What's wrong with Mean Streak?

[24]

^ umm... wow.

 

I went on Mean Streak last year and noticed that it was too smooth front seat and the back. I thought the ride was built that way and was overrated. After what they did that kind of takes all the fun out of a wooden coaster.

[DBru]

Thank you for posting that. But he said they are spending $200,000 yearly on it, and he knows that its still hated. So why don't they JUST TEAR IT DOWN?!?!

[coaster05]

As I continue to read through this thread I am totally blown away by the comparisons to GA Cyclone. I just rode cyclone today and was nervous from all the recent reports of roughness, it was no where close. It was exciting with massive ejector air on the first five drops. Even four years since my last ride it still totally delivers.

[FeelTheFORCE]

It takes a lot to maintain this coaster (as with any wooden coaster). Maybe too much for what it's worth. Perhaps they are considering tearing it down. It does, though, have a very photogenic and good looking structure. I must say, too, that Mean Streak's operations are great. Even when the place is empty and they are getting little to no riders, all 3 trains are running. I remember once, two or three years ago, I was the only one on the train, yet they still had 3 on the track. I always give kudos to the Mean Streak crew, they are definitely one of the best at CP.

[BRTeller]

The only thing I hate about mean streak was the awfull screeching this year. But seriously I really guess the majority of the people here don't know a good coaster. People, come on, you ride a wooden coaster for a bumby old fashion ride. Not a smooth ride, go ride a intamin steel coaster, or a B&M and stay away from all wooden coasters. Seriously don't ride them if you don't liked being jerked around. They have lap bars, so your head should be fine. Jeesh in less your freaking short as anything your head is fine. No one knows a good woodie anymore. Another thing look at the size and awesome ness of it. Even though the trims are sometimes on or off, still gives a nice long ride. You should be ashamed if you call your self a woodie enthusiast and don't like a old fashioned bumbie ride. I hear this stuff all the time and I get just as angry each time I hear it. Call me crazy, say wooden coasters beat me up so bad, I don't know what I'm talking about. But I really believe that and I've met hard core wooden coaster enthusiasts that all agree.

 

I will say though, even though this is a smooth ride, the Phoenix is better. I also enjoy Grizzly I believe, at Kings Dominion, don't forget The Wildcat, a old fasion, kick a$$ coaster. (Hershey)

 

So there you go maybe this will make people appreciate what they have some more.

 

I do realize that Vekoma SLC's suck seriously, with the old cars at least. Boomerangs are ok sometimes.

 

-Brandon

[swampfox]

I have to agree with BRTeller. I think perhaps it's possible we've been spoiled the past ten years or so with B&Ms and Intamins. I don't get to go to many parks, but I have never found Grizzly at KD to be painful, nor Comet at HP. In fact, the only painful wood coaster experiences I've had were Hurricane Category 5 at Myrtle Beach Pavilion and the Carowinds copy of Hurler.

 

I've not been to Cedar Point yet to ride Mean Streak, but will this summer, and by the looks of things, I'll find it slow, but not rough.

 

But yeah, personally I think some of us like all coasters. I'm one of em. I have never not enjoyed myself on a coaster, even after getting back pain for hours after Hurricane. But maybe that's because I only go to 3 parks at most usually a year. Dunno.

[Astat]

It's not so much the roughness that makes Mean Streak suck so much, I find it pretty tolerable most of the time (though I have had a couple rides that left me feeling like my skull had seperated from my spine!). It's just slow and forceless, and really damn boring as a result. Just looking at it and the fact that it went 65 MPH when it opened (much less now of course), I think when it was new it was probably a fun ride with some nice laterals, but I wouldn't know.

[thrillrideseeker]

Whats wrong with mean streak? Personally I hate the ride. I think it sucks and should be taken down and they should put in a giant B&M Flyer like Tatsu! But thats just my opinion. What I think makes the ride suck is not only the trim on the first drop but the roughness. The only other coaster I have ever been on that was that rough was the Texas Giant. I know there are a FEW people out there who actually like this ride... well... Good for them! Everyone likes different things. I am just one of those people who do not like having the SH!T beat out of me on a ride!! I am more of a B&M/Intamin person!!

~Matthew

[BRTeller]

It's not so much the roughness that makes Mean Streak suck so much, I find it pretty tolerable most of the time (though I have had a couple rides that left me feeling like my skull had seperated from my spine!). It's just slow and forceless, and really damn boring as a result. Just looking at it and the fact that it went 65 MPH when it opened (much less now of course), I think when it was new it was probably a fun ride with some nice laterals, but I wouldn't know.

 

I like this reason, its probably the best reason not to like it. You made my night, as for Thrillrideseeker, not so much. But your entitled to your opinion, I agree though, a flyer would be much more fun. I have feeling, even though I don't like it, Mean Streak will be gone soon. As the size of it is massive and they could put two coasters in its place. Then everyone will be like how they were with phsyclone at SFMM, and I will be the odd one out. But I don't care that much about Phsyclone.

[therooboy]

I rode it when it was fairly new in 1998 and it was the first large coaster i ever rode that i was extremely disappointed in. For the size of it i was hoping for some airtime, but you don't any and then when the train heads upwards its too harsh on your body, it kills any enjoyment you may have felt the downward drop.

Tried it again a few years ago, hoping age had changed it, but to me it was just as bad, a little slower, slightly less harsh, but overall boring compared to almost ever other coaster there.

[TheGreatOne]

I fall into the category of believing enthusiasts are spoiled and whine too much about rough rides. Every time I ride Mean Streak, I walk away with a back ache or a headache. I used to love the ride back in the day. The fact of the matter is it's a shell of it's former self and if CP is really spending a lot of money annually on repairs, it needs to be scrapped.

 

I remember a year or two back there were rampant rumors that CP was going to replace it with a bigger version of Lightning Racer. I realize it was a fanboy rumor, but part of me wishes it would happen.

[Kennyweird]

Cedar Fair should do the same thing they did to their other Dinn coaster, Hercules, at Dorney... RAZE IT TO THE GROUND!

A wooden roller coaster should be somewhat rough, only enough to make the ride seem wild, BUT NOT rough enough to cause a persistent headache, as was my experience with Mean Streak. Even with the roughness, it would have been somewhat fun if it actually had some force to it. Instead, it had less force than some kiddy coasters I've been on and therefore fails in all respects as a coaster. The only redeeming qualities I can think of for Mean Streak is that it's nice to look at and would make good firewood.

[Tanks4me05]

Cedar Fair should do the same thing they did to their other Dinn coaster, Hercules, at Dorney... RAZE IT TO THE GROUND!

 

[CoasterComet]

I was hoping to find some good MStreak pics from opening year, as well as the TGiant with a blue train, and a white lead car (the ride was tearing itself apart, and they had to put the front of the white train on the blue train) but this is all I could get right now.

 

The trains crossed on every trip. It was very cool. The ride was still top 3 at the time.

[CoryPa77]

Other than having a pretty boring layout, I think one of Mean Streak's biggest problems is that the headrests and seat backs have virtually no padding. All the old Summers/Dinn coasters had those PTC trains with the high headrests and really stiff padding, so that when the train shook, you could really feel it. It's kind of the problem with the G-trains.

 

The first few years I remember the third drop was really good in the back seat and now that's just a ramp. The ending was sometimes really good with no brakes on the block. I haven't been on it in years and I wouldn't expect to see it there much longer.

[snoodog]

Make up your own mind about Mean Streak. A few freaks actually like it.

 

I mean you've been on Phoenix, and to many, many people, myself included, that's about as good as a woodie gets. Smooth and tons of awesome air. But really it's up to you to decide what you like.

 

 

I am that freak. I love Mean Streak. It is my second favorite roller coaster and my favorite woodie of all time. 9.5

[DenDen]

I have to agree with BRTeller. I think perhaps it's possible we've been spoiled the past ten years or so with B&Ms and Intamins.

 

Nah, MeanStreak sucked from day one. I rode it in the first 2 seasons, and to this day, it is still the only coaster that I've ever felt actual pain, and had to stop riding for a while to heal my spleen.

 

All kidding aside, I kinda like rides that are a little rough, Steel Phantom was one of my favorites. MeanStreak was just awful. I can only imagine what it's like now that it's braked to death.

[myfootitches]

I've been on the Mean Streak many times from 95' through this past monday. I remember back in 95', the ride was good. Not great, but it had decent speed, a few bits of airtime, and the turns weren't overly rough.

 

I took a courtesy ride on it on monday.....my kidneys still hurt. I like a rougher ride(Villian, Rattler, and Shivering Timbers are faves of mine), but the ride was really painful. The turns were jackhammering like crazy and on the bottoms of most of the hills there was a wicked bouncing of the train. I expect a little side to side on the turns, but when it feels like you're bouncing over rumble strips at 65 mph(allegedly), there's a definite problem. I certantly won't be going it again until I forget why I shouldn't be going on it.

[FeelTheFORCE]

^ In my opinion, you're over-exaggerating. I rode it both Monday and Tuesday and thought it was fine. Nowhere near being smooth or anything like that, but still enjoyable. Villain has always been a lot worse then Mean Streak. I don't see how anyone can consider Villain as one of their favorites, yet also say at the same time Mean Streak is intolerable, but that's just me.

[Kennyweird]

What's wrong with Mean Streak?

 

It's a Dinn coaster. Plain and simple.

[SnooSnoo]

^ In my opinion, you're over-exaggerating. I rode it both Monday and Tuesday and thought it was fine. Nowhere near being smooth or anything like that, but still enjoyable. Villain has always been a lot worse then Mean Streak. I don't see how anyone can consider Villain as one of their favorites, yet also say at the same time Mean Streak is intolerable, but that's just me.

 

Agreed. The Villian will always be my most hated coaster.. I rode it 3.. maybe 4 times in the 20+ times I visited GL. What a horrible experience.

[ginzo]

Agreed. The Villian will always be my most hated coaster.. I rode it 3.. maybe 4 times in the 20+ times I visited GL. What a horrible experience.

 

I'm pretty sure that Predator is worse. Villain is definitely a bottom 5 coaster though, joining the ranks of such notables as Mean Streak, SOB, and GhostRider.

[HerBlackWings]

Mean Streak is nothing more than a monorail, with "texture".

 

I have no real complaints about it. It was too slow to even jackhammer. It was just lifeless and forgettable...another contributor to the CP hype-machine. (I'd like to know how everyone ranks SFNE's Cyclone in regards to the Streak, LOL.)

[EastCoastn07]

I'm pretty sure that Predator is worse. Villain is definitely a bottom 5 coaster though, joining the ranks of such notables as Mean Streak, SOB, and GhostRider.

 

I'd have to say Villain is one of the worst, if not the worst wooden roller coaster I have been on in my life. I think the last time I rode it (granted I went to the park every season up until it closed) was 2004. The only thing I can really remember about it was I came off it with a horrible back spasm and NEVER wanted to ride it again (and never did actually). The sad thing is, I remember riding it in 2001 and 2002 and it was nowhere near as bad as when I rode it in 2004. I'm not sure if SFI or Cedar Fair are to blame more for the coasters terrible upkeep because the ride was really fun when it was not back breaking.

 

I got the chance to ride Ghostrider last summer and I have to say I don't know why so many people think it is so bad. Was it a little rough? Yes, but I surely didn't think it was intolerable. I was actually surprised I liked it after hearing all the bad reviews of it, I really didn't think it was bad at all.

 

Now as for Mean Streak, the last time I rode it was back in 2006 and I thought the same as with Ghostrider. I thought it was a little rough but nothing too intolerable. I wouldn't complain about the roughness as much as the ride experience itself because I just thought the whole layout was blase. Maybe its just where I was sitting on the train when I rode the coaster the past two times I've went to the park, but I didn't think it was THAT bad. I guess it's all in your personal preference I guess.

[DarkMeasures]

I remember Mean Streak being awesome back in 1998.

 

But um... Viper at SFGAm has breaks/slows down at the top of the lift and most of TPR absolutely loves Viper.