yes, rubber banding is the way to go - try to mount some that will give you immediate, high torque power, such as right on the largest gear
if you put rubber bands on shaft collars using regular screws (not set screws), make sure that it isn’t creating too much friction from shoving your axles into the bearing blocks
if you can choose between steel and aluminum frame pieces, always use aluminum to decrease weight
use standoffs instead if possible, because they are lightweight
you could even use rubber bands (or rubber tube) to power your free spinning wheel
make sure all your power and weight is balanced and symmetrical
use the lightest wheels possible, which are probably smaller in diameter - you’ll want to gear this up higher if so to make up for lost gear ratio
make the frame very small to reduce weight
oh and seeing that you are new to vex equipment, you ALWAYS use bearings with axles. ALWAYS.
These are bearings:
If there is only one thing that you take away from this post, make it be:
