Skill: Catwalking ( sustained riding on the rear wheel )
Situation: A very useful exercise leading into other rear wheel skills as well as good for showing off.
Learning Environment: A smooth slightly inclined surface, preferably grass. Use flat pedals or toe clips if possible.
Exercise: Catwalking is MUCH easier on a slight uphill. To catwalk do a pedal front wheel lift as described above but now shift your weight back far enough to pull the bike right to the balance point. If you do this properly the bike will want to flip over and you must be ready to catch it with the back brake. Remember therefore to keep one or two fingers on the back brake at all times. The key is to learn how much to pull up so that the bike just gets to the balance point. From there you can ride along using little weight shifts to keep the bike balanced. Catwalking on a hill is much easier because you can ride with the bike a bit below the balance point and pedal to stop from falling forward. If you try this on the flat you will just go faster and faster until you can't pedal anymore. The hill keeps your speed under control. Once you have enough skill it is possible to catwalk on the flats and even downhill, using your brake to control speed. Expect it to take a long time to reach this point though.
Objective: Be able to catwalk up a slight incline for a arbitrary distance. Instructors Note: Key problem: not getting the front wheel high enough. Usually students can pedal but not shift the weight far back enough so focus on that.
