FoF Rumor True? - CoasterBuzz

Sorry that I have to mention a rumor from Thrill Ride, but I have to know this. Are they going to take out the OTSR for SOB-esqe lap bars? I mean that I always thought that they needed the rstraints like that so no one would raise their arms and get them chopped off. I remember seeing somewhere that at two points in the coaster, the area of track above is just inches-feet away from your head. Anyone know?

They're doing something to the trains, this we know from a chat with one of the Premier Rides reps at IAAPA. What exactly she didn't say.

I would discount the rumor only because parks are paranoid and apparently like to strap people in tight so they can't do anything naughty.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com

I could say something about that, but, this being a family forum, I won't... :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

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Secret is out Dave... they'll install leather restraints. The ride ops will all wear leather masks and carry whips.

I know, a family forum, not a forum for making families. :)

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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com

My kind of ride :)

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-Dave Rutherford
*If things seem under control, you're just not going fast enough*

Oh, so that's where FOF got its reputation for being so painful?

BTW - doesn't leather chafe Jeff?

Just curious, I wouldn't know myself, mind you.

Chris

Y'know, I never thought about it in quite this way before, but I do know of one roller coaster that does have leather restraints on it: Kennywood's Jack Rabbit. Draw whatever conclusions you like, but don't blame me for them... :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

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Ok, secret's out, there's a REASON I like Jackrabbit so much ;)

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--Greg

http://www.pobox.com/~gregleg/

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought lapbars could only work with vertical loops. I thought that with inversions like corkscrews and cobra rolls an stuff that the the lateral g force would force u out of the lapbar.

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Parks for 2000: CP, Great Escape, Great Adventure, SFA, Islands of Adventure, Kennywood

I'll never look at that little leather strap the same way again...

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Matt Lynch
Co-Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
http://kennywood.coasterbuzz.com

The leather thing has officially gotten old. You're all very immature. Answer my question now!

(Just Joking! ;))

This forums name has been changed to
"FoF Rumors About Leather Straps True?"

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Ah, Roller Coasters.
An hour wait for a two minute ride.

Rock on.

Korn 4/8/00, although I don't know of an inversion other than a vertical loop done with just a lap bar, I think that most inversions could be done safely with just a lap bar. The only inversions I think might truely need a horse collar to be safe is the Togo heartline elements found on Viper and Manhattan Express.

Lateral forces during a loop throwing you out of the car with just a lap bar? I have a hard time picturing that. Most of the woodies I've ridden provide much stronger and sharper laterals than any steel coaster I've ridden. Also, I have seen some small people wiggle out of shoulder restraints quite easily, while often it seems that a lap bar against the legs is almost harder to get out of! (I've never tried either personally)

So, I wonder why more looping coasters don't just have lap bars. Could it be the insurance companies?

Anyone know any hard facts on the issue? I'd really like to know. There are dozens of steel coasters I have only taken one or 2 rides on because of roughness (then moved on to the woodies!), and I would love to ride them with just a lap bar.

-Peabody

Thanks, Peabody, you just saved me a lot of typing... :)
Honestly, there are non-inverting coasters with lap bars that exert the same forces as found on most looping elements; I suspect that the real reason we don't see more looping coasters with lap bars is simply because nobody bothered to build them. Oh, and shoulder bars make for rotten restraints because they don't secure the body anywhere near its center of gravity. Unfortunately we got a dramatic demonstration of that a couple of years ago out in California.........

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

All of yall are REALLY weird! LOL but funny in a way!

It seems to me like the general public expects over the shoulder restraints anymore. For instance, when I showed a few people the Phantom's Revenge brochure, which specifically notes "no shoulder harnesses," they started talking about how "it won't need them since it doesn't go upside-down anymore." While that's true, I told them that there are coasters that do have inversions that don't have OTSR's. Their responses to that were quite interesting... Most of them were almost scared of riding a looping coaster without horsecollars. Now, I'm 16 years old, and the people in the conversation were my age and about a year older. That's the demographic that is typically "I'm not scared of anything," yet they all thought it was an odd, somewhat frightening concept.

Food for thought.

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Matt Lynch
Co-Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
http://kennywood.coasterbuzz.com

That's kind of funny. Kennywood had a looping coaster with no shoulder restraints for 10 years or so!
-Peabody