How To Use A Manual Machine To Improve Your Skills

In this video we talk about some of the pros and cons of using a Manual Trainer and share some of our best tips for helping you to improve your manuals on the trail!

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Thank you for everything! I are so glad to have you as part of the crew!

💜 April

▶ Most Common Equipment Questions:

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0:00 - 0:33 Brief Overview
0:33 - 1:14 Chain On Vs Chain Off
1:14 - 2:41 Setup & A Few Questions
2:41 - 4:42 What A Manual Trainer Is Not Good At Replicating
4:42 - 6:26 Finding Your Balance Point
6:26 - 8:04 Common Mistakes While Manualing & How To Correct Them
8:04 - 10:21 Some Manual Tips & Coaching
10:21 - 11:18 Wrap Up & Overview
11:18 - 11:40 Partners & Blooper :)

[eddiesaldana]

I've been practicing on my manual machine off and on for 9months and your video gave me the missing piece of advice that I needed to take my "manualling" to another level. The simple "keep your front foot heel down" advice, actually helped actuate the hip rocking back and forth motion to keep my balance. Thank you for all your videos and advice. I guess you can teach a 45 year old dog new tricks.

There's coaches, and then there's Kyle. So much more thorough, much more thought out, coming from much more experience than 99% I see on youtube. Excellent stuff, thanks!

[정발산-sp]

thanks, you're a great teacher, kind and patient, and it's easy to see why April likes you so much! for me!

[TriDaddy]

I love the way Kyle speaks to April.. I think April is an amazing model - great eyes, desire to learn, excellent. This makes your content the best of any MTB educator I've seen. Great work team!

[paulschuyler]

You guys are awesome! Kyle, you're a great teacher, kind and patient, and it's easy to see why April likes you so much! 🤙🏽

[JasonFoxLCB]

I built your version last weekend and am glad I remembered you'd also made this video. Everything you said a person could wrong, I was doing wrong. Ha! Biggest thing being the bent arms. Now if it would cool down enough to tolerate being in the garage for more than five minutes, I could get back at it.

[MrGivmedew]

Dude thanks!!! I’m totally building one of these. I never learned to manual correctly. I learned on a motorcycle and did the jerky way where your just clutching and braking the bike. Not something you can do on a bicycle.

I struggle on the bike unless I’m going downhill.

I really appreciate this. I’m building one right away lol! I’ll see if I can get my wife interested too. We are in our late 30s… never too late to learn!

[claudiu]

Watched a bunch of videos on how to manual, but your tip regarding pushing with your legs finally helped me get a consistent lift.
Thank you.

[jf]

I really like that April is always smiling. Think it's time to build one for myself and the kids.

[PoloSuzuki]

You are simply great! I love the way you explain things...Your videos really do help. Thank you for that!

[dalejones]

I have watched Kyle and April's manual videos several times in anticipation of me and my son getting to get out on our bikes. I didn't really think I'd be able to get the tire off the ground. Following their example I was able to get to the turtle position on the third try lol. It's incredible that if you do exactly what they say, you can do this. Their technique for getting the tire up is spot on. I wasn't expecting it to be so easy so I was unprepared. This manual machine will help me with that. I forgot to cover the rear brake too lol. Live and learn.

[masunan]

Thank you so much to both of you! Both of you have been such a BIG help for me and my son. Great team work. Love it!

[onerider]

I’ll be doing it all winter as exercise and Zen flow movement. Thanks!

[JSALer]

Kyle and April I’m in CT so it is winter but I just found your channel today!! Love it, I probably watched 10 videos today, keep it coming. I will be using to improve the technical aspect of my riding! Spring can’t come soon enough lol! Congrats on the new location!

[jeffwertz]

Why can't everyone teach like Kyle?! As much as I love watching you guys, with as many manual trainers videos already out there that I've watched, and you'd already done one, I was like "Another one, really? Boring. Ok, it's still them, I'll watch." Then I watched it and because Kyle breaks it down like no one else, I learned things at a deeper level and things that no one else had said AND got to enjoy watching a couple of the nicest people around. Always bringing the value. How could I have doubted?!!

[colchilibeck]

👍 for wearing a helmet when doing this. I wouldn’t have thought to, but it makes sense. I could see myself bailing and smoking my head on something in the garage. Safety first 😉

[romualdmineyko]

Kyle and April, you are amazing team. Thank you for your very effective instructions. You raised the points, which I missed while using the manual machine. Since last 2 days I have been following your instructions to the point and I am very happy with the progress. NB now in the wintertime I am using my manual machine on a daily basis after spinning as part of my routine training. I love it and I hope to figure out how to manual my fat bike in the snow. So far it is just a work in progress. Romuald

[dagenite]

You guys are the Fred and Ginger of MTB Technique, great advice, great channel.

[Dezert_Syndicate]

Bought wood and building my manual machine this weekend for XMAS thanks for the parts list as well made it easy at home depot and all your videos are super informative and your attention to detail is hands down top notch. Keep up the good work and happy holidays

[sursor]

Great job guys! Built this after watching your first video a month ago. Perfect setup for winter months. Took me around 2 weeks to get a feeling of the movement and balance. And then one day it just happened. And since then I do nor have issue with standing in a manual for a long time. I do find it quite strenuous on the lower back though. The fact that I managed to learn it was such a huge self confidence booster. Thank you and April - you are doing awesome job with your videos. Cheers from Canada!