A place to talk about roller coasters and parks that have them. Everyone is welcome here to both learn and to celebrate these magnificent machines designed to scare you.
Here are some important resources:
Images are welcome if they are of high quality and it doesn't get out of hand. Please use PostImages to upload your image and then use that link in the URL field of your post (other image sites are permitted but Post Images has the best policies and compatibility).
Some basic rules:
Opinions, theories, and facts are all welcome – but be clear about what you’re saying.
Back up facts with sources as much as possible
No spam or sell-promotion. Linking to your own media or site is permissible only if it’s specifically related to a topic/post that someone else created.
No photos or videos taken on the rides. This is dangerous and shouldn't be encouraged.
Limit political discussion. When discussed it must be park related.
No fictional coasters (models, no limits, planet coaster, etc)
No posting personal information.
No shaming of anyone. We all can continue to learn and not everyone knows everything -- and that's ok.
I hate focusing on negatives because I think a lot of times people will say something and others focus on it so much that it kills all the positives for them when they ride it for the first time.
One that I can say is that the removal of Volcano was a buzz kill for Twisted Timbers and KD in general for years..... Jungle X has helped but it was hard to get excited about the park and anything in it after Volcano was killed.
I don't like how it's hard to put your hands up on a lot of B&Ms. Trims that hit to hard, getting stapled, having people who's hands are up hit you in the face, any kind of a rattle with OTSRs. Whatever tho I'm good at ignoring that shit and having fun.
Trims that hit hard enough to noticeably slow the train down. Can be annoying with B&M hypers but the one that sticks out in my mind right now is The Beast. I was riding it a few weeks ago and all of the trims hit extremely hard and ruined the drops, especially the drop into the helix.
Uncomfortable restraints are also another big buzz kill. I was at Hersheypark for the first time recently, and I felt no need to ride Skyrush more than once because of the restraints. Shame because the layout itself is fun, but having your legs crushed more and more with each instance of airtime is not. This applies to the RMC single rail restraints, my legs got absolutely crushed on Jersey Devil and it's my lowest ranked RMC as a result. Same for the Mack auto lowering restraints. I'm not as crazy about Time Traveler as some people seem to be, and part of it is from those restraints again continuing to tighten to an uncomfortable degree.
I'll agree with Beast..... But I hate how many people complain that the ride is slower when that's not the case. It's purely a mental thing.
With SkyRush though, this is one of the specific reasons why I don't like any focus on negatives. I know a lot of people who rode SkyRush, both enthusiast and general public and in nearly every case the people who had strong negative feelings toward the restraints were those that knew the reputation before. I think the problem is people focus so much on that one thing they know about that it becomes insurmountable to see beyond. Yes, those who didn't know the reputation have made comments about the restraints being tight but not really complaints....... But here's the big thing. All of the talk about Skyrush's restraints actually lead people to make it worse because they try to get extra room and that does make it worse. If you staple yourself it's fine. The reason is that any room you have is taken away on the first drop and the more room that you have the more momentum the restraint has as its coming down on you..... If you make sure you are snuggly in the restraint there's little to no room to move so it essentially remains the same.
To be clear, I'm not disregarding the fact that people don't like it or arguing that they are wrong about that dislike.... Just that I think the reputation has inflated reality.... Hopefully that makes sense.
I'm not really complaining about the speed with Beast, more of the momentum itself. It feels really unnatural being lurched slower as you are already descending the drop.
Re: Skyrush - I was actually sceptical about its reputation and went into it not expecting it to be that bad. The problem for me, in addition to the tightening, is how the restraints sit on the leg. It's like the point of contact is too small, so all the pressure is concentrated in one painful area. I'm not sure if stapling myself in at the beginning could correct that.
Completely agree that the force of the deceleration ruins the flow. I wish they could get the magnetic brakes to have a similar deceleration profile than the old skid brakes.
I personally love where the SkyRush restraints land. I think it magnifies the airtime feeling as well as feeling like you're not well restrained. I can understand that bugging people. There's probably a good chance that if you sit fully in your seat and make sure the restraint is snug you might have a better experience. Also keep in mind that the restraints partially release on the brake run but that's often hindered by the seatbelt..... As soon as you hit the brake run disconnect the belt so your restraint can pop up if you end up sitting there a bit.
I'm not really complaining about the speed with Beast, more of the momentum itself. It feels really unnatural being lurched slower as you are already descending the drop.
Re: Skyrush - I was actually sceptical about its reputation and went into it not expecting it to be that bad. The problem for me, in addition to the tightening, is how the restraints sit on the leg. It's like the point of contact is too small, so all the pressure is concentrated in one painful area. I'm not sure if stapling myself in at the beginning could correct that.