I seem to recall Helix had the same issue. When I went to the Gothenburg CF live in 2014, I arrived sometime around noon after the entire group had already ridden Helix and found it "all right". Later in the day, around four I believe, most of the group went to experience the haunted house, while myself and two others decided to go ride Helix. Expectations weren't that high among the other two, who had ridden it earlier and found a re-ride slightly preferable to the upcharge and long lines of the haunted house. I only had that one ride to go off of, and was blown away. It was clear that the others felt a definite improvement as well. I had to leave shortly after for the train back to Oslo, but after the other CFers had ridden Helix in the evening, trip reports suddenly called it the best coaster in the park and then some. It seems like warming up can do a world of difference.
Yeah, I remember that. Helix was OK first thing, decidedly better by that afternoon ride, and then amazing at night.
Is the difference between Helix's morning and afternoon rides less pronounced now then?
It's interesting how Helix has changed over time. When I went back in 2016, the park opened early afternoon. By mid afternoon, Helix was running incredibly well, and I never had a bad ride on it that day. Obviously an anecdote isn't necessarily indicative of a trend, but it was definitely better from the off than I remembered it. If Icon behaves similarly, I'm all for it.
See this having to wait for a coaster to warm up before it's good is just awful, how will it perform in winter, its been 24 degrees lately.
I understand the whole science of it, but it can't be a mediocre ride in the morning, then the best in the UK in the afternoon!
I need to ride it a second time, I just realy wasn't blown away during my first ride, and it annoys me I can't feel the same way everyone else does
How our opinion of rides changes as the ride warms up is certainly interesting. I suppose it's going to take a while for us to get a feel for how it runs at different times and under different circumstances.
I can't say I'm particularly enthused by rides that just don't deliver unless conditions are exceptionally good, but as long as the base ride experience is at least good, I don't mind if it takes the ride a little while to reach its full potential. I was a little concerned, but I'm relieved to hear some more positive reviews on the ride starting to come through now.
