What's the appeal?

[Amoeba]

What is the appeal of rock crawling? It's not a trick question, I have no experience with rock crawling in RC or 1:1 so I'm curious as to what about it lights your fire.

I've got a 12'l x 10'w x 3'h pile of bricks in my backyard from tearing down an old BBQ pit that would be great for crawling. One of the guys at my LHS is an avid crawler and has been trying to talk me into getting an Axial or similar. I've been resistant to it but it *would* be an excuse to put off getting rid of my brick pile

 

[robmob]

If you ever happen to try one you will understand.

 

[slowngreen]

yeah, you would have to try it for yourself to understand....I'm sure for most people that dont do it-its boring to watch wich doesn't help but if you ever get a few minutes to drive one i think you would want one.

 

[marauder]

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. Looking from the outside in, it seems like it would be dull as hell and a big waste of money. Then again, I'm sure that's what the people that watch us breaking our monster trucks are thinking too. I just don't think crawling would be for me, but I hope to give it a shot one day to see what all the new hype is about.

 

[h8z2luze]

It is very relaxing and challenging at the same time. I'm not sure I just love it.

 

[robmob]

What is really nice is that it's you and your rig against the course and that's it.

Nobody else is out there to hack you and such as is often the case with racing whether it be on purpose or accidental.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

I often wondered the same thing that you're wondering. I've always built hot rods and I also drag race, (1:1 stuff). I've always been an on-road type of guy in my full size rigs, never been into off road or 4x4 stuff.

In RC I like off road stuff because I don't have a track to race on-road. Once I got into RC prety heavily, I didn't understand the appeal of rock crawling. I had around 30 RC's, all built to haul ass. I finally got the chance to run a crawler on some small rocks for a lil while, and I was into it. I actually built my first crawler thinking I would probably sell it if I wasn't into going slow.

That was around March, and I've been hooked to crawling ever since. I had a blast with my first crawler, and soon was building a comp rig and getting into competition. I now have about 4 or 5 crawlers and two complete scalers in the works, with parts being gathered for scaler 3 and 4.

Rock crawling is an experience like no other. It's the only type of RC that you'll find where every rig is unique. In racing, if there's 15 buggies on race day at a local track you're doing pretty good. Most guys will all have similar mods done to their rigs. In rock crawling, there are no two rigs that are alike. It's all about personal setup and driving style, and if you give 100 guys the same exact parts, they'll manage to build the crawler at least 99 different ways.

Rock Crawling gives you the same rush that running a race rig or basher does at 60 mph, but it's also very relaxing at the same time, and you can do it in a 4 foot by 4 foot area while drinking a beer. I can come home after a hard day at work and chill out in the lawn chair and practice with one of my crawlers for 30 minutes and be completely relaxed. At the same time though, its a constant rush every time you're trying to balance on a line and come with a few mm of a gate without touching it.

Also, you can build a nice crawler for a very inexpensive price, and if you like to build then you can spend months adjusting and fine tuning your setup to get it dialed in without spending much money at all. If you aren't really into building that's ok too, because you can throw your rig together pretty easily and have a blast with it just like it is. When you're hanging off a ledge with your sideways and completely vertical, and you have that intimate relationship with your rig to know exactly where each and every balance point is and where the limits are, its just as invigorating as launching off the line in a 8 second drag car to me.

If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a PM. I've spent countless hours with lots of the members here answering their questions and helping educate them on what the options were before they bought their crawler so they didn't make poor decisions, and I will help anyone that I can get started in crawling. I'm definitely not the most experienced veteran, but I can usually either answer your questions or point you in the right direction. I take great pride in the fact that if I don't know the answer I'll send you to someone who does, rather than making something up and giving you bad information. Just let me know if I can help you out at all.

 

[Amoeba]

Thanks to everyone for your responses. Are most crawlers electric? I would assume the precision throttle control would be ideal right? Most of my experience thus far is with nitro.

 

[alpinehyperlite]

Its like crack. Expensive, but so addicting you just have to have it once you have tried it.

 

[slowngreen]

yeah most if not all except for a few experiment are electric.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

Yeap, nitro is not for crawlers. I will say that current nitro technology is not for crawlers because some will argue that if someone put enough time and money into developing a drivetrain it could work, although it will never be up to the standards of electric. You need the instant throttle response from an electric, and a clutch is your enemy. Electric is definitely the way to go. Crawling can be expensive like anything else, but it doesn't have to be. You can build a nice rig to have a great time with thats quite capable on the rocks for less than the cost of a bone stock t-maxx or savage.

 

[jon2]

Not a crawler guy by any means, BUT rock crawling is done with gas in 1:1 aspects. I would like to see the thottle control in a nitro crawler. IMO

 

[chip cross]

Not a crawler guy by any means, BUT rock crawling is done with gas in 1:1 aspects. I would like to see the thottle control in a nitro crawler. IMO

It is being done by rc4wd and conlley mini v8 engines, but it's like 12k for the rig. Nitro motors just don't make tq. like a electric motor will.

 

[Timmahh]

for me, its slow and steady, like a chess game if you will. you have to have some stratagy. its also involves some very good driveing skills too as its rather challenging. more so than it looks. at first i was like you, i didnt see the reason, but after i tried it a few times, i realized its not as plain and boring as it looked.

 

[abadk9420]

All I can say is it one of the best things I have enjoyed in RC, I used to think kind of the same way as you, but I had my E Maxx that I was tring to make into kind of a crawler/basher, but it dosen't have the ability to articulate like a crawler does, and like others have said it's you against the course and the clock, and everyone is willing to help you with your line and give suggestions, its just bad a$$!!!!

 

[slowngreen]

i would compare crawling to fishing...its not for everyone becuase of how slow it is but its so relaxing (to me) that it makes it the perfect hobby...and just cuz its slow dont mean its not exciting, with a basher about the coolest thing you can do imo is catch mass air wich will usually lead to a busted truck, with crawlers the coolest thing you can do is make crazy lines that look or are impossible wich leads to alot of excitement and the rig is usually still in one peice. lol.

 

[durwank]

I've been into rock crawling for abot 6 months and it's been very fun . Good thing about it is that I can play with it in the house without pissing off the wife .

 

[Webbage]

I think for me what got me into crawling was the fact that speed and reflexes are not the be-all and end-all. You have to choose lines carefully, be millimetre accurate on the throttle, and really concentrate on getting up a section without binning it.

Slow's right, it's really relaxing and really laid-back too. The rules are not prohibitive or financially constrictive like they are in a lot of racing formulas, they just exist to make it fair and make sure everyone gets a fair crack of the whip. You *can* spend a metric assload on a crawler (I speak from personal experience ) but the key is you don't *have* to in order to compete and have fun.

It's just totally different from racing and bashing, but it's just ads fun and enthralling.

 

[BMILLER]

its like playing a video game and ur on a hard level.say the line ur trying to take is the hard level.well once u make it through its like u beat it.I find its all about the challenge and sense of completion after u have done it the first time.then once u crawl it once you will be like hmm i wonder if i can crawl it this way or can i crawl it this way it just dont stop

 

[slowngreen]

I've been into rock crawling for abot 6 months and it's been very fun . Good thing about it is that I can play with it in the house without pissing off the wife .

exactly!!! thats another minus for the nitro crawler to me atleast, is the noise, crawling is basically noise free so you can do it anywhere with out pissing every one off so its very respectful.