Stand-Up coasters= A failed concept?

[MrSum1_55]

^EVERY standup would be better as a sit down coaster. This is a fact.

[KingRCT3]

I never rode stand-up myself, but I thought about an improved version of the concept :

 

The basic idea behind this, is to reverse the seating. Your "seat" is now in front of you instead of behind, and the harness is on your back. Basically a standing version of a motocoaster if you want.

I won't lie, this design is heavily influenced by Ride Entertainment Group of Companies' E-Motionboard.

 

Don't look at the harness, since I made that drawing, I thought about a much more efficient way to do it.

 

EDIT: View of the modified harnesses. Original drawing by Vekoma

 

Here's a response I've had on another forum from a user called andreizsmart, and my oh my he described the actual thought of process behind this idea far better than I could ever do. I recall Ride Entertainment having a similar speech about their E-Motionboard.

 

Here's what I do like about that restraint style and standing position. In dreams, one of the clearest and experiential forms of flying is in the upright position while angled slightly forward. This position allows for an unblocked view of one's surroundings (unlike the superman style of flying which limits view to downward and slightly forward) and generally creates a sensation of being able to actively respond and control one's flight. In the conscious world, standing indicates as well either current activity and engagement or an intent to engage (such as walking, jumping, etc.). When in a sitting position, you're ideally in an idle state that allows your body to be taken control of and, in the case of a vehicle, directed along a specific path. By placing riders in the standing position, you're initiating a sense of individual interaction with the path being traveled, almost as if the rider has the choice or the ability to move whichever way they choose. By angling slightly forward, not only are you giving a more comfortable and in return, a more blissful experience, you are also imposing a sense of activity and forward motion.

Edited November 14, 2014 by KingRCT3

[rcjp]

^I think B&M's new vest restraints would do. That would eliminate headbanging. Combined with their now less intense layouts (which is actually good for standups, reducing the pressure on your legs) it would be great.

[rcdude]

Stand-up coasters were not a failed concept, as a number of them were built and quite a few continue to operate today. However, by the time the concept was perfected (mid-late 90s), there were so many other options on the market that were proven winners. Think about it like this: when Stand-Up coasters were invented, they were pretty much the only "gimmick coaster" available. By the time the design was perfected, not only had the more popular Inverted coaster been created but it was the height of the coaster wars and parks were pushing for the latest and greatest record-breaking coasters. Since stand-up coasters had been around for over 20 years, they were no longer quite the draw they once were and parks opted to stop buying them. I also have to think that the design never catching on in Europe (the home of the big steel coaster manufacturers) probably had something to do with the death of the stand-up coaster as well.

 

As for the quality of the rides, I've been on all the North American installations except Apocalypse and Georgia Scorcher, and among those the only one I consider worth more than a 10 minute wait is Riddler's Revenge. Granted, most of the B&M designs aren't bad, but when only 1 out of 5 is a noteworthy ride something's not right. The two Togos were okay (SkyRider was excellent for a Togo, but still just okay compared to all major coasters), and Cobra at La Ronde was terrible, so those don't really help the stand-up's case.

[DrachenfireOP]

I don't think they're failed per say, more like out of fashion and to a point dated. In the time standups were most popular, rough coasters were the norm, not by choice, but simply because it's what we had. You never got on a coaster before the mid 90s with the expectation of smoothness. I remember going on rides like Shockwave at KD, Anaconda, Drachen Fire etc. in the early 90s and talking to friends about "how to ride" and "where to brace" as just normal riding conversations, and I wasn't even an enthusiast at that point. When you compare some of these older rides with rides of the computer age, obviously the computer designed rides are smoother, in many ways I believe to a fault. Some of the more recent B&M coasters are a bit of a snore fest in my opinion, especially comparing it to some of the first gen B&Ms.

 

However, stand ups have a few problems depending on who you ask.

 

- Some think they are rough, which may be true by shear design, or may be related to the fact that most of them were built during the rough era of coasters, while the "smooth" standups are still a decade and a half old. Something tells me that if someone built a 2015 stanup, it wouldn't hurt, but that's just speculation.

 

- Some men complain about the, err, issue. I've experienced this only one time personally, and it was because my seat was a bit too high. I've just made sure since to bend my knees a bit until the harness is locked and then the problem is solved.

 

- They are slow loaders. This is the only problem I think that can be universally agreed on.

 

I rode Mantis for the first and only time in 2011 and absolutely loved it! I never really found it too rough, and really enjoyed the forces on it from a stand up position. I think the fact that I'm rather tall helps with this. That said, it was the longest wait of the day. The park was dead, and a lot of older rides were walk ons (including magnum, iron dragon, all of the wooden coasters, and even TTD/Millennium force were under 20 minute waits) but Mantis was almost 40 minutes because of how slow it loaded.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing some new age stand ups, but I think they would need a few improvements in order to sell:

 

- A design change to prevent some of the old pain problems, and I think this could be a relatively easy fix with modern computers.

 

- Duel load station.

 

- Something really innovative or gimmicky to draw attention away from the negative vibe stand ups have with enthusiasts. (Honestly I never find the GP hates on stand-ups, certainly not to the extent enthusiasts do.)

[GwaziBSRider1]

^ I really don't know if you need to make them any more "gimmicky." I talk to a lot of people about stand-ups, and it's still shocking to them. Maybe you would have to if you built one in an area that has or had one.

[fraroc]

Stand-up coasters were not a failed concept, as a number of them were built and quite a few continue to operate today. However, by the time the concept was perfected (mid-late 90s), there were so many other options on the market that were proven winners. Think about it like this: when Stand-Up coasters were invented, they were pretty much the only "gimmick coaster" available. By the time the design was perfected, not only had the more popular Inverted coaster been created but it was the height of the coaster wars and parks were pushing for the latest and greatest record-breaking coasters. Since stand-up coasters had been around for over 20 years, they were no longer quite the draw they once were and parks opted to stop buying them. I also have to think that the design never catching on in Europe (the home of the big steel coaster manufacturers) probably had something to do with the death of the stand-up coaster as well.

 

As for the quality of the rides, I've been on all the North American installations except Apocalypse and Georgia Scorcher, and among those the only one I consider worth more than a 10 minute wait is Riddler's Revenge. Granted, most of the B&M designs aren't bad, but when only 1 out of 5 is a noteworthy ride something's not right. The two Togos were okay (SkyRider was excellent for a Togo, but still just okay compared to all major coasters), and Cobra at La Ronde was terrible, so those don't really help the stand-up's case.

 

That's exactly how I put it. At the time that Standing coasters were invented, there may have been suspended coasters, but there were no inverts, no floorless coasters, no other kind of coaster besides sit down coasters with a floor, maybe a few where the track is above you rather than below you, but that's pretty much it.

[WFChris]

Riddlers is the only one I've been on and I've always found it to be a descent ride. In fact, you can change the ride quite a bit depending on how you adjust your restraint before you leave the station (I see quite a few people bending their knees and essentially sitting).

 

One weird thing though, I've always wondered why B&M has always reserved their incline loop just for standups? I think the most exciting thing about Mantis transforming is the ability to enjoy that inversion while seated.

[thrillseeker4552]

I am not a fan of stand-ups. When you have 28-degree scoliosis and significantly uneven leg lengths, it's anything but comfortable. I did not particularly enjoy Riddler or Mantis.

[Canobie Coaster]

Riddlers is the only one I've been on and I've always found it to be a descent ride. In fact, you can change the ride quite a bit depending on how you adjust your restraint before you leave the station (I see quite a few people bending their knees and essentially sitting).

 

One weird thing though, I've always wondered why B&M has always reserved their incline loop just for standups? I think the most exciting thing about Mantis transforming is the ability to enjoy that inversion while seated.

 

B&M used an inverted loop on Hydra. It was a fun element, but I personally enjoy their zero-G rolls, vertical loops, and corkscrews more.

[fraroc]

Riddlers is the only one I've been on and I've always found it to be a descent ride. In fact, you can change the ride quite a bit depending on how you adjust your restraint before you leave the station (I see quite a few people bending their knees and essentially sitting).

 

One weird thing though, I've always wondered why B&M has always reserved their incline loop just for standups? I think the most exciting thing about Mantis transforming is the ability to enjoy that inversion while seated.

 

B&M used an inverted loop on Hydra. It was a fun element, but I personally enjoy their zero-G rolls, vertical loops, and corkscrews more.

 

It's technically an oblique dive loop.

[spidermonkey317]

When I was a kid I always wanted to ride King Cobra at Kings Island. I was just never tall enough. By the time I finally made it back to Kings Island and was tall enough, the ride was gone.

 

What was the ride like on King Cobra? Someone on here has had to have ridden it.

[djcoastermark]

^Same experience as Shockwave at KD. Not bad. I always had fun on it, and didn't have any of the problems some people seem to have on it, but like at KD, the sloooow loading makes it a been there done that type of ride. Even a short looking line can take a long time to get through. I found the comfort level to be way better than on the B&M stand up at SFA. Now that one is a real head banger, worse than the Vekoma hang and bang there.

[YOLO]

Not just stand-up coasters, but most coasters ARE fads. The B&M Sitdown Coaster was a fad as well, 1993-2001, and then Led Zepplin came along and it was rough and boring instead of smooth and forceful... I have a feeling Winged coasters will be the same, but unlike the Stand-Up Coaster, the Winged coasters are actually enjoyable rides.

 

I have ridden sitdown, invert, winged, floorless, and flying coasters, and if stand up coasters are around as uncomfortable as flying coasters, then yes, a failed concept.

[GwaziBSRider1]

I wouldn't call the Flying Coasters a failed concept. The Vekoma ones are terrible, but the B&M ones are excellent and very popular. They're smooth and forceful: exactly what people are looking for nowadays.

[DrachenfireOP]

^ I really don't know if you need to make them any more "gimmicky." I talk to a lot of people about stand-ups, and it's still shocking to them. Maybe you would have to if you built one in an area that has or had one.

 

I was saying that more for the enthusiast standpoint since they have such a reputation, and I think parks do consider that when building a ride. They want something that will draw tourists, so they absolutely will avoid building something the enthusiasts hate, since they're the crowd willing to pick up and travel to another part of the country just to ride a ride, rather than base their travel on a myriad of factors.

 

I really wouldn't mind seeing a new standup. Then again, I also wouldn't mind seeing a Strata that does more than just crest a hill, a US coaster break the inversion record, and a specialty nerd park that consists only of improved recreations of defunct coasters, but I guess I'll just need to keep dreaming!

[VF15]

Like others have said, I don't think stand-up coasters are necessarily a failure. They were just a fad that was relatively popular in the 90s, but that popularity has died off since then. I guess parks realized that stand-up coasters aren't that great, and that might have led to their downfall. I wouldn't mind seeing a brand-new stand-up coaster show up somewhere, but all things considered, I just don't see it happening.

[JonnyRCT3]

I was saying that more for the enthusiast standpoint since they have such a reputation, and I think parks do consider that when building a ride. They want something that will draw tourists, so they absolutely will avoid building something the enthusiasts hate, since they're the crowd willing to pick up and travel to another part of the country just to ride a ride, rather than base their travel on a myriad of factors.

 

eherm...Vekoma

 

I rest my case.

[coasterschile]

I would like to see more StandUps, especially in smaller parks (where it could be a good addition)

I think that a new B&M StandUp would grab the attention of many coaster enthusiasts, since Georgia Scorcher showed how B&M improved their StandUps, it would be interesting, the only problem is that parks don't want to take the risk of buying a StandUp cause, although it could be a great addition, it also could be a total waste of money

[Diamondbacker27]

It's not a failed concept. It was a very good concept for their time. Don't all coaster concepts seem really cool when they first appear? I'm sure everyone had a ton of hype for the first B&M wing or dive coaster. It's just a different style.

[coasterbill]

Don't all coaster concepts seem really cool when they first appear?

 

No.

[rcjp]

^

[gerstlaueringvar]

Don't all coaster concepts seem really cool when they first appear?

 

No.

[fraroc]

Um.....That link had a trojan on it, MalwareBytes had a fit when I opened it.

[thesman]

Am I the only one that finds stand up coasters not that bad. Even though sometimes the ride is bad and hurts your legs I've had more good rides than bad. But the idea of a stand up coaster is over 30 years old. First by Togo then made better by intamin then B&M. I think that now its an older concept enthusiasts are don't have as much ley way for them as when they first opened.