Talk me into the rip ride rockit

[nicki4013]

I love rollercoasters but I chickened out on the rip ride rockit last time I went to Universal. I planned to ride it but when I saw it , it freaked me out. It just doesn't look safe to me? so when I came back I googled to see how safe it was and read all this horrible stuff about how it barely passes inspection, barely qualifies for insurance, etc... I know logically all this stuff has to be false, but now I have it stuck in my mind. The thing is- I really REALLY want to ride it. I think once I do it once I would like it but I'm worried I'm gonna chicken out again. I know its totally irrational to think it will derail or whatnot but yikes. So tell me how safe and fun it is so I get the courage to go on it!

 

[lazyboy97o]

As with all fixed amusement rides you have a far better chance of being maimed on your drive to the park.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

Ok. As far as talking you into riding it...

You can play the Muppets "Moving Right Along" while riding a coaster.

That's all the incentive that is necessary.

As a well seasoned coaster enthusiast that has forgotten far more about rides than most people could ever hope to know... I will tell you that RRR is safe; but, that doesn't mean it doesn't have problems. The real issues stem from being long wheelbase (3 row) chassis with short wheelbase (2 row) cars. This means more weight is hanging unsprung over the axles which puts more wear and tear on the wheels and it also means that the cars in the train are connected by a much longer coupler that creates more torque than most rides on the joints. For the most part, these means the wheels and assemblies get the ever loving snot kicked out of them if compared to a ride that had the axels in the right place (the front and end of the cars). The wear on the wheels is what creates the wide range of smooth or rough rides depending on if your particular car has had them replaced recently.

It's safe as long as maintenance is kept up. Which is where the real issues with the Universal/Maurer dispute are. The amount of maintenance is much higher than anticipated.

The long wheelbase chassis/short wheelbase car has worked precisely never over the history of coasters. I have no idea why manufactures keep trying it - other than it allows the train to make transitions quicker. Manufacturers keep trying to add more capacity back in though and thus try adding more rows. Of course, B&M figured this out a long time ago and went with wider rows instead of longer chassis designs.

 

[nicki4013]

So it's fun but rough? How is the lap restraint on the loop? Is there any way to know if universal is keeping up the maintenace? I so wish I could xanax myself up before getting on it (like i do when I have to fly) but that would ruin the rest of the day.


I have never heard the muppets song- off to youtube.

 

[GLaDOS]

So it's fun but rough? How is the lap restraint on the loop? Is there any way to know if universal is keeping up the maintenace? I so wish I could xanax myself up before getting on it (like i do when I have to fly) but that would ruin the rest of the day.


I have never heard the muppets song- off to youtube.

1) I would not call it fun. IMO it is not a good coaster at all. Rough, boring, and short. Hulk and the two Dragons are great. RRR is awful.

2) There is no "loop" in the traditional sense. You're never upside down.

3) Universal, at least since 2011 when Comcast became the sole owner of the parks, has a pretty stellar maintenance record. They're not putting you on something if it's not safe.

 

[nicki4013]

The non inverted loop is part of why I really want to ride it. It actually looks scarier than a real loop.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

So it's fun but rough? How is the lap restraint on the loop? Is there any way to know if universal is keeping up the maintenace? I so wish I could xanax myself up before getting on it (like i do when I have to fly) but that would ruin the rest of the day.


I have never heard the muppets song- off to youtube.

The non inverted loop is part of why I really want to ride it. It actually looks scarier than a real loop.

It's not rough in the traditional sense of most steel coasters and certainly not like a wooden coaster (although the type of roughness is more akin to a wooden one). Steel rides that are "rough" are usually so because they have bad transitions that hit you into the restraints. If you are on a rough steel ride that has shoulder harnesses, that means you hit your head.

A wooden coaster is usually harder to define rough as a great wooden coaster is supposed to be wild and toss you around (up/down and side/side). Some people refer to a wild wooden coaster as rough because of this. True roughness on wooden coasters come from bad track work that is usually a bouncy/shaking feeling at the bottoms of drops or even on the turns.

Rockit is an odd duck because of what I was explaining about the issues with the chassis/wheels and the way the front and back seats in the car hang over the wheels. Sitting in the front or back seat of each car (not just front/back of the 2 car train), amplifies the bad wheels as the forces of the ride warp the wheel because of the chattering motion of the unsupported weight hanging over the chassis. It causes the wheels to wear unevenly and that in turn creates more of a wavy/chattering force on the car. The more it wears, the more it accelerates the wear and that creates more of the odd bumpy/wavy motion.

Rockit's roughness is more like driving over big speed bumps (or sleeping policeman if you are Martin). It's bouncy; but, it's not usually a sharp fast jolt like a rough wooden ride. Now, if you get a car with wheels that are on their last legs it can be much worse; but, for the most part - its roughness is tolerable since you don't have shoulder harnesses to beat your head on.

My major issue with Rockit is the saddlehorn in the seat that makes hitting those high notes for the onboard audio a bit easier when combined with the bit of airtime and landing on that wavy/bumpy feeling at the bottom of the drops. That is what hurts on the ride.

Try Rockit once. It's worth it for just one ride. The non-inverting loop is really fun especially in the front or back. Good airtime and lateral float going through it.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I enjoy Rockit, and I love the pressure of picking out which song I want to play!! The lift hill is honestly the worst part, it tricks you into the ride seeming far scarier than it is. It's a super fun coaster!

 

[cheezbat]

I'm
A big coaster junkie(ridden over 200 different coasters), but this one Is not in my top 100.

I won't talk you into it. My last 7 or so rides on it have been very rough and not fun. When it first opened it was ok, but its not great now. Personally, I would've rather have seen this torn down over Twister or Disaster...and even Shrek!

 

[BrerJon]

It's definitely worth doing once, and you don't have to worry about safety - Universal has extremely high standards in that department.

Depending on where you sit, time of day etc. it can shake you about a bit, it's not a pleasant smooth ride like Hulk or Dragons, but it's worth doing at least once as it's a little different, the music selection is fun and you get good views over the park, but it's unlikely to become a must-do.

 

[Minthorne]

It sucks.

 

[nicki4013]

Rockit is an odd duck because of what I was explaining about the issues with the chassis/wheels and the way the front and back seats in the car hang over the wheels. Sitting in the front or back seat of each car (not just front/back of the 2 car train), amplifies the bad wheels as the forces of the ride warp the wheel because of the chattering motion of the unsupported weight hanging over the chassis. It causes the wheels to wear unevenly and that in turn creates more of a wavy/chattering force on the car. The more it wears, the more it accelerates the wear and that creates more of the odd bumpy/wavy motion.

Rockit's roughness is more like driving over big speed bumps (or sleeping policeman if you are Martin). It's bouncy; but, it's not usually a sharp fast jolt like a rough wooden ride. Now, if you get a car with wheels that are on their last legs it can be much worse; but, for the most part - its roughness is tolerable since you don't have shoulder harnesses to beat your head on.

My major issue with Rockit is the saddlehorn in the seat that makes hitting those high notes for the onboard audio a bit easier when combined with the bit of airtime and landing on that wavy/bumpy feeling at the bottom of the drops. That is what hurts on the ride.

Try Rockit once. It's worth it for just one ride. The non-inverting loop is really fun especially in the front or back. Good airtime and lateral float going through it.

Thank you! The top paragraph makes me feel better about it b/c it explains why the seats look the way they do and why it looks rickety! I need to save this thread on my phone and read it b/c I (hopefully) go on it in may. Before I have to lock my stuff up in 1 of the lockers of course!

My next thing will be to figure out what song to pick. I want to see the video of my 1st ride so that limits what songs I can pick.

 

[BubbaQuest]

I love RRR. I've been to the park twice, about a year and half apart, and had no problems with roughness. I rode it about 6 times with a least 2 of those in the front seat. Smooth every time. It wasn't until I returned from my first trip that I heard anything about roughness on this thing. Hulk was MUCH rougher than RRR on my second trip.

It's very possible I just got lucky, but I've definitely been on much rougher coasters. Compared to an Arrow corkscrew, this thing is butter smooth!

The RRR loop flip is great. Since there are no shoulder harnesses, you feel totally free twisting out of the loop and going over all the bunny hops. It's the loading/lift that is the most intense because you transition so quickly from loading to suddenly looking straight up. Beyond that, it's just a great, fast little coaster.

Hope this helps. Do it!!! The parking lot is probably more dangerous than this thing

 

[JT3000]

While Rockit isn't smooth as butter, I've still never had a ride on it I would classify as "rough," although I'm not exactly a coaster aficionado. It's pretty unremarkable IMO.

As for the ride's safety, it's at Universal, not a state fair. You aren't going to derail.

 

[Todd H]

I wanted to like it when I rode it for the first time but the roughness coupled with the restraint system had me singing a couple of octaves higher after I departed the ride if you know what I mean.

 

[Timekeeper]

I like RRR for what it is. It's worth riding because it has unique ride elements that aren't available in other coasters in the area. I have found Space Mountain, Dragons, and Hulk (in its latter years before the rebuild) to be physically bumpier/shakier ride experiences. As someone else pointed out, the shoulder harness element on the inverting coasters may be what exaggerates the shaking that often results in the post-ride headache.

I'm not sure that someone can really be a "coaster enthusiast" if they're allergic to bumps and shakes.

 

[sonoma15]

RRR is safe and great, just remember too sit in the first car and not the second and it won't be that rough.

 

[nicki4013]

I like RRR and don't think it's very rough. Space Mountain is 10 times rougher. The first climb straight up looks scary but it's fast so even if you panic, you really don't have time to get all worked up. LOL. Guess that's probably not a comment to put you at ease.

Actually that helps too! Space Mountain doesn't bother me at all. Now to just get past the lift, ugh.

I think I am weird- I actually prefer the shoulder harness to the lap ones.

 

[matt9112]

RRR is a fun ride and it's not nearly as rough as some people are making it out to seem. Maybe they never rode a compact inverted coaster. That's rough. In any case the air time Is where the roughness is coming from. When you go into the airtime elements (like the top hat) you get "pulled" right back down very quickly and it's unique and unfortunate but the ride is not bad and I have been on plenty of harsher rides. The aforementioned compact steel looping coaster from VeKoma comes to mind.

 

[danpam1024]

If you don't want to screw up your back for the rest of your vacation, you need to keep your core engaged throughout the entire coaster. Thank goodness for plank