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The first entry in this thread is a WikiPost. As such, it can be edited by anyone with the appropriate permissions.

Manufacturer
ZIERER

Model
Elevated Seating Coaster w/ Vertical Drop Element

Hamlet
Oktoberfest (Germany)

Official Opening
May 18, 2012

Soft Opening
May 11, 2012

Tallest Drop
88ft


Top Speed
53mph

Inversion Count
0

Launch Segments
2

Riders Per Train
16

Number of Trains
5

Height Requirement
48in



Verbolten is an indoor/outdoor ZIERER Elevated Seating Coaster that features a Vertical Drop Element. It officially opened in mid-May 2012 on the site formally occupied by the Arrow Suspended Coaster, Big Bad Wolf.


Videos​

Development Documentary​

Ride Recordings​

On-Ride Videos​

Backstage Footage​

 
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Can I get some context on which direction is which? And how whichever software you used measures its data in reference to these "axes"?

I'm working on answering these questions if not today, tomorrow, as I share some of these questions.

To elaborate.. this is something I thought of at the last moment. So I literally downloaded the app as I was next in queue for alpie. My buddy saw what I was doing so also downloaded the app.

I know literally nothing about the app, I just wanted to get the data. So when I have some time I'm going to play with it and then I'll put some analysis to the numbers and post results
 
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Appreciate it. I'm curious if the app measures the data based off of the phone's orientation off of a set stable axes, or if it establishes the phone's position as the axes.

If the latter is true, then your phone not being perfectly flat and stable in your pocket effectively makes the data useless, unless you know the angles off of flat your phone was in your pocket. Which is likely impossible, considering your phone was probably shifting in your pocket.

Regardless of the specifics, it is cool to see some comparison between bolt and alpie.
 
Appreciate it. I'm curious if the app measures the data based off of the phone's orientation off of a set stable axes, or if it establishes the phone's position as the axes.

If the latter is true, then your phone not being perfectly flat and stable in your pocket effectively makes the data useless, unless you know the angles off of flat your phone was in your pocket. Which is likely impossible, considering your phone was probably shifting in your pocket.

Regardless of the specifics, it is cool to see some comparison between bolt and alpie.

Okay I am done testing and have the following to say about the data:

The app's axes are static, x is forward and backward, y is side to side and z is up and down.

So, to answer @Ice this is one aspect I did think of ahead of time. I took care to place my phone in my pocket the same time each way. It was facedown against my thigh and my shorts were reasonably tight so I am confident that movements in my pocket were minimal.

Of course, since I had no way to place the device in a way that was perfectly flat and level, the axis data is therefore, not incredibly valuable. However, the overall g-force (top graph) should be pretty accurate.
 
It's much more likely that Zierer has it than the park, but I've never heard of a ride manufacturer responding to that kind of request.
 
What would they have to lose though? I could see people wanting it for legitimate medical reasons (although the park would just tell people not to ride). But is it really a trade secret on how many G's a coaster pulls?
 
What would they have to lose though? I could see people wanting it for legitimate medical reasons (although the park would just tell people not to ride). But is it really a trade secret on how many G's a coaster pulls?

Some rides advertise the g-forces. That's where this whole discussion came from. We we're trying to compare the forces on bolt to Apollo's and aplie for which data is advertised.
 
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Some rides advertise the g-forces. That's where this whole discussion came from. We we're trying to compare the forces on bolt to Apollo's and aplie for which data is advertised.


But then that could be part of a non disclosure agreement since if the actual forces are different from what's advertised (even by a slim margin) there's now a potential for someone to make a false advertising claim.

Definitely not a lawyer, but would figure that even if the case goes nowhere the PR damage alone may not be worth the risk.

Or they could go ahead and release but stipulate that sampled data may vary, etc.
 
Or, maybe they don't publish it because the average GP could care less.

I was meaning in the case of the suggested inquiry since chances are the person/entity asking questions may have malicious intent from what little they (park/manufacturer/etc) would be able to determine.

Otherwise, I totally agree the average person may not know or care much about it if it wasn't something they had picked up from advertising/marketing... Or the old BGW physics field trip days.
 
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I was meaning in the case of the suggested inquiry since chances are the person/entity asking questions may have malicious intent from what little they (park/manufacturer/etc) would be able to determine.

Otherwise, I totally agree the average person may not know or care much about it if it wasn't something they had picked up from advertising/marketing... Or the old BGW physics field trip days.

I don't think manufacturers would assume malicious intent, and as far as I know releasing G data wouldn't open anyone up to legal or PR issues. It's more that that data was never intended for public consumption, except for maybe in small blurbs like "Max G of 3.5!" Even as someone who works with data for a living, responding to data inquiries is complicated. If someone emails Zierer's publicly facing customer service asking for G data, customer service has to actually understand where to send the request, and then someone has to dig around just to find the records. What if those records are only a huge file of measurements with a lot of extra information that's hard to parse? What if they're in a weird proprietary data format? What if only the retired testing engineer has a copy and you have to reach out to him? Even if they had a nice neat copy of those data on hand, you'd still probably want to summarize them before sending them out to the requester. At this point, why would a manufacturer, who is paid by parks and not by the public, even bother? That's SO MUCH effort for a small thing, even if it would be a nice gesture.
 
I don't think manufacturers would assume malicious intent, and as far as I know releasing G data wouldn't open anyone up to legal or PR issues. It's more that that data was never intended for public consumption, except for maybe in small blurbs like "Max G of 3.5!" Even as someone who works with data for a living, responding to data inquiries is complicated. If someone emails Zierer's publicly facing customer service asking for G data, customer service has to actually understand where to send the request, and then someone has to dig around just to find the records. What if those records are only a huge file of measurements with a lot of extra information that's hard to parse? What if they're in a weird proprietary data format? What if only the retired testing engineer has a copy and you have to reach out to him? Even if they had a nice neat copy of those data on hand, you'd still probably want to summarize them before sending them out to the requester. At this point, why would a manufacturer, who is paid by parks and not by the public, even bother? That's SO MUCH effort for a small thing, even if it would be a nice gesture.


Other great points to consider... Which brings back to the cool idea here of using your own devices as allowed on the ride to get your own measurements as was provided in a previous post.

Really curious if the data posted lines up with expectations from the construction update marketing videos that VB would provide an intentional heavier lateral g force by not banking the track as much as other rides with similar velocities and turn radii.
 
So does this data definitely prove that Verbolten is the worst roller coaster ever built?
No, this probably will:

Really curious if the data posted lines up with expectations from the construction update marketing videos that VB would provide an intentional heavier lateral g force by not banking the track as much as other rides with similar velocities and turn radii.
The exaggerated laterals are precisely why the ride is uncomfortable. Wooden coasters (and RMC I-Box coasters) can get away with a lateral-heavy experience because most have buckety seats.

That said, I will concede that it does fit the "slamming the accelerator and swerving like hell" theme of the ride. (Mystic Timbers still did it better.)
 
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Also I have that same app, and it’s not very accurate. For it to work properly you have to level the phone and mount it level. Unless you do that the axis’ get screwy. Take the first spike. That’s, the first helix, and it’s showing forwards force (like breaking), shows the force inwards (should be out) and down (should be up). And while it’s tilted in the pocket, some of the axis’ forces get added making it look greater than it really is in each direction.
 
I essentially said all of that. The axis data is of negligible value. However, since I took care to keep the device in approximately the same position on both bolt and alpie, you can still make accurate comparisons between the two.
 
I love Verbolten, so take this as a statement from someone who does not think Verbolten is bad.

Verbolten is one of the rattliest steel coasters I've ever been on. It somehow has a worse and more irritating rattle than Nessie. The worst part is at the bottom turn after the Rhine drop. It's gotten absolutely atrocious over time way too quickly in my opinion, and I can't help but attribute that to Zierer's lack of experience in this area and the fact that the components were very vulnerable to fatigue.

The rattle alone makes it uncomfortable in my eyes, no matter how much I love the ride experience itself.
 
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The first entry in this thread is a WikiPost. As such, it can be edited by anyone with the appropriate permissions.
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