Are modern coasters actually rough or are enthusiasts looking for something to complain about?

I definitely think the new Vekomas have passed the new B&Ms, especially the mid tier inverts, I can’t wait till someone lets them build a hyper height one.

I think the historic arrows will need work sooner then later like loch ness, I don’t see many people talking about the first left after the drop but it looks a million times better.

I thought lightning rod, felt pretty rough in a wierd way, and surprised they have not fully I boxed it.

Jephry:

I'm not even talking about those since they are mostly pre-CAD built coasters. I mean modern B&Ms, Intamin, and RMCs where people complain of a rattle or roughness that I just don't experience.

Yeah, I gotcha. I think a lot of folks don't really understand the impact (hah) of riding in a wheel seat... they like the back seat forces but you're sitting right on the axle of a steel wheel on a steel track, it's going to rattle you pretty well. Those three-bench PTCs at KI are great for people looking for a smooth ride, that middle seat is smoooth.

I did ride SOB a lot when it was around so I might be just used to it.

I ride Banshee nearly every visit and never thought it was overly rattly, not for a huge invert with sustained forces.

I differentiate between roughness and aggressiveness, where roughness is how well the trains track, and aggressiveness is how quickly the forces change direction.

I think this is a great distinction and while roughness does exist, I think a lot of folks are describing aggressiveness. This would explain why some modern coasters, with their sharp twists, are described as rough.

For laypeople (read: non-enthusiast, read: normal person), it’s all the same. They rode a ride, and it either kicked their ass or it didn’t.

Only sort of on topic, but complaining about a new coaster is a great way to "virtue signal" a lot of things in one quick sound bite:
1) I have ridden that thing
2) I have ridden better things than that and by implication, many more and better things overall
3) If you liked that thing, I am better than you

I know it's reductionist, but it is also a very real aspect of any fandom.

Sharpel007:

I definitely think the new Vekomas have passed the new B&Ms

what are the new Vekomas? Sounds like I need to try one out!

For all of you who +1 Andy's post

ApolloAndy:

3) If you liked [Andy's post], I am better than you

Except anyone can like it--whether they've ridden Andy or not.

"I will not ride Andy Coaster 1, it is too rough!"

Bringing new meaning to “credit whore.”

Roller coaster design and construction have come a long way. B&M set kind of a new standard in the 90's and people realized how , for example, Arrows, was such an inferior roller coaster design in general. The general public is for sure more complaning nowadays but again the technology is there so there is no reason to ride a new coaster that gives you a headache or moves something in your spine! Coasters should be designed to be brand new smooth and stay the same with proper maintenance.

Perhaps it's because they are able to be designed so smoothly initially. For the most part, they are smooth when first introduced but inevitably time and wear take their toll.

Because Banshee has been referenced so much in this thread, it's a perfect example. We rode it opening year and I remember saying "This is the best engineered coaster I've ever ridden." I haven't been on it since, but I've seen so much criticism of it in the last few years. How poorly it's aged.

This is Bunky666. Had to get a new account because no longer have the same email and couldn’t remember password but couldn’t get a new link because didn’t have the email.

Could the vibration on B&Ms be a change in the wheels or the trains’ materials? Candymonium had the vibration throughout almost the entire ride, and it hurt my brain pretty badly. It reminded me of Mike Gs hatred of the C-train on Nitro (well deserved hatred…I don’t know what was wrong with that train, but it had a nasty vibration and never rode right).

I think people are on to something with roughness and aggressiveness being mixed up or considered the same thing. And sometimes it CAN be at least similar. For instance, my one and only RMC credit is Wildcat’s Revenge at Hershey. I was disappointed by it because it felt so smooth and forceless but also managed to beat me up so badly that I was only able to ride it twice. It wasn’t a “rough” coaster, but the aggression was probably a 9/10. Many people would consider that aggression to be rough.

To be clear, I’m not just crapping on Hershey here. It’s just the only park I’ve been to in the past five years and the only one in longer that had new things I hadn’t ridden.