What's wrong with Mean Streak?

[southpuddle]

It's a wooden coaster. It's not going to be smooth. Tough it out.

 

You poor California people.

 

I may be from California, but I'm pretty well-traveled. I found Voyage (my favorite woodie, BTW) to be rougher than Mean Streak. Ghostrider... rougher. Son of Beast... rougher - duh. Certain rides on Blue Streak have been ten times rougher than any of my rides on Mean Streak. I just don't see how MS could possibly be rough - it's just going so slow the whole time. The thing is, I don't care if a woodie is rough - it's supposed to be. Maybe it's just my body size that prevents me from banging my knees or ribs on the car. I'm average height... 5'8". Out of the 38 woodies I've been on, the only one that I honestly wanted off of was Son of Beast

[lapseofreason]

I guess I should ask here.

 

I found Psyclone to be rough as f**k. I was laughing when we pulled back into the station as to how much the coaster had lived up to its reputation. It hurt, but I was expressing more of a "OMFG that sucked" pain than anything.

 

What can I expect from Mean Streak, possessing this mentality?

[pianojohn]

For me, the thing that sucks about Mean Streak is that it LOOKS like it should be so awesome, but it fails miserably. It is slow, rough, non-exciting, no air, etc. Potential for a good ride: 10. Living up to that potential: 2.

 

I have been on many coasters half as tall with twice as much fun. Even at CP give me Blue Streak over Mean Streak. Of course, they have also ruined Blue Streak by changing the station flow and adding the seatbelts and head rests to the trains.

 

Back in the 80's (maybe even the 90's), the ride op crew was awesome at dispatching trains quickly and safely with just the beige lap bar. Remember that? And the entrance to the coaster was on the right side of the house, not behind it.

[MisterP]

I like what it tries to be with the train winding through its own structure (which I'm a sucker for). But just too teeth chattering. Rough is one thing, but jeez..

[ghost007jas]

For me, the thing that sucks about Mean Streak is that it LOOKS like it should be so awesome, but it fails miserably. It is slow, rough, non-exciting, no air, etc. Potential for a good ride: 10. Living up to that potential: 2.

 

I felt the same way. The ride looks so amazing, but then you get on and.. well, it's Mean Streak.

[ginzo]

The thing is, I don't care if a woodie is rough - it's supposed to be.

 

No, they're not supposed to be rough. Roughness is a function of poor design/construction/maintenance. You can't find a single wooden coaster vendor that brags about how rough their wooden coasters are. And, if they did, this would be equivalent to them putting up a big "PLEASE SUE US" sign outside of their office.

 

http://www.greatcoasters.com/

 

The art and craftsmanship of constructing the track to exact specifications ensures a smooth ride for the guest, and minimal maintenance for the operator.

[Wes]

Everyone who said it's not the roughness that makes it suck as much as the slowness and forgettable layout is 10000% correct. It definitely wasn't rough, if it was rough I would have remembered it. I honestly have no recollection of any part of the ride beyond cresting the drop. It's just stupid.

[ginzo]

Everyone who said it's not the roughness that makes it suck as much as the slowness and forgettable layout is 10000% correct. It definitely wasn't rough, if it was rough I would have remembered it. I honestly have no recollection of any part of the ride beyond cresting the drop. It's just stupid.

 

Did you ride it after it rained? Mean Streak is quite rough at times. It wasn't the worst roughness I ever felt, but more like a really annoying vibration that made my forearms itch.

[southpuddle]

^^^ When I say 'rough' I mean bumpy - being able to feel the vibrations and the imperfections that are inherent in the wood structure - not rough as in painful. It just seems to me that a lot of people feel these bumps and vibrations and assume that it's hurting them when it really isn't. Another poster above a few pages back said this as well, but I really do think that today's riders have become pampered to the point where just the tiny bumps and shuffling of the trains (that EVERY wooden coaster has!) is equivalent to it being a bad ride... 'rough' as they say.

 

My top 10 wooden coasters:

1-Voyage

2-El Toro

3-Beast

4-Shivering Timbers

5-Kennywood Thunderbolt

6-Ghostrider

7-Coney Island Cyclone

8-Santa Cruz Giant Dipper

9-Kennywood Jackrabbit

10-Legend

[Philrad71]

Back in the 80's (maybe even the 90's), the ride op crew was awesome at dispatching trains quickly and safely with just the beige lap bar. Remember that? And the entrance to the coaster was on the right side of the house, not behind it.

 

Heck yes! I used to love the Blue Streak back when there was only the biege lap bar. The air time was incredible! I have only ridden it couple of times since they changed the queue line and dispatch and was severely disappointed over it's roughness and lack of airtime. I don't think that I will even bother with this one anymore during my visits.

 

As far as Mean Streak, I have been on plenty of coasters both steel and wood that I thought were far worse. While it definitely has been tamed down since it's debut, it is worthy of one ride during a visit. Ride it in the front at night if you're going to do it at all. You actually feel like you're going faster. Oh okay...a couple of JD and Pepsi's before you ride will help too! Geez!

[vjgx]

Take the trim off the first drop and it'd be a good ride.

 

Otherwise, I have no problems with the ride... it's just too slow for the course.

[JimmyBo]

I think Mean Streak is bad because looking at almost all Cedar Fair wooden coasters...they are about good for one year and then thye just let them go. Look at GhostRider at Knott's. That coaster was amazing the first couple of years and now it has gone down hill. I don't think Cedar Fair likes to keep up their wooden coasters as much as they would their steel coasters and woodies need a lot more attention than steels.

Hopefully, Renegade won't fall into the category of Cedar Fair woodies that are good for a little bit and then suck later on in life.

 

Holiday World has three amazing wooden coasters and they are able to keep those coasters running well. I think it's Cedar Fair's fault for not keeping the ride up. They add trims to slow the coaster down so they won't have to work on it as much as they would have. True Holiday World did the same thing with Voyage but at least there aren't trims until the first half is over.

 

That's my two pennies...blame it on the company for being lazy and not keeping the ride up to its potential.

 

Jimmy "Mean Streak was ok in the beginning...now it just hurts" Bo

[CoasterComet]

Mean Streak opened in 1991 and it was fantastic. It was fast and VERY smooth! After Texas Giant opened in 1990, Cedar Point wanted one. Then they found out TG was tearing itself apart (it was!). So they wanted something tamer. What they got was basically a Texas Giant, with 1/2 as many hills in the same size footprint.

 

I worked at the point 91-93, so I rode that ride alot. It was so fast and fun the first year. Still, it was nothing compared to the Giant. I think by around '93 it started showing serious signs of wear. The 3rd drop - one of the best spots on the ride and one of only a couple air time moments - was reprofiled.

 

The trim brake was added to the first drop, etc.

 

I think it was Bill Cobb who said when you build a woodie over 100 feet, you're "asking for trouble."

 

As far as the Blue Streak goes, that is one in a LOOONG line of Cedar Fair travesty/makeovers. I'd love to do a story sometime on what it was like to work on that ride the last 2 years before they ruined it. It's rough now b/c (even with all the extra supports) all those headrests and lap bar mechanisms add like 200 pounds to each car. It's very sad to even look at the ride now. I will never ride either of those woodies again.

 

In fact (not like anyone cares, just giving my opinion) I have no reason to go back to the Po!nt until something REALLY cool is added. Haven't been since 2000 and I don't feel I'm missing anything (I've been on Kingda Ka, and some great Intamin rides like Storm Runner - so CP is just hype to me and obviously is not as well-run as it used to be).

 

A GOOD woodie or something really innovative I guess. But I can go to Great America here in Chicago and get much better rides than at the point (including a top 10 woodie and another one that is both BIG and Fun! very rare thing...)

[Tanks4me05]

today's riders have become pampered to the point where just the tiny bumps and shuffling of the trains (that EVERY wooden coaster has!) is equivalent to it being a bad ride... 'rough' as they say.

 

FINALLY, someone gets wise and actually has a mindset similar to that of my own.

[CoasterComet]

^heheh!

 

I love wild coasters. Hell, I once rode the Screechin' Eagle at American 64 times in one day. I love the CI Cyclone, Voyage and a bunch of other coasters that are wild and maintained properly.

 

I think there are some that are 'rough' in a way that is not really supposed to be the way to run them! How do you put it? Ones I have ridden recently that are in that category are the GA Cyclone and Predator at Darien Lake. Both had very nasty pot-holes and were very jarring. When you have a HEADACE from a ride with NO shoulder bars, that is a problem.

 

Those coasters, unless brought up in quality, will hurt someone or just be torn down. BOTH of those rides were once FIRMLY in most top 10 lists.

 

One coaster that used to be very painful but is much better now is the American Eagle. When the out run was still all-wood track, it got unbearable. Now, even though it has the 'steel I-beam track' in place, it is pretty smooth.

 

And of course, we all know about SOB. That was a nightmare.

 

There is a big difference between 'wild-rough' and 'maintenance-rough'. One is good and the other is b/c the ride is not being maintained properly (and there are MANY woodies that were built so wild, it is a struggle to keep them up. Just look at the the top rated woodies of '89-'99, most are pretty cruddy rides now. Luckily there are places like Holidayworld, Indiana Beach and Silverwood up to bat.)

[dammie16@vt.edu]

The only time Mean Streak was "Painful" rough was when I sat in the back. The front and middle were just ordinary woodie to me, vibrations and bumps but nothing painful.

 

Edit: Meant to also say I've made a pretty popular topic here, though popular for hating this ride!

[supermanrosfan0810]

Mean Streak is my least favorite of all 73 coasters I've ridden, (Yes, it's worse than jiddy coasters to me) This is no GP exaggeration, my chest was hurting after that ride (around my heart!) from getting thrown around so much. I was terrified, it felt like a freaking heart attack. You'd have to pay me to ride that thing again.

[RIP Psyclone]

I think it was Bill Cobb who said when we build you a woodie over 100 feet, or any height for that matter, you're "asking for trouble."

 

To pull an EBL, corrected for truth.

 

Many other companies have broke the 100 foot mark, successfully. Fortunately Cobb/Summers will torture us no more.

[Astat]

Mean Streak opened in 1991 and it was fantastic. It was fast and VERY smooth! After Texas Giant opened in 1990, Cedar Point wanted one. Then they found out TG was tearing itself apart (it was!). So they wanted something tamer. What they got was basically a Texas Giant, with 1/2 as many hills in the same size footprint.

 

I worked at the point 91-93, so I rode that ride alot. It was so fast and fun the first year. Still, it was nothing compared to the Giant. I think by around '93 it started showing serious signs of wear. The 3rd drop - one of the best spots on the ride and one of only a couple air time moments - was reprofiled.

 

The trim brake was added to the first drop, etc.

 

I think it was Bill Cobb who said when you build a woodie over 100 feet, you're "asking for trouble."

 

As far as the Blue Streak goes, that is one in a LOOONG line of Cedar Fair travesty/makeovers. I'd love to do a story sometime on what it was like to work on that ride the last 2 years before they ruined it. It's rough now b/c (even with all the extra supports) all those headrests and lap bar mechanisms add like 200 pounds to each car. It's very sad to even look at the ride now. I will never ride either of those woodies again.

 

In fact (not like anyone cares, just giving my opinion) I have no reason to go back to the Po!nt until something REALLY cool is added. Haven't been since 2000 and I don't feel I'm missing anything (I've been on Kingda Ka, and some great Intamin rides like Storm Runner - so CP is just hype to me and obviously is not as well-run as it used to be).

 

A GOOD woodie or something really innovative I guess. But I can go to Great America here in Chicago and get much better rides than at the point (including a top 10 woodie and another one that is both BIG and Fun! very rare thing...)

 

Dinn woodies tearing themselves apart/being maintenance nightmares really isn't surprising. When you look at the list of coasters that came out of the same stable as Mean Streak, it kind of becomes apparent that it's not just an isolated case with this ride - Texas Giant, Hercules, Raging Wolf Bobs, Predator, Psyclone, Georgia Cyclone, etc...As you said, Mean Streak was a direct result of Texas Giant, and Cedar Fair just got screwed by dealing with the same company that built it. Hercules and Mean Streak were almost certainly the reason Cedar Fair had woodie-phobia for about a decade.

[almightyfire]

Humm this is interesting. I haven't watched a topic as much as i have this one. I still don't see the big difference in Texas Giant today and when i first rode it in 1992. In 92 I rode it 5 times and I was so sore that I couldnt move the next day. Guess what it is still the same and I will ride it only once now. It isnt because it is too rough, it is because they dont open it until 1pm and the line gets long and by that time I am ready to go. It is still one of my top 5 woodies. I just love that ride and I don't see the big difference in performance than when it first opened. I didnt see a big difference in Mean Streak either. It was fun to me. I stilll say most have gotten used to the ride of a steel coaster because of the over abundance of them in the industry. I am going to ride SOB this year and I can't wait. The Boardwalk Bullet beats me up everytime I ride it and I will sit there and ride it till I faint. Now the only ride that acutally made me bleed was Drachen Fire and thats because My leg hit the corner of the car on one of the inversions and cut my knee. Now that was a rough coaster to me and I love rough coasters.

[Astat]

Humm this is interesting. I haven't watched a topic as much as i have this one. I still don't see the big difference in Texas Giant today and when i first rode it in 1992. In 92 I rode it 5 times and I was so sore that I couldnt move the next day. Guess what it is still the same and I will ride it only once now. It isnt because it is too rough, it is because they dont open it until 1pm and the line gets long and by that time I am ready to go. It is still one of my top 5 woodies. I just love that ride and I don't see the big difference in performance than when it first opened. I didnt see a big difference in Mean Streak either. It was fun to me. I stilll say most have gotten used to the ride of a steel coaster because of the over abundance of them in the industry. I am going to ride SOB this year and I can't wait. The Boardwalk Bullet beats me up everytime I ride it and I will sit there and ride it till I faint. Now the only ride that acutally made me bleed was Drachen Fire and thats because My leg hit the corner of the car on one of the inversions and cut my knee. Now that was a rough coaster to me and I love rough coasters.

 

Well, TG opened in 1990, by the time you rode it in '92 it had already had 2 years to wear itself down. Wood coasters are more sensitive to breaking-in periods when they're new, because the structure breathes/shifts until it settles into a "comfortable" position. Consequently, this is why most wood coasters that start off as good rides but go downhill, go downhill rather quickly. Check out Shivering Timbers or Ghostrider for example, those were world-renowned wood coasters when they opened, and now a lot of people just flat out don't like them. Both are only turning 10 years old this year.

[CoasterComet]

Humm this is interesting. I haven't watched a topic as much as i have this one. I still don't see the big difference in Texas Giant today and when i first rode it in 1992. In 92 I rode it 5 times and I was so sore that I couldnt move the next day. Guess what it is still the same and I will ride it only once now. It isnt because it is too rough, it is because they dont open it until 1pm and the line gets long and by that time I am ready to go. It is still one of my top 5 woodies. I just love that ride and I don't see the big difference in performance than when it first opened. I didnt see a big difference in Mean Streak either. It was fun to me. I stilll say most have gotten used to the ride of a steel coaster because of the over abundance of them in the industry. I am going to ride SOB this year and I can't wait. The Boardwalk Bullet beats me up everytime I ride it and I will sit there and ride it till I faint. Now the only ride that acutally made me bleed was Drachen Fire and thats because My leg hit the corner of the car on one of the inversions and cut my knee. Now that was a rough coaster to me and I love rough coasters.

 

Last time I rode Texas Giant was '95. When it opened in 1990 it was fast AND very smooth (common for a woodie). The entrance to the helix was near-lethal. I banged heads with someone at least once. It had airtime and laterals galore. The 2nd and 3rd drops were nearly terrifying. The double up was outta control.

 

In 1995, it was still sorta smooth and fast, but had lots more brakes and had been reprofiled. What its like now, from what I gather, is a similar situation to coasters like GA Cyclone and Predator (similar but much smaller rides). Those 2 are damn painful. NOT fun. The original TG was out of control, fun, NOT painful. But very rough in a 'fun' way. NOT a 'OMG my back is hurt' or headache sort of way. You should NOT get headaches on woodies! That should be reserved for steel coasters with shoulder bars.

[almightyfire]

well i am going to sfot at the end of this mth and I will ride it and see, but i probably still will like it because the body slamming doesnt bother me. I actually like it. i think thats the charm of a wooden coaster. Now the trimming does turn me off, but the last 1/4 of the TG is off the hook. I like my body parts being shaken until they fall off. Come on you all stop being punks hahaha.

 

Just a joke, please dont get offended

[dammie16@vt.edu]

<<<< IM SO OFFENDED!!!!

 

just kidding I like getting thrown around too!

[FeelTheFORCE]

I found something interesting. I was browsing through past transcripts of Coastermania Q&As when I cam across this, from the 2003 Coastermania Q&A.

 

Question:

 

I just want to say that my first visit here was three years ago, and I have made it a point to come back every year since. One question, though, the Mean Streak. The first time I rode it, blown away, loved it, I love wood, so I always head for that as soon as possible. in the past two years I've noticed the ride is different, there's more brakes, is that to please the public, is that from a safety standpoint, why is the ride (mumbled) ...brakes?

 

Answer from Monty Jasper (to make the read easier, I have put it into paragraphs):

 

Those of you who are familiar with Mean Streak know that we've gone through a lot of trials and tribulations there with that particular ride. We started out before I got here in one configuration and ran it that way for a while and quickly realized that the ride was going to cost a lot of money to maintain if it continued to run that way, plus we were not having the best guest experience that we could possibly get...I'm gonna put it delicately like that.

 

So, we went through a process starting about '94 or '95 really evaluating and changing the ride, so that it was much more manageable for both the park and for our guests. This is kind of one of those damned if I do, damned if I don't kinds of questions, and for every person I get wanting to know, "Why don't you let the it go the way it was in '91" I get someone right after that who walks up and says the ride is the roughest thing they'd ever ridden in their entire life. Woodies are very expensive to maintain.

 

It's almost an art form to be able to craft the lumber into the configuration you need to run the ride. So it's very possible that you can ride it from one year to the next, or from one month to the next, and get a different feel than you would on a steel coaster. Whereas, on Millennium Force you can ride it over and over and it's essentially the same ride. I can tell you we spend upwards of $200,000 yearly on Mean Streak alone just trying to maintain the ride, and we go through an extensive accelerometer process to make sure that the G-forces on the ride, not only from a guest's standpoint but also for the ride itself, are very similar to the last readings we took. For instance, it's the only coaster in the park that we take readings on a monthly basis just to insure that the ride stays essentially where it is.

 

A lot of people don't realize that Mean Streak is watered on a nightly basis, we have a sprinkler head situation on it and when it gets hot we basically water the ride down every night before we open up. The reason we do that is to try to maintain the moisture content in the wood. If the wood dries out or swells up, because of excessive rain, then the ride can sway or get loose or whatever, so we try to keep that common across the board so we can keep a common ride. A lot of people kid me that I'm gonna have to get my mower out and mow it.

 

Anyway, to make a long story short, we've reached kind of a happy medium on Mean Streak, and it doesn't surprise me that you could ride it in June and get a different ride from August. But we're about where we want to be, and definition of a compromise is a solution that nobody likes.

 

Here's the source.

 

You know, now that I think about it, I have noticed the ground and/or wood being wet many times in the past, after a night where it hadn't rained. I always thought it was dew or something. I guess not!