Yep, you gotta love bipes to put up with them! It takes about 40 or 50 flights to get the radio mixes and throws right. The monowing guys never understand what we go through. Your pits will draw a bigger crowd than a dozen mono's, though.
It sounds like your on the right track so far. When I tune a new plane, I go through the following order:
First, get the CG as far aft as you can stand it. Check it by rolling inverted and checking how much forward stick it takes to hold level inverted flight. A little is good. A lot is bad. None makes the plane tricky to fly and impossible to land. Keep moving it aft until the plane will not fly a decent line in level flight and the landings get tricky. From that point move it back forward until your level lines are decent.....landings may still take a little work.
Next, check your lateral balance. If the plane is trimmed hands off when right side up, it should not roll when inverted. Add a little wingtip weight till there is no roll either way.
Now you are ready for setting your throws. 3D rates are as much elevator and rudder as you can get......Usually close to 45 degrees on most planes. Ailerons are around 40 degrees. We'll call these rates "full throw." You'll need lots of expo for these rates. Sport rates will be around 1/3 throw for the rudder, half throw for the ailerons, and just enough elevator to stall the plane in level flight with the engine at idle. The idea is to make the plane fun to fly on sport rates. Set them wherever you feel best in the landing pattern and generally "beating up" the sky.
Pattern rates are the most difficult to set. Reduce the elevator gradually each flight until the plane will not snap, or full stick deflection makes a decent size loop. Increase just slightly above this rate and you've got it. (Mine is about 18% of full throw.) Rudder is just enough to hold level knife edge flight at half throttle. (Again, mine is about 22% of full throw.) Ailerons are reduced so that full deflection gives you a decent roll rate for all pattern rolls. This will be less than sport by at least a little. ( Mine are 25% of full throw). Pattern rates are uncomfortably slow in most situations, but they make your maneuvers very smooth when you're being judged
Now I set my rudder to elevator and rudder to aileron mixes. Thats a real pain that I won't bore you with.
For my ultimate, I have to go to 3D rate aileron to snap. The rudder and elevator can be at pattern or sport. Your pits may snap on low rate aileron, which is a good thing. Remember that the aircraft behaves differently when snapping power high or low, too.
Keep us informed on your progress!

CJ