I've just come back from my first visit to Blackpool, i heard alot of people don't think that the big one is a great coaster but i thought it was amazing and not just the drop the whole ride, it was a real rush but. has it always been that rough? As much as i enjoyed it i found it quite painful on some parts of the track which is a shame because it really took away from the thrill, ive not long come back and have bruises already, is there anyway they could make it smoother and if so are there any plans to do so in the nearby future?

Thanks, Ste

PMBO aint to bad just its too rough and to say it was the worlds tallest coaster (wasnt it) its really let its self go. I doubt they would be able to make it smoother the only way would be redesign the whole track or remove parts. IMO i dont reckon much to it but maybe thats because im not a big fan of BPB but the ride dosent give me the thrills of other smaller coasters :) Many people will have different views on it!

The end where you turn around near valhalla, that courner already had its track re profiled a few years ago to make it smoother, and the track that they took away is now part of the frontage structure for valhalla.

Oh i didnt know that it still seems rough, and i don really like riding it. But i dont really like Blackpool itself thats whats always put me off, no offence to people but i think its tacky.

It seems to me to be all about the drop, and from other people i herd the actually ride was poor. imo Oblivion is the best drop in the UK Although PMBO is one of a few hypers. I dont think it is as good as a lot of other rides.

One of the main issue's with the PMBO rough-ness is due to the wind, Blackpool suffer's from extremely high wind's, couple that with a stripped down mine train car that is only a chassis and a fibre glass shell - you have serious buffeting problem's, the wind resistance usually wont affect a large, heavy car, where as the PMBO train's only wiegh nine and a half ton's (which is light for a coaster train, B&M seven row Inverter car's weight double that, so they suffer a great deal from the wind.

Ofcourse, the ride itself would'nt be glass smooth in a windless environment, but the difference would be noticable, but personally, I like the ride, it does'nt blow you away, but it's a good fun ride, plus the drop is a great start to the ride.

Shame about the brake run before the helix though, stupid crash! :oops:

crash? What crash? I'm intregued. please go on?

crash? What crash? I'm intregued. please go on?

The PMBO has had a few incidents where the brakes before the final helix did not work, and the train went flying into the back on the one still in the station. Has not happend for ages though.

Supprising, I new about the crash although I wasn't sure about the cause, but i thought that brakes were meant to have a failsafe on them.

that courner already had its track re profiled a few years ago to make it smoother

They also reprofiled the first drop. Can't remember what year that was in though

Right and now the reasons why I think PMBO is pretty rubbish:

-BPB's woodies make it look rubish.

-Those hills on it lack air time.

-The trains suck.

-The midcourse kills the ride and leads into the most boring helix ever and when the ride picks up speed again it ends.

-There are only two decent bits the drop and the high bend.

-I bet that Intamin Giga's are ten times better as well. But yeah that's only my oppinion.

Why is everyone having a pop at Blackpool Pleasure Beach ? :evil: I think it is the best park after Alton Towers as it has so many rides and it is open till late night ! Grand National is the best wooden coaster ever and Valhalla is the best water/dark ride i have ever been on ! Yes, blackpool may be a bit tacky but it has that english seaside feeling to it and the illuminations are just awesome :D

Whats your thoughts on Valhalla ? :)

Valhalla is a great ride, would of been a bit better with some of the corny themeing taken away and some effects actually working!

The pepsi max big one is quiet awful TBH.
The height, the drop and maybe the dive underground are the only good bits.

Just a rubbish attempt to get the record for worlds tallest, fastest coaster of its time. It very nearly made me yawn the first time i went on it, that helix after the 1st set of brakes is absolutly pointless and rubbish, the ride might just get a bit better with out it.
There are some good things about the pleasure beach, but the majority of it is tacky in my opinion.

First of all, i never realized how big BPB is, its got over 100 rides.
I have never ridden the Pepsi Max but have always wanted to. It looks like a great ride but after all the nai saying im not so sure. Maybe its got to much hyp. It looks like a great ride but may not be what i imagine it being like. When i get the chance to go to Blackpool, ill go on it and see.

Also, Blackpools wooden coasters are quality, Grand National is a great ride.

The ride does vary greatly. I went on it four times when I went up 4 weeks ago. The first & second rides were ok, bit rough in places. The third ride was awful - so so rough, it really put me off but my mate was insistant that he wanted to ride it in the dark a few hours later and do you know what? It was one of the smoothest rides I have ever had on a coaster. Really enjoyed it, for once there actually seemed to be air time, the cornering felt perfect which led me to the conclusion that it is the weather and not the coaster. Must have hit the ride at a really windy point on ride 3 and a calm spell for ride 4.

I do agree with the comments on the breaks - they just kill the ride.

Why is everyone having a pop at Blackpool Pleasure Beach ? Evil or Very Mad I think it is the best park after Alton Towers as it has so many rides and it is open till late night ! Grand National is the best wooden coaster ever and Valhalla is the best water/dark ride i have ever been on ! Yes, blackpool may be a bit tacky but it has that english seaside feeling to it and the illuminations are just awesome Very Happy

BPB is in my top 5 parks I just said the Big One was average. Most of the other rides are great.

Whats your thoughts on Valhalla ? Smile

That it's a pretty good ride despite the fact the theming is random and the backwards drop sucks.

"X_da_C" wrote:

It seems to me to be all about the drop, and from other people i herd the actually ride was poor. imo Oblivion is the best drop in the UK Although PMBO is one of a few hypers. I dont think it is as good as a lot of other rides.

How can you have an opinion on a ride that you have never been on?! You dont think its as good as a lot of rides? How would you know.

Why is everyone having a pop at Blackpool Pleasure Beach ? I think it is the best park after Alton Towers as it has so many rides and it is open till late night !

Its better than Alton Towers.

PMBO is an amazing coaster, of course you lot will moan because your beloved AT have B&M coasters, well PMBO is a rough coaster because its made by a company who make rough coasters and if the ride wasnt rough it wouldnt add to the fun, so get over the fact its rough.

PMBO is an amazing coaster, of course you lot will moan because your beloved AT have B&M coasters, well PMBO is a rough coaster because its made by a company who make rough coasters and if the ride wasnt rough it wouldnt add to the fun, so get over the fact its rough.

When I went on it wasn't very rough but the roughness isn't really the problem. The main problem is that it's pretty boring and the other BPB rides are 10X better.

that it's pretty boring

Compared to Rita, nothing at BPB is boring. The layout for PMBO is pretty good IMO, for the space they had to work with the ride couldnt of been much better and I think BPB did a really good job with it. Its certainly better than Air, Oblivion and Rita thats for sure :roll:

Its certainly better than Air, Oblivion and Rita thats for sure

Maybe in your oppinion. But personally I'd rather feel like I'm flying, plunge vertically into a pit and launch from 0-60 in 2secs then go over some great air time hills than over some forceless hills and other dull elements.