How Rough is Too Rough?

I keep seeing posts in other forms regarding roughness, and I was wondering: What kind(s) of roughness make a rollercoaster unfun? I know tha SOB is supposed to be a very rough coaster, but I haven't ridden it and don't know what it does that hurts. I also see all kinds of stuff about the Dinn coasters. I'm just trying to see shat kinds of opinions are out there and how (if) they correspond to my own.

You want my definition of too rough? Go ride Manhattan Express at New York New York. To date, the ONLY coaster to actually make me physically sick because of the roughness and banging I received while riding it. I asked for a refund, and they said "No." So I said "How about if I throw up all over your station?" I made it to the bathroom... just.

-Escher

SOB slams your legs against the lapbar! IT hurts like a mofo! And SLC is a nice head banger. Don't get me wrong I am a SLC whore but they are pretty rough!

I rode my first and so far only SLC at SFMW... it actually wasn't too bad, and the restraints were very comfortable... which came as a surprise to me considering all the $%&* I've heard about them.... I actually make sure to ride Kong every trip now... Gotta love those foot choppers!

-Escher

I find SoB quite intense. I LOVE the ride. I do not find Coney Island Cyclone intense but rough. The roughest ride I have been on is Raging Wolf Bobs at SF WoA.

I find that many people either love SoB or hate it. My guess is that SoB may be too intense for many people. On the other hand, I do not find any people who love Raging Wolf Bobs. That just tracks really horrible and and extremely shaky.

Yeah, the SLC at SFA is pretty rough. I hear them called "hand 'n' bangs for a reason.

Actually, I think it's HANG and bang... but I could be wrong...

-Esch

The thing is everyone has preferences that differ. You already have a plethora of response and mine is going to differ.

I didn't mind Manhattan Express, it wasn't fabulous, but I thought it was far from bad.

I thought the Coney Island Cyclone was a perfect example of intense, not rough.

You'll find a lot of fans of the Wildcat at Hershey but I hated it.

You'll find that the general consensus hates Viper at SFGAdv, but I found it powerful, not rough.

There are two coasters I've been on that (IMO, of course) stands far beyond any coaster I've been on in terms of being rough...

Flashback at SFMM and RC-48 at Morey's. The two most painful and unenjoyable rides I've ever had the displeasure of boarding.

I think it's too subjective to really pin down beyond a few standouts.

*** Edited 11/22/2003 7:26:05 AM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

Ditto on the Flashback.... it is second only to Manhattan as my least favorite coaster... The thing is, Flashback is a really cool IDEA... and I think if they just used better trains, without shoulder harnesses they might have a decent ride...

-Escher

Yea those so called Hang and Bangs. If they had the hard plastic restraints like on the B&M's you wouldn't be calling them Hang and Bang, rather you'll be calling them Hang and Bash your Brains Out! Those Vekoma SLC restraints are nice and make those SLC's more enjoyable and fun, if they had those B&M hard plastic ones I wouldn't be riding only but one and not the others.

Personally, I consider a ride that tosses you around to an extent that it causes significant pain and/or discomfort to be a "rough" ride. I'd characterize a ride that tosses you around but doesn't cause discomfort as "intense."

I've got Mean Streak on the "rough" end of that spectrum, and The Beast on the "intense" end, with SOB falling somewhere in between the two.

How rough is too rough? The Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain. Enough said. Tear that piece of crap down.

-Nate

Eh? LoCoSuMo is fantastic . That's one of my favourite coasters.
-R

Well, my 'favourite' coasters don't involve concussions, thank you much.

-Nate

I really don't find any roller coaster to be too rough. It just seems like people blow the roughness out of perportion. Sure, some rides may be rougher than others, but, I find none of them unbearable. If it's too rough for you, go to some other ride. Not all rides are B&M smooth and it's always going to be that way.

I generally agree with coasterwiz, but i have to say that the python and scorpion at BGT are the roughest i've been on. Not to the point of dislike but uncomfortable enought to warrant a 'leave it to the last ride of the day' feeling.

Baz

Mean Streak is rough, CLP's Blue Streak, SFWOA's BD and RWB are fine.

Yeah, it is weird to see everyone elses different responses...I didn't find Manhattan Express to be that rough at all, I actually enjoyed it. If you ride SoB in a non-axle seat you'll be fine. I also thought Flashback was a lot of fun, it is such a unique coaster.

Anyone who claims a ride can't be "too rough" hasn't ridden a truly "rough" ride. ;) Obviously, ride experiences differ, even depending on which seat you ride in. But no ride should cause pain.

When I rode Mean Streak in 1998, I literally wanted to get off the ride during the ride. It was causing me that much pain.

The thing is, up until the late 90's, I hadn't ridden anything I would've considered too rough. But the number of painful rides I've experienced since then has markedly increased.

It is extremely subjective, but basicly a coaster is too rough when it distracts you from the ride itself (ie. cause pain).