Try to have the
contact area on the top of the tyre.
Here comes the bit that’ll make you wonder why you’re bothering to learn. I
suspect no other trick will feel as weird first time. Push the left foot
forward slowly keeping it pointed down, so the contact area remains more or
less the same. If you allow the foot to roll up, it’ll reduce it and you’ll
have less control. As the left foot makes space, place your right foot up there
and think ‘Whoa’.
Even simply doing this requires some practice, as the leg isn’t too good at
pushing down on the wheel: what’ll happen fairly shortly is that the wheel and
uni will whip out forward as the foot has allowed the wheel to slip. To reduce
the chances of this:
a) Get decent grips on your trainers/shoes.
b) Make sure your tyre isn’t bald.
c) Be aware that you do need a reasonable amount of downward force to maintain
this position.
d) Try not to lean back and push the uni forward: it doesn’t need a second
excuse to fly out.
One cause of d) is to hold firmly on to the wall in one position, get really
tensed up and push the wheel away from you with the foot causing the angle of
the seat tube to get hairier and hairier till it whips out leaving you on some
painful bit. You must keep the uni moving with the wheel: the whole ensemble
(including yourself) must move as a whole, stayingupright. This applies to loads
of tricks. This requires loads of small movements along the wall with your
hands, so you don’t anchor. At any given moment, the seat angle, body angle etc.
should be the same, just the feet are moving.
Another thing I find helps is to feel like I’m pulling back on the wheel, rather
than just holding it there, this keeps my leg in tension so I don’t relax and
let it slide out.
If you do feel it slipping out (and you definitely won’t recover), bail it and
catch rather than hold on. The longer you leave it, the less time you’ll have to
keep your arse from hitting the deck. Having said that, do make some effort to
recover but realise when to let it go.
Essentially be aware that there’s a good chance the thing’ll zip out so keep
this in mind. (Also don’t practise facing a shop window or someone’s car
At some point your left foot (which shouldn’t be rolling up: keep it pointing
forward) will feel like it wants to come off. I was told to try to make the
strokes fairly long so I tended to keep it on for perhaps a bit longer than I
would have on my own: it did help with control. Take the foot off and place it
behind the other, keeping the forward motion as smooth and consistent as
possible. Don’t hang around too long replacing the foot: the more rubber in
contact, the more control you have. This too requires a fair bit of coordination
to get natural so don’t feel too upset when your foot keeps missing the wheel or
hitting the frame etc. Don’t just control with one foot, have two moving forward
on the wheel while one isn’t coming off and on to the back again. For a 20" this
won’t be too long.
Now just keep doing this for a while, hand on the wall, eyes focussed on some
point in the distance (don’t look down!) and back straight. My preferred
position is a slight bend at the seat as though the ideal straight line of the
back and seat tube was collapsed back slightly (ie if you saw me travelling to
your right, I’d look like a shallow < sign). This gives me a bit more
strength/force on the wheel. Experiment. I may be giving the impression that you
need to push with all your might on to the wheel: no, just keep it firm. I’m
emphasising it since it’s really easy just to relax, then ow.
Once this feels reasonably natural (won’t be the same day!) and you can walk it
along happily, try to let got of the wall, by aiming away at an angle. Don’t be
content with just trying to let go for a bit: don’t give yourself the chance!
It’s amazing how much faster I learn stuff when I’m forced in at the deep end.
If I have to stay upright on my own, and not just grope for a wall I’ll do it
and go further each time. This again applies to most tricks (even learning to
ride a uni for the first time).
I think that’s about it. Just remember about position and control. Control is
more important than balance as it allows you to recover. Aim for control not
speed. Learning at a lower speed ultimately improves your skill anyway. Someone
recommended going quickly but I’d disagree. Keep it smooth and controlled,
moving the whole uni and body together.
Start early with this too: while you’re idling, practise getting into position
for wheel-walking off. I haven’t quite sussed this, but it’s a crucial link and
it may help with the trick proper. Basically, idle with as little pedal movement
as possible, then hold the bottom foot down and step up on the other, pushing
away more or less immediately, bottom foot following. Don’t look at your foot!
Imagine you’re pulling away as normal, and your posture will stay correct. Try
not to think that you’re doing anything strange!
Good luck - it’s not easy but looks seriously impressive. It’s also a handy
trick to practise when you’ve totally shagged the axle and cranks, like I did
that weekend! I haven’t perfected this trick yet, so will add more to this if I
figure out any useful techniques.
Cheers, Paul.