Why are so many leaving the hobby?
09-08-2008, 03:23 PM
#271
Our slowest class "stock" shouldn't be where the experienced and competitive racers should be. It should be where the new racers and "hobbyist" racers are. All of the competitive racers should be in the faster classes.
You'll never get the "fast guys" or the extremely competitive racers out of stock until you slow it to the point where there is no prestige in winning a stock race. We can't force people to run a certain class but we can set the classes so that they help people make the decision to move up. And no it doesn't have anything to do with sponsorships. It has everything to do with stock racers that refuse to give the new racers a chance to learn. Add to that the fact that stock onroad (especially sedan) is so fast that novice racers break each run and you have a recipe for not keeping new racers.
Getting racers to all agree on a class or set of rules is like herding cats. That's why we need the leadership/sanctioning body (AKA ROAR) to set the rules so that they make sense. Seperate the speeds more and people will find a class that makes sense for them.
09-08-2008, 09:27 PM
#272
Conventional thought would place me more in right-center, actually. The invisible hand that guides the economy fixes many things, but there are downfalls to a free market as well. This thread and the talk of RC becoming too expensive would not exist otherwise.
09-09-2008, 08:20 PM
#273
school is also a major reason also sports
09-09-2008, 11:40 PM
#274
i think many people are leaving the hobby because they dont have time .
i.e i go to people that go to scholl dont really have time come back late like 5 oclock then do your work until 7 pm then revise your work then diner all this takes time i think its because of this you dont have time to go practise at your local track that is 30 mins away from you.
I dont think its because of the expexse because if you save money abit every time you will be able to buy your self a TA05 ( very good starting car that you can upgrade slowly and the upgrades arent very expensive ) or get yourself a cyclone WCE from ebay used but like new for cheap like 150 $.
what i was wondering is how can elliot harper practise if he goes to school.
i.e i go to people that go to scholl dont really have time come back late like 5 oclock then do your work until 7 pm then revise your work then diner all this takes time i think its because of this you dont have time to go practise at your local track that is 30 mins away from you.
I dont think its because of the expexse because if you save money abit every time you will be able to buy your self a TA05 ( very good starting car that you can upgrade slowly and the upgrades arent very expensive ) or get yourself a cyclone WCE from ebay used but like new for cheap like 150 $.
what i was wondering is how can elliot harper practise if he goes to school.
09-10-2008, 02:11 AM
#275
Cyclone-
Time is the exact reason i dont race.
Time is the exact reason i dont race.
09-10-2008, 08:06 AM
#276
rc racing really isn't that expensive. at least at the club level. Competing at the national level with no sponsors is a totally different deal. However even then it isn't killer. Figure what... a big race week/weekend costs you some where around 2large?
I just came off a 10 year RC hiatus (I quit before i went to undergrad) Now that I've been out in the real world after school and whatnot I decided to get back in. Mainly because I was sick of spending 500 a month on tires to do track days with my real car. So Rc seems pretty dang cheap compared to track days with my mini.
At any rate cost is self imposed in this hobby. For roughly $1,000 in hardware (start to finish) you can be competitive on the club level and even possibly put yourself in B, C main in 13.5 or stock at the national level. What's funny is some people spend tons of money on cars and upgrade every year, but it's just simply not necessary. At best a significan't hardware upgrade is going to net you .5 seconds a lap and that's generous. Typically that can be made up with driving consistancy and a new diff etc etc. I will conceed that trying to keep up with the pro's is a game of every little bit counts... but for 99% of us, you can still be running on a 415 or xray 007 and do just fine.
I think that it's most likely that movement in and out of this hobby right now is split 50/50 between external and internal driving forces. On one hand people are leary of switching technology to brushless and lipo... combine that with classing problems when you try to go from track to track and national race to national race and things are a pita. Also there is the economical driving forces. Not so much the physical cost of the cars and parts but the adjustable costs of people having to work more, gas getting more expensive etc etc.
only time will tell... but rc racing has always gone through ups and downs. Lets hope this is just a short term temporary down.
I just came off a 10 year RC hiatus (I quit before i went to undergrad) Now that I've been out in the real world after school and whatnot I decided to get back in. Mainly because I was sick of spending 500 a month on tires to do track days with my real car. So Rc seems pretty dang cheap compared to track days with my mini.
At any rate cost is self imposed in this hobby. For roughly $1,000 in hardware (start to finish) you can be competitive on the club level and even possibly put yourself in B, C main in 13.5 or stock at the national level. What's funny is some people spend tons of money on cars and upgrade every year, but it's just simply not necessary. At best a significan't hardware upgrade is going to net you .5 seconds a lap and that's generous. Typically that can be made up with driving consistancy and a new diff etc etc. I will conceed that trying to keep up with the pro's is a game of every little bit counts... but for 99% of us, you can still be running on a 415 or xray 007 and do just fine.
I think that it's most likely that movement in and out of this hobby right now is split 50/50 between external and internal driving forces. On one hand people are leary of switching technology to brushless and lipo... combine that with classing problems when you try to go from track to track and national race to national race and things are a pita. Also there is the economical driving forces. Not so much the physical cost of the cars and parts but the adjustable costs of people having to work more, gas getting more expensive etc etc.
only time will tell... but rc racing has always gone through ups and downs. Lets hope this is just a short term temporary down.
09-10-2008, 11:05 AM
#277
rc racing really isn't that expensive. at least at the club level. Competing at the national level with no sponsors is a totally different deal. However even then it isn't killer. Figure what... a big race week/weekend costs you some where around 2large?
I just came off a 10 year RC hiatus (I quit before i went to undergrad) Now that I've been out in the real world after school and whatnot I decided to get back in. Mainly because I was sick of spending 500 a month on tires to do track days with my real car. So Rc seems pretty dang cheap compared to track days with my mini.
At any rate cost is self imposed in this hobby. For roughly $1,000 in hardware (start to finish) you can be competitive on the club level and even possibly put yourself in B, C main in 13.5 or stock at the national level. What's funny is some people spend tons of money on cars and upgrade every year, but it's just simply not necessary. At best a significan't hardware upgrade is going to net you .5 seconds a lap and that's generous. Typically that can be made up with driving consistancy and a new diff etc etc. I will conceed that trying to keep up with the pro's is a game of every little bit counts... but for 99% of us, you can still be running on a 415 or xray 007 and do just fine.
I think that it's most likely that movement in and out of this hobby right now is split 50/50 between external and internal driving forces. On one hand people are leary of switching technology to brushless and lipo... combine that with classing problems when you try to go from track to track and national race to national race and things are a pita. Also there is the economical driving forces. Not so much the physical cost of the cars and parts but the adjustable costs of people having to work more, gas getting more expensive etc etc.
only time will tell... but rc racing has always gone through ups and downs. Lets hope this is just a short term temporary down.
I just came off a 10 year RC hiatus (I quit before i went to undergrad) Now that I've been out in the real world after school and whatnot I decided to get back in. Mainly because I was sick of spending 500 a month on tires to do track days with my real car. So Rc seems pretty dang cheap compared to track days with my mini.
At any rate cost is self imposed in this hobby. For roughly $1,000 in hardware (start to finish) you can be competitive on the club level and even possibly put yourself in B, C main in 13.5 or stock at the national level. What's funny is some people spend tons of money on cars and upgrade every year, but it's just simply not necessary. At best a significan't hardware upgrade is going to net you .5 seconds a lap and that's generous. Typically that can be made up with driving consistancy and a new diff etc etc. I will conceed that trying to keep up with the pro's is a game of every little bit counts... but for 99% of us, you can still be running on a 415 or xray 007 and do just fine.
I think that it's most likely that movement in and out of this hobby right now is split 50/50 between external and internal driving forces. On one hand people are leary of switching technology to brushless and lipo... combine that with classing problems when you try to go from track to track and national race to national race and things are a pita. Also there is the economical driving forces. Not so much the physical cost of the cars and parts but the adjustable costs of people having to work more, gas getting more expensive etc etc.
only time will tell... but rc racing has always gone through ups and downs. Lets hope this is just a short term temporary down.
I try to go to my local track to practise every week even if i have school because rc racing is great and i love it.I think time is really the problem
09-10-2008, 11:46 AM
#278
I am new to 1/10 TC. I think people are leaving TC is because of the cost. BL system, chassis, pinions, servos, tires. It adds up. $28 for a box of AE springs? $60 for an ITF main chassis for asphalt?
But I managed to get a used TC5 for $150 in great condition. Buying on this forum used really cuts down on cost.
But I managed to get a used TC5 for $150 in great condition. Buying on this forum used really cuts down on cost.
09-10-2008, 12:48 PM
#279
I had a dulling moment a couple of days ago.
My 1:1 Camero has needed a motor for a year. I look on Craigs List and see 350s that have a little build on them even, for $500 and I think it's too expensive !!
The numbing started as I looked over my toy bench to see 4 cars, 3 of them are $500 kits for a chassis with no wheels.............................
RC racing is an addiction in an age of recovery.......................
I tried withdrawing to a cheaper class; still doesn't work as I need to spend on the good bits,
I went cold turkey in 1998 on a blind turn, to fall back in ther sack one day 5 years later when I smelled Paragon on a geezer I work with and he took me to the local track in Salem.
Now I have some feelings about the issue as that Camero is a creamer to drive.....
Bugger it all, one fix to another !!
Jacko
My 1:1 Camero has needed a motor for a year. I look on Craigs List and see 350s that have a little build on them even, for $500 and I think it's too expensive !!
The numbing started as I looked over my toy bench to see 4 cars, 3 of them are $500 kits for a chassis with no wheels.............................
RC racing is an addiction in an age of recovery.......................
I tried withdrawing to a cheaper class; still doesn't work as I need to spend on the good bits,
I went cold turkey in 1998 on a blind turn, to fall back in ther sack one day 5 years later when I smelled Paragon on a geezer I work with and he took me to the local track in Salem.
Now I have some feelings about the issue as that Camero is a creamer to drive.....
Bugger it all, one fix to another !!
Jacko
09-10-2008, 01:43 PM
#282
There are different grades of strapping tape...check places like U-Line.
09-11-2008, 01:57 AM
#284
I agree about it being an addiction. I quit in the late 80's due to the cost being too great, even at club level. About 4 years ago I bought a used nitro car just to mess around with and I got hooked again. Now I race TC every week at a club not too far away, and last week my 5 year old boy raced for the first time.
I do agree that costs must be standardised but at our club it's a case of run what you bring, no limits. I would like to see the vintage trans am class in the UK, or something similar to raise interest and keep a class low cost.
I do agree that costs must be standardised but at our club it's a case of run what you bring, no limits. I would like to see the vintage trans am class in the UK, or something similar to raise interest and keep a class low cost.
09-11-2008, 09:27 AM
#285
If you read the rest of what the "fathers" of market theory had to say about the the pitfalls of capitalism, you might not sound so dogmatic.It's like assuming that latex paint will cover in one coat...and complaining loudly when it doesn't...when you didn't actually read the directions.
