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smooth SLC's

CookieCoasters

Giga Poster
Everyone is always saying how rough Vekoma SLC's and much a head banging there is that spoils the ride. I wondered if anyone had ridden a smooth that they actually found enjoyable because they must be few and far between. I've only ridden two flight deck (CW) and infusion (BPP). I can bearly remember flight deck because It was a while ago but I had mixed feelings about infusion because my first ride had some nasty head banging however, when I tried again a couple years later I rode in row 2 I found quite enjoyable with next to no head banging. Have you experienced a smooth SLC?
 

Intricks

Strata Poster
Serial Thriller/Thunderhawk from good ole Geuaga Lake was known for being one of the smoothest SLCs made apparently. I dont remember much restraint issues and the headbanging wasnt as bad as it could have been.

That has also been the only SLC I have ever been on as well.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
 

nealbie

CF Legend
The one at Heide Park was fine and actually quite enjoyable, so I wondered what all the fuss was about with regards to SLC's........ Then I went on Infusion and El Condor and ALL became apparent <///3
 

nealbie

CF Legend
ATTACKHAMMER said:
Kumali was fine.

I always want to disqualify Kumali, on the grounds that it's not the infamous standard layout. However, if we're counting it, then no, don't be silly. It can't even be smooth in a straight line, let alone through the elements!
 

ATTACKHAMMER

Strata Poster
nealbie said:
ATTACKHAMMER said:
Kumali was fine.

I always want to disqualify Kumali, on the grounds that it's not the infamous standard layout. However, if we're counting it, then no, don't be silly. It can't even be smooth in a straight line, let alone through the elements!

Didn't know it was different..... I must have been very lucky then, I thought it was fine. :--D
 

nadroJ

CF Legend
CookieCoasters said:
</////3

Ahem. Errm, Jubilee Odyssey wasn't too bad and I'll go along with Kumali too. They're SUCH frustrating coasters because layout-wise they should be really fun coasters to ride, but just......so much pain!
 
Thunderhawk back when it was at Geauga Lake and even now at Michigan's Adventure is really smooth as far as SLCs go! That's the only one I think I'd willingly reride these days, because the rest I've been on are a bit poo. Hell, back when I was nine, it was actually my number one coaster :p .
 

F.A.S.T.

Hyper Poster
I've only ever been on two SLCs: Mind Eraser at Elitch Gardens and Thunderhawk at Michigan's Adventure. Of the two, Thunderhawk takes the cake for being the smoothest. I rerode it at least twice and it wasn't that bad. Mind Eraser on the other hand was terrible. I never want to ride it again!
 

andrus

Giga Poster
nealbie said:
The one at Heide Park was fine and actually quite enjoyable, so I wondered what all the fuss was about with regards to SLC's........ Then I went on Infusion and El Condor and ALL became apparent <///3
This. Except I haven't ridden Infusion..
 

madhjsp

Giga Poster
Slightly OT, but since we're talking about SLC's, does anyone know if this is actually true?

Jubilee Odyssey
Fantasy Island, Skegness
Track length 2,923ft
Height 167ft
Drop 141ft
Maximum speed 63mph
Duration 2 mins 52 secs
Max vertical angle 60 degrees
G-force 4.8 Gs

The UK's most rustic ride? This five-inversion rollercoaster is driven by a £4 million dung-powered generator, which converts manure into methane gas.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3637442/Top-50-rollercoasters.html

I guess some SLC's really are pretty crappy! :--D
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
madhjsp said:
Slightly OT, but since we're talking about SLC's, does anyone know if this is actually true?

Jubilee Odyssey
Fantasy Island, Skegness
Track length 2,923ft
Height 167ft
Drop 141ft
Maximum speed 63mph
Duration 2 mins 52 secs
Max vertical angle 60 degrees
G-force 4.8 Gs

The UK's most rustic ride? This five-inversion rollercoaster is driven by a £4 million dung-powered generator, which converts manure into methane gas.
Well the electricity to power it may well be generated from a biomass type thing, but that would probably be for the whole area or park maybe. It's hard to know, I somehow doubt it would be just for JO.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3637442/Top-50-rollercoasters.html

I guess some SLC's really are pretty crappy! :--D
 

Youngster Joey

Strata Poster
I can remember 2 off the top of my head. Top gun at CW (which could be burned to the ground and still not get what It deserves. The other being mind eraser at Darien Lake. A little head banging and vibration but no that bad. I willing go on it once or twice a trip but more than that is a bad idea.
 

gavin

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Vortex at Siam Park City was really, really smooth and probably the main reason that I tend to stick up for SLCs to some extent: the standard layout is very good. It's just too bad that too many of them are so rough that the layout becomes irrelevant. It had just been relocated and recently opened at the time, so no idea how it rides now though.

F2 Fright Flight was fine as well. Not as smooth as Vortex, but it still stood out above the majority of the others I've ridden. It had been open for 13-14 years by the time I rode it, which was quite surprising really.

I found Golden Wings in Snowfield (Kumali clone) to be very smooth, but it was brand new at the time so who knows?

The worst? That THING at Canada's Wonderland.
 

Martyn B

CF Legend
Kumali is fine, just a little bland.

Jubilee Odyssey is one of them coasters that can vary. But there's only one real 'headbang' moment, the rest is just bumps/rattles, which I find ok really.

Infusion - I like the coaster, it has a good layout, but there are waaay to much head banging, especially through the rolls.

Why is it they can make a big, fast SLC like JO, and it turns out fine (mostly), yet the standard SLC's are pretty awful?
 

madhjsp

Giga Poster
madhjsp said:
Slightly OT, but since we're talking about SLC's, does anyone know if this is actually true?

The UK's most rustic ride? This five-inversion rollercoaster is driven by a £4 million dung-powered generator, which converts manure into methane gas.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3637442/Top-50-rollercoasters.html

I guess some SLC's really are pretty crappy! :--D

I'm going to go ahead & rebut my own post, because after actually reading some of the things said in the link I provided, I've found there's plenty of reason to doubt the veracity of anything printed on the page. Here are some highlights:

For Megafobia said:
The tallest wooden coaster in Europe.

There are 11 taller ones..

For Antelope said:
The last wooden ride to be built in the UK to date.

Nevermind that Megafobia, the ride they mention just two spots up, was built a year later.

For Brean Leisure Park's Shockwave said:
Shockwave
Brean Leisure Park, Somerset
Track length 1,640ft
Height 120ft Drop 80ft
Maximum speed 53mph
Duration 1 hr 36 mins
G-force 4

With four inversions, this recreates the feel of a fighter aeroplane looping the loop.

Nevermind that this Shockwave only has one inversion... just look at that ride time! Must be a world record.

And then there are these gems:

For Nemesis said:
Nemesis was Europe's first 'inverted' rollercoaster (capable of turning people upside down), with four inversions.

For Stealth said:
Powered by rocket-style nitrogen boosters, this is Europe's second fastest (and - gasp! - third tallest) coaster, voted the UK's best.

For Kumali said:
A fantastic four-inversion, suspended coaster (cars hang from the track and swing from side to side), named after one of the zoo's tigers.

Good grief! :lol:
 

bmac

Giga Poster
Nor'Easter @ Morey's Piers has gotten much better over the last two years, I guess those "new" Vekoma trains finally got broken in. It's good for a little head rattling but it doesn't completely kill you like before.
 

Kebab

Giga Poster
Vortex at Siam Park City <3 I actually prefer it to Nemesis: Inferno, it's so **** good! It's such a surprise, just wished I had the same experience on Infusion for that matter. :(
 

gavin

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
^I always forget that someone else on here has actually ridden Vortex. I always worry that when I say how good it is it comes across as one of those "nobody else has ridden it, so I'll say that to brag" kind of posts.

Their Bommerang was very smooth as well I thought.
 
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