Alpengeist
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
So, as I have mentioned elsewhere, we compared the front and back seat of each coaster this weekend. Generally, this experiment confirmed my previously held belief that I prefer the back of the train. Alpengeist was the exception.
We were surprised to discover that we actually prefer the front seat of Alpie. I think it is because there is no straight hill, and the speed seems to be fairly consistent throughout the ride and the train. Since the ride feels fairly similar in the front and the back, the other things like visuals and wind became more important. The end result was that we agreed that we would probably ride Alpengeist in the front seat from now on.
Anyway, I thought I'd share, since I've been so vocal about the superiority of the back seat on roller coasters in general in the past.
We were surprised to discover that we actually prefer the front seat of Alpie. I think it is because there is no straight hill, and the speed seems to be fairly consistent throughout the ride and the train. Since the ride feels fairly similar in the front and the back, the other things like visuals and wind became more important. The end result was that we agreed that we would probably ride Alpengeist in the front seat from now on.
Anyway, I thought I'd share, since I've been so vocal about the superiority of the back seat on roller coasters in general in the past.
I read through the many posts in this thread and do not see a reference to how amazingly quiet the first hill climb was for Alpengeist during the first season or two. Anyone else remember this? Today it clanks with the best of coasters but in that first year or two it was a silent and stealthy beauty! It also was my first experience with a coaster that had an accelerated first hill climb. I remember thinking, "Slow down; I'm not ready!" She's a little noisy today, but Alpengeist is still my favorite ride at BGW.
Welcome to the Forums Geo! I think the word 'clanks' may be a slight understatement. 'Close range machine gun' might be more realistic. I rode the front seat last weekend and It was so loud that I felt like they should be handing out earplugs. The other seats don't seem as loud as the front. I guess I need to get used to it because I'm never riding anywhere except the front on Alpie again. It's (in my opinion) way better than any other seat.GeoUSA said:
On Alpengeist the 'odd' numbered cars are the ones with the anti-rollback ratchets. Technically Row 1 on Alpie is actually Row 2 for the train due to the Zero car, which on B&Ms all the even numbered rows have the anti-rollback ratchets. When you're on a ratchet row you hear it, and sometimes feel it (Gwazi, Hydra).
Ah, I remember the early years when Alpie had a totally silent lift. I wonder what caused it to be silent initially and what caused it to become so loud. I realize age has a lot to do with this but I would like to know what mechanically happens to create a sound when there was none before.
I don't know why, but I kind of like the loud clanking of the anti-rollback system. It's one of the first things I think of, when I think of Rhinefeld. It is kind of unique to the ride if you ask me. Really, if I had to choose one of the park's roller coaster's anti-rollback to be quieted, it would be Griffon's. I find it a lot more obnoxious compared to Alpengeist's.
I just turned to the mechanical engineer sitting next to me and asked him what he thought. He suggested that it might have had some kind of nylon coating or similar. Apparently they use nylon to protect stuff from wear. But that is entirely hypothetical.
^this is a great guess! Very similar to my old dirtbikes when I was younger. They have what is called a chain slider, a hard nylon piece that the chain slides across to keep it from rubbing on the rear swingarm linkage. Over time, the chain wears through the slider and it becomes loud as the chain scrapes across. Same principle 
Nicole said:
You just so happened to be sitting next to a mechanical engineer!!
I imported him from Ohio for his magical house-fixing skills.
Nicole said:
I wanted to quote this because I'm glad someone else experienced this. As someone who prefers the back seat on roller coasters, Alpengeist is better ride in the front row. I took my first front seat ride last year was blown away how much more fun the front was compared to the back row. It felt like there was a lot more pacing, and it was slightly more forceful. It's weird because I find Montu the exact opposite.