I Can't Stand Ratcheting Lapbars!

I can now honestly say that I don't like them at all. Even if you try to give yourself a little extra room, it staples you in when you are on the bottom of the first hill. This happens mostly on the woodies at PKI. They all do that. I wish there where some way to replace those, like with the airlock system. Anybody know if thats possible?

Well of course it is possible, but why would parks want to fix something that works fine the way they are? I do agree with you though, all lap bars should have the airlock system because I get stapled on the Racer like no other!

Ya they don't wnt you to leave your lapbar up. They want it to staple you for safety.

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-Sean Newman
84 coasters in Track Record!! Hypersonic XLC # 100 in July. Waiting for the 305 foot drop tower in 2003. Thank you PKD.

Knoebels' Twister......the laps stay put through the entire ride, AND you get a nice *pop* of airtime hopping up onto the brake run.....

the trains were specifically ordered with lapbars that stay put, and it may not seem important to some, but I'll get back to KG sometime soon to enjoy those fantastic rides....

Craig the Coaster Freak said:
Well of course it is possible, but why would parks want to fix something that works fine the way they are? I do agree with you though, all lap bars should have the airlock system because I get stapled on the Racer like no other!

I totally agree. I hate it when on any ride that has tis type lapbars goes over the first hill, and the you here the lapbar click once or twice, and then I always go "D@mn it!

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Top 10:
10)MF 9)Medusa 8)Raptor 7)DD Fire 6)S:RoS 5)Boulder Dash 4)Hulk
3)Beast 2)Nitro
1)Magnum

Hook a bungee cord to the grab bar, and fasten it around the lap bar so it doesn't fall down.

If you don't feel like being bothered with that, just hold it up with the side of you leg or your hand.

If that is too much, don't let a lap bar ruin your good time. Put your hands up, scream, and have fun.

chris - Who has unfortunatley seen the bungee cord method in full effect, and still can't believe it.

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"drop rides, not bombs."

how did they do the bungee cord method?

To tell you the truth the only coaster I've had a problem with is Magnum. Mainly because the airtime is so painful. At the top of every hill my legs get bruises. I like the Intamin Trains much better because the lapbars lock where you want them too and they are much more padded. With the wooden coasters I think its good to have a loose lapbar with a seatbelt because then you can use the seatbelt loose or tight. Also you can get airtime which isn't painful.

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Dan - Webmaster of Coastny!
http://coastny.cjb.net

Pull your seatbelt tight on Magnum. You'll still get air, but the belt is far more flexible than the bar is in distributing your weight.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"We used to hate people, now we just make fun of them. It's more effective that way." - KMFDM, "Dogma"

I would NOT suggest using a bungee cord or any other kind of strap to hold up the restraint as it can be seen as a way of defeating the restraint and/or violating park rules on restraint usage. I have seen people ejected from ERT and the park for doing this.

If you're so bothered by ratcheting lap bars that they take away your enjoyment of coasters then I have two suggestions:

1] stop riding coasters w/ ratcheting lap bars.

2] stop spending all your energy worrying about the positon of the lap bar and spend the two minutes you're on the coaster enjoying the ride.

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N.U.T.S. - National Union of Thrill Seekers! Be a member and tell everyone you're NUTS! [Brought to you by the maker of LoCoSuMo! NOTE: NUTS is not a real club; void where prohibited; your mileage may vary; where's the beef?]

I do agree. It happens to me frequently on the Racer. (Particularly the drop before the turnaround.) It doesn't bother me to much though. It's still just as fun.

C'mon Mamoosh, the bungee cord is NUTS, isn't it? :)

I guess I should have explicitly stated that I thought the bungee cord deal was ridiculously lame, as DRAGON82487's response shows that not everyone thinks the idea is as inherently ludicrous as I do.

chris - Strongly suggesting that everyone follow Mamoosh's advice. You'll get more bang for the buck in the long run.

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"drop rides, not bombs."

*** This post was edited by chris on 6/27/2002. ***

My daughter had a bad experience on Racer at PKI. She left the bar up a little to get some air but when we hit the bottom of the first hill, the bar came slamming down on her legs. I could see the bar squashing her legs and she was in so much pain that she was crying before we crested the second hill. I tried to pull up on the bar to try and help her but the bar didn't move even a fraction of an inch.

When we got back to the station, the ride op had to actually step on the bar to get it to go down enough to release. Needless to say, my daughter doesn't want ride to Racer anymore.

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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Favorite Wood: Viper(SFGAm), Legend (HW)
Favorite Steel: MF (CP), Mamba (WoF)

The lap bars on the Kings Island Racer are offset from the current factory spec by about 45 degrees and are, in my opinion, actively DANGEROUS. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON that the lap bar should EVER be closer than 4"-6" from the seat cushion. If you are small enough that you could slide out from under a lap bar 6" up, you're probably too short to be riding anyway. But at Kings Island the bar will come down, and in fact will lock in positions that put the end of the bar below the seat cushion.

I've been nailed by those bars more than once, but my complaints to the park have apparently fallen on deaf ears.......

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

LoL I've seen one of those bungee cords in action....................cough Timbers cough.

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Good Times!! Good Times!!
-Patrick

So what's wrong with tying your lap bar up? (yeah, I know - against park rules... holding your hands up is against CP's rules). Isn't "factory spec" on a PTC 2 clicks... that is WAY up (and besides, the seatbelt is aupposed to be the primary restraint). Rich Rodreguez had his lap bar tied up for 100 straight days on the Boss last year and he didn't go flying out of the train.

I've used lap bar safety belts. My procedure has always been to let the operator check the bar first. Once the operator is satisfied that the bar is OK, I attach the belt. How could anybody complain about that?

Incidentally, on a train with the new PTC bar latches, I generally go for the THIRD notch...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I agree, The Racer at PKI was a blast with loads of airtime and laughs, then it became a pain inflictor and a lot less fun. I've only ridden it three times since they made that switch, and can't see riding it again, though it used to be a favorite.

Thats odd I have never noticed tat about the Racer. Perhaps I am big enough tht its no a problem.

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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

Mamoosh, you say: "1] stop riding coasters w/ ratcheting lap bars.

2] stop spending all your energy worrying about the positon of the lap bar and spend the two minutes you're on the coaster enjoying the ride. "

I remember you saying this exact thing in another thread. While I agree with one point, & that's how & when people complain about them. Make reasonable complaints at the park, it's like people think it up after the fact then use the worst possible wording to complain.

But, I hate those bars. For some reason, I feel safer riding buzzbars with seatbelts. A buzzbar doesn't move, & it covers a good portion of your area. I mean, for me being skinny, I can slip out of an IRLB much easier than a buzzbar, which I'd have to climb out of. I can't come out the side of a buzzbar, LOL. I just do not understand where those bars came from, who they were made to feel safer, et cetra(even though I know there's got to be a reson they're around). I even like the Gerslauter lapbars better than the PTCs.
I find it a legitimate complaint, although it may get old. Lapbar all the way down on PTC, ruins the ride. It can make you feel like somebody's pinching your thighs sometimes, not to mention with these individual restraints, I don't like pushing on them, it makes me nervous. The tighter it is, the more weight constantly from my body that is pushing against it, while I don't know the chances of this happening, but I've been paranoid of the things flying open on me. I won't even lean against the door of my car when it's locked, LOL. Not to mention with the IRLB, your pivot point is your butt, when it's tight, only the top part of your body moves, instead of you sliding a bit. THEY SUCK, alright I won't go that far, but they are not my preference.

Someday, the great restraint will be developed.