Menu
What's new
By:
Filters

Intamin OTSRs; like them or loathe them?

Intamin OTSRs; like them or loathe them?

  • Total voters
    44
Matt N

Matt N

CF Legend
Hi guys. Sorry if there's already a topic like this, but I just wanted to hear some of your thoughts on the Intamin over-the-shoulder restraints. I was inspired by the B&M vest restraint topic and the debate about Rita's roughness currently going on in the Valkyria topic, so I'll get the ball rolling with my personal thoughts on Intamin's OTSRs.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Intamin's OTSRs at all because I find them quite restrictive and quite uncomfortable, especially where headbanging is involved. For example, when I last rode Stealth, I found the restraints to dig in to my hips quite a bit, and I'd personally say I'm quite small with regards to thighs, hips etc. Also, I find them to be very bulky, and very heavy to pull up and down. Admittedly, I'm not strong in the slightest, but I find them quite cumbersome, personally.

Another reason I don't particularly like them is because I find they cause headbanging more easily on rides that feature them. For example, I felt that Rita, Colossus and to a lesser extent Cheetah Hunt all featured some degree of headbanging due to the restraints. Stealth even has a bit of a rattle at the bottom of the drop, but in their defence, that probably isn't down to the restraints.

Furthermore, another reason why I don't like them is because from my experience, they are not very accommodating for taller riders. For example, my dad is 6'6, and whenever we ride Rita or Stealth, the restraints really hurt his shoulders. Also, Cheetah Hunt hurt his back for the couple of hours after we rode it and he can't even fit on Colossus. Admittedly, these restraints are probably designed to fit the "average rider" so to speak, and 6'6 is a little taller than the "average rider", but he doesn't seem to have this problem with many other forms of OTSR, like B&M's or Gerstlauer's, for example. I don't have these problems, as I'm 5'8, but riding the majority of coasters with Intamin OTSRs causes my dad great pain.

So that's my take on the Intamin OTSRs; what do you guys think of them?
P.S. Sorry for the long post. Also, sorry if this sounds like a rant against Intamin, as it is not intended to be that way. Also, I have not experienced Intamin's softer restraints yet, just to clarify.
 
I don't like rough coasters, and even less if their trains are fitted with OTSRs. Intamin has a reputation for having rattly/slightly rough coasters or coasters with aggressive directional changes which can be quite uncomfortable with OTSRs...

Bottom line: if Skyrush can get away with no OTSR, so can ANY other roller coaster on the planet.
 
I chose "Don't mind them", on Cheetah Hunt and Stealth I don't remember them affecting the ride quality but I found Rita's restraints uncomfortable especially after riding Icon the day before
 
The restraints on their older launched coasters are horrific - Rita, Stealth and the like would probably be close to bearable had the restraints been designed better.
It wouldn't be enough to save Baco though.
 
Hi Matt
Sorry if there's already been a reply like this, but I voted for 'Don't mind them'. The newer ones (a là Taron) are obviously much better, but I've never really had an issue with the Stealth/Rita style seats.
Colossus style restraints though are pretty gross - I always bang my head on the thing when climbing in and out the seat.
Sorry for the boring post, and sorry if I offended any Colossus fans out there.

Also sorry to Matt for ever-so-slightly taking the pee. ;)
 
Howie said:
Hi Matt
Sorry if there's already been a reply like this, but I voted for 'Don't mind them'. The newer ones (a là Taron) are obviously much better, but I've never really had an issue with the Stealth/Rita style seats.
Colossus style restraints though are pretty gross - I always bang my head on the thing when climbing in and out the seat.
Sorry for the boring post, and sorry if I offended any Colossus fans out there.

Also sorry to Matt for ever-so-slightly taking the pee. ;)
Click to expand...
That's fine! I suppose I should expect some mockery by this point!
 
They are fine, but can definitely staple unsuspecting riders. Swapping for climbing harness material on the shoulder straps was also a vast improvement. Rather, it's the hydraulic lap bar that's the major culprit (notice Skyrush is knocked down a peg in my rankings because of it).

Ironically enough, my favorite restraint overall is the Intamin T-Bar - so they do make good restraints in other ways!
 
I don't think anyone really praises them like B&M clamshells or Mack lap bars, but they're certainly not a bad restraint. The only soft OSTR I've done is Maverick (and I did ride it with the old restraints; huge improvement), but I didn't mind the old ones Stealth, Storm Runner, and Fahrenheit, to name a few (although I believe the latter two got the soft pads now).
 
Hyde said:
They are fine, but can definitely staple unsuspecting riders. Swapping for climbing harness material on the shoulder straps was also a vast improvement. Rather, it's the hydraulic lap bar that's the major culprit (notice Skyrush is knocked down a peg in my rankings because of it).

Ironically enough, my favorite restraint overall is the Intamin T-Bar - so they do make good restraints in other ways!
Click to expand...

Exactly my thoughts. The older generation restraints that had the hard rubber over the steel bands weren't terrible but could still give your neck a nice chop if you weren't expecting a sudden transition. The switch to the gel filled straps was a big improvement.

As for Skyrush's...burn them in a fire.
 
Antinos said:
Exactly my thoughts. The older generation restraints that had the hard rubber over the steel bands weren't terrible but could still give your neck a nice chop if you weren't expecting a sudden transition. The switch to the gel filled straps was a big improvement.

As for Skyrush's...burn them in a fire.
Click to expand...

giphy.webp
 
I don't really mind them but I can see why people rate TTD over KK because of the restraints so I prefer the lapbars. However it doesn't make or break my experience necessarily, like maverick is fab, I think i305 needs them and KK isn't ruined by them so I put "I don't mind".

I managed to find a decent way of riding skyrush but they are a perfect example of bad lapbars! Just wish they'd put the taron ones on it to reduce the hassle.
 
I've had limited experiences with them (Rita and Colossus) but in both cases they weren't good compared to other manufacturers. The ones on Rita are odd in that the over the shoulder portion doesn't seem padded enough to protect you from jolts, and the lap portion just smushes your thighs and stomach. I ended up feeling like I'd been judo chopped in the neck on the first turn. I'd pick a full wallop in the face from a Gerstlauer OTSR over these any day...at least my fat hamster cheeks can absorb that impact.

Colossus' were just bulky, tight, restrictive, and in need of a damn good clean (seriously Thorpse, they're minging); the closest comparison I have for them are the horsecollars of shame on older SLCs. Total :emoji_poop:e.
 
I put I don't mind them. I remember Maverick's old ones hurting a lot, but the ones that replaced them are great. But for some reason, when I thought about Intamin OSTRs, I went immediately for the Impulse OSTRs, such as Wicked Twister's restraints. I don't really mind those either.
 
IMO both Desert Race and Kanonen would've been vastly improved without the OSTRs, Kanonen especially soured me because of the excessive padding. I'm glad they took a page from Mack's playbook with their later launchers.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top