Originally Posted by
Roelof
@blis
This cutter was made some years ago with less tools as I have now. It is functional and usefull to give used shoes a 2nd life.
@TomB
Well these kind of projecs are very usefull. Many drivers can only play with the equipment they can buy, creating and finding out your own stuff is cheap, does give more possibillities to make changes over the standard and for me it was also a learning proces how to use my lathe which is fun. The pressure plate is one of the things not easy to do without re-seating the part in the lathe but I did find out how to do it with a perfect re-seating.
And yes, I do love the hobby and also the sport with it, it is only a sad thing that the factories and payed drivers are loosing the hobby more and more and making things and rules more difficult for the hobby drivers.
i think to some extent we could make the argument that with the ever increasing complexity of the cars in this hobby, comes an ever increasing level of competition at the median level of competition, and with this, comes the increasing commercialisation of the hobby. I don't have the statistics, but just from what i have seen from 2005 to 2011, it is easier to access ready made products, it is easier to access "boutique" japanese brands. With this access comes higher spending.
So what you say about the pro racers is true. The upper echelon of racers spend more and more money (or their sponsor companies do anyway) to find speed. This attitude towards racing has a trickle down effect. You could argue that the very large majority of people on RCtech are racers who have been the recipients of this trickle down effect from the top echelon of racers.
Mix into this, the increasing accessability of information on the web, and you also have increased knowledge of the general racer. Increased knowledge breeds an attitude of pushing for quicker lap times, more professional setups etc...
all of this means that, when a racer begins in this hobby they become daunted at the cost to keep up and race with the average established guy. the new person therfore is less likely to stay in the hobby, and thus, it's the hobby that suffers in the long term as there are no new people coming in. this is very evident in Australia. The hobby has shrunken in the last 4 years, and it is a significant decrease in numbers.
On the flip side, manufacturers are increasingly trying to appeal to this newer emerged "racing market". Although there are less people racing nitro in general, those who have remained are spending more than their counterparts 5 or 6 years ago. This hobby is not growing, but those who are still here spend more. This, in the long term doesn't bode well for the hobby or manufacturers.
So what does this have to do with you, Roelof? well i think it's great that you do what you do, as it brings back the cheaper ingenuity that the hobby had a few years ago. Not everyone has a lathe, but seeing you make stuff might inspire people to try and tinker and enjoy the hobby in a cheaper way. In a metaphorical sense, people should try to enjoy the process of getting somewhere, making something, instead of the act of reaching the finish line.