Are Stand Ups Dead?

Are stand up coasters a thing of the past? The last built (to my knowldege) was B&M's Georgia Scorcher in 99. Does anyone have an opinion or know of any plans to build new ones anywhere? They are on of my favorite types of coasters, and IMO one of the most intense. It's a shame to see them die. Do you guys think they were just a "fad"? If it was, what other types of coasters do you think this will happen to?

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Did you know that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the world's total population?- Light travels faster than sound; that's why some people appear bright before they speak.-"Did you know that the hole's only natural enemy is the pile?" -Bart Simpson

Another stand up will be built if and when another park wants one. IMO they are mostly a fad, gimmick. Sure it is cool the first few times. After that I dont really care to stand in line only to have to stand on a ride too.

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Zero G Thrills - Moved and Improved

I haven't ever been on a stand up coaster that wouldn't have been better with floorless or even standard trains. The whole standing thing does nothing to add excitement to me. I for one wouldn't mind if they were a thing of the past. (I also wouldn't mind those floorless trains on Mantis...)

Ugh. Who ever came up with the idea of putting floorless trains on Mantis? I know it's only a joke, but stop beating a dead horse...

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I'm a loser.

I for one, care more about what makes up the layout than how I travel the layout. Stand-ups can't have too intense of a layout because if the riding position, so they tend to be more "boring" to riders.

The fact that the riding position carries most of the "excitement" of the ride is a major flaw, as the "newness" is lost fairly quickly.

Flyers/Laydowns could easily follow the same path if more interesting layouts aren't developed. For example, a bunch of us here would like to see the "outside loop" on a flyer.

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"You're afraid of heights, but you love roller coasters...yep, you're weird alright."
A friend's response to my constant yelling at the top of Power Tower. And I'll ride it again and again...:)

Uggh. Here we go again.....

Everyone's general answer: Yes , they are dead.

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SFOG: Land of freaky Drop rides.

Of course SFA was originally supposed to get a stand up in 01 but got Batwing instead,you never know though because they still might get it in the future.

Yeah, this has been discussed in many of the "flyer" threads.

I think that for the most part stand-ups never really were big, it was a nice novelty ride that had a peak in the 90's.

The reason it pops up in flyer threads is that some of us (yes, myself included - strongly) feel that Flyers are the "next stand-up".

The reason I feel this way are that once the novelty aspect of the riding position is lost, you're not left with a very outstanding ride.

There's a thread around here somewhere on inverteds and their longevity (even though, in theory, they are novelty rides) that has some interesting perspectives on the different ride styles. In general stand-ups seem to be viewed as the "flavor of the week" from last week, the decision seems to be spilt on the flyers, floorless rides are the new sitdown loopers - all interesting (to me, at least) takes on the current state of coasters. Definitely worth searching for on the subject.

And to sum up my personal opinion - I'll be surprised to see another stand-up installation in the future. Very surprised.

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www.coasterimage.com
Dorney Park Visits in 2003: 17

The only stand up I've ridden and enjoyed was the Georgia Scorcher... it was the only one that didn't hurt me, and there were parts of the ride where the standing aspect proved to be a plus rather than a minus.

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-Rob
A.C.E. member since 1990
Posting @ Coasterbuzz since 2000
E.C.C. member since 2002

I've ridden two stand up coasters; Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Shockwave at Drayton Manor.

I adored Riddler's Revenge, but this absolutely not to do with the rolling stock, more to do with the great layout. My one and only ride on it was ruined by the fact the row in front was empty, so the seats 'defaulted' to their highest position meaning that I couldn't see a thing.

Shockwave is a fairly terrible coaster, both in terms of layout, and especially as far as the trains are concerned. The layout is pretty dull, and the trains a cumbersome nuisance. The inline twist was fun, though.

I'd rather do both of these coasters as sit downs.

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Comprehensive European ride and coaster reviews
http://www.ukrollercoasters.co.uk

Yeah , Georgia Scorcher was and is the best stand up ever. The figure-8 rOxOrs!

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SFOG: Land of freaky Drop rides.

I like stand ups, but like everyone else says, there is nothing special about them. Last year i rode Chang, and it was a little painful because i was a little tall for the seats, so i had a constant pressure on my shoulders. B&M should make jumbo sized seats in the back of the train like they do for floorless and inverted.

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ROLLER COASTERS: MY ANTI DRUG

not another post of stand ups. Chances are, they are dead.

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I am one.
I am Turbo.
Top Thrill in the front row... anything else is lame
X...Whoa

I too would have (and DID) figure that the last new one had BEEN built....now, I'm not QUITE as sure as I was before....;)

Honestly, if *my park* were in need of a stand-up, I'd make Paramount a *ridiculously low* offer for KC....what are THEY gonna do with it?
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We're whalers on the moon, we carry a harpoon, but there ain't no whales so we tell tall tales and sing a whaling tune...

I sincerely hope that standups are not dead. I have been priveleged enough to ride two standups (Mantis, VortexPGA), and less priveledged to ride a third (Iron Wolf). Most recently, however, was my trip on Mantis, and I must say I was very impressed. Even with the obnoxious and wholly unnecessary brakes coming down the first drop, Mantis gave me a smooth, very intense ride with a variety of forces, much, much more so than its cousin Raptor did on the other side of the park. Its layout is greatly enhanced by the standup rolling stock, and I doubt very highly that the forces experienced would be half as intense or fun if the rider was situated in traditional or floorless rolling stock. So if standups are indeed dead, it is a shame and a true loss to the coaster community. And those are my thoughts, that'll be $0.02

-BB (who rates Mantis as the third best coaster at CP... behind only TTD and MF)

really.

*** This post was edited by BBSpeed26 10/6/2003 8:43:49 PM ***

I also enjoyed standups. I thought it did add to the ride, the problem is you can't do anything more with the layouts. So the majority of the people started to get bored of them and that's why we sadly won't see any more of them, and people complained about the painfullness of them. I really like Mantis, and I am one of the few who do feel that it's supperior to Raptor. as for flyers, I don't think they will be the next coaster fad. For two reasons: 1. It's a much more intersting position to ride in than a standup, and any other coaster for that matter.
2. You can do lots of thing with the layout, pretzels, outside loops, long periods on yuor back, there's just alot of potential, and hopefully B&M realizes that.

I myself have bene on 3 differnt Stand Up coasters (Mantis, Chang, and Batman: The Escape). For some odd reason Mantis seems to be geting rougher every year I've been to the Point. When I first rode it in 2001 I really enjoyed it, but in 2002 it was getting more rough on me, and in 2003 it was a downright painful double job on my head and on my crouch. THe Other 2 stand ups I was on wasn't that bad, in fact I really enjoyed Batman at SFAW. I guess it becasue Batman had much smaller bike seats unlike Mantis.

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Chris Knight
And I'll never, ever, ever, ever, ever make a song about the Sibbie.

Two things from your friendly dose of reality (with some engineering thrown in) ...

1.) Floorless stock on stand ups is a ridiculous concept. Stand-up layouts are design with huge sweeping inversions, and tight, whippy sections designed to make you freak out that its turning so fast while you're standing. If you were sitting going through those parts (think of the low part before the MCBR on Mantis), not only would the CG of the ride be at your eyeballs, but your ears would be nothing but useless mush by the time you got off the ride! The layouts are good because you're standing up, period.

2.) Flying coasters on the outside of the loop are a dream of enthusiasts. There would be so much force pulling out on both the restraints (riders) and the support system that the cost of doing an outside loop would be extreme compared to even a pretzel. Look at X's final Raven, the supports on that thing are immense, and its tiny compared to what an outside loop would probably be.

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Brett
Resident Launch Whore and lifelong Mantis fan, regardless of its occasional bumpiness

King Cobra is for sale on www.italintl.com under roller coasters, for $1.1 million.

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Kennywood Team Member Since July 2003
Phantom Fright Nights Fridays & Saturdays
September 12 - October 25

What Micheal,

Are you buying KC for US here?

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Chris Knight
And I'll never, ever, ever, ever, ever make a song about the Sibbie.