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I have seen videos of people riding wheelies and letting go of the handlebars. I have tried doing the same but I have no idea how to do it.

I can ride wheelies easily on my mountain bike. I am well in balance and not accelerating but everytime I try to let go of the handlebars, the front wheel just goes back down. To keep the wheelie up, I am constantly pulling the handlebar towards me to keep the balance.

So how is possible to ride a wheelie without pulling the handlebars?

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    it may be that the people you have seen do it are on fixed gear bikes, i would think that would make it easier to keep the front wheel up.
    – Nate W
    Feb 17, 2017 at 15:50
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    There's nothing in fixed gear that makes it easier to keep the front wheel up, but the ability to brake with feet helps not falling over to the back. Think about it as a unicycle with or without freewheel.
    – ojs
    Feb 17, 2017 at 21:12
  • It seemed to me like a fixed gear would function more like balancing a unicycle rather than something with a freewheel because of the inertia being constantly put out rather than allowing the bike to coast, but i'n no physics major lol
    – Nate W
    Feb 17, 2017 at 21:45
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    I suspect they're gripping the saddle with their inner-thighs for leverage on the pedals.
    – Criggie ♦
    Feb 18, 2017 at 0:03

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You need something else to prop your weight against. Artistic cycling practitioners usually use saddles with high rear edge that can be leaned at. And of course you can use other parts of your body, such as shown here (check the rest of the video for the saddle).

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