Learn to ride Mean Streak! (Long)

I’ve witnessed with dismay how many people are so adamant about what’s wrong with Mean Streak (MS). “The track is bad, the trains aren’t articulated, it’s poorly designed,” etc. (Disclaimer: This isn’t aimed at anyone or any particular thread.) I’ve had more rides on MS than the vast majority of park patrons, and I can tell you from experience that MS is much more enjoyable when ridden properly.

Mechanically speaking, riding MS has a fair amount in common with riding a dirt bike or a horse, or even skiing. Step one is not to ratchet the bar down more than needed, or over tighten the seat belt.

Second, you must hang on to the assist bar. It’s there for a reason, not decoration. If you already use the bar, skip to the next paragraph: I’m getting on my soap box now. How many times have we been told by the ride hosts to hang on?. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in the back seat realizing that I’m literally the only one in the train actually holding on, only to get out at the end of the ride and overhear a bunch of kids muttering about how they got beat up during the ride. If you’re a hot dog, the train will show you why it’s called “Mean Streak”. OK, I’m getting of my box now.

Third, and perhaps most important, you must pull yourself forward and up off the seat as much as possible after reaching the top of the lift hill and for the remainder of the ride. The seat is there to keep you from falling out of the train, not for you to relax on. This is very much like a dirt or trail bike rider, where the rider stays off the seat for the most part when navigating a challenging track. You have to be active, using your legs like a suspension. Imagine someone riding a horse at full gallop. They support much of their weight with their legs, they are not relaxing on the saddle. Another analogy is a person skiing a difficult slope, knees bent, hunched down, leaning into the curves. Even if you don’t participate in any of these activities, you can watch them on TV and get an understanding of the posture that’s needed. This step alone will greatly change your perception of the ride if done properly.

At risk of sounding a little far out (or a lot), there is an attitude or even philosophy to riding as well. Imagine the track as a path to follow. The train is just a guide so you don’t fall. Now imagine as you ride that your following the path, or track. Concentrate on the ride, not the scenery. If you’re familiar with remote viewing, you might even imagine that you’re watching yourself flying down the track, squatted down and leaning into the curves (I told you it was far out). Whatever you do, pay attention just like the bike rider, horse rider, or skier.

Many high intensity rides have little tricks for comfort. For example, for me the trick on Magnum is to tighten the seat belt firmly so the lap bar doesn’t beat the tops of my legs. On Mantis, I push my head in the direction of the upcoming curve, so I don’t get smacked by the headrest. Your approach may be different from mine, and everyone has different tolerances. For example, I don’t care to be shot down from Power Tower, and many of my friends can’t handle the Witches’ Wheel. Still, if you’re getting fatigued from a particular ride of a type that you generally enjoy, you might try a different approach.

As rides continue to push the envelopes of speed, height, and g-forces, we are increasingly likely to encounter situations that take us to the limits of what’s comfortable, and beyond. I believe that proper use of the safety equipment provided (like assist bars) and proper posture make the difference between people who ride once or twice, and those of us who ride multiple times in a row or even day after day.

Here, here! I'm glad I'm not the only one who can appreciate MS here. I agree, I wish it wern't braked at the top but I'm not going to jump to the extreme of wanting it torn down. MS IS STILL A GREAT RIDE! The horrific shaking makes it the MEAN Streak, and what makes it a fun ride. I think the major thing is keeping your back off the seat. I put my hands up all the time and come off fine as long as my head stays clear of the headrest. I could ride it at least 10x straight.

I am looking forward to riding for the first time this summer. The MeanStreak is no different from other large woodies that start to age. The American Eagle at SFGAm is the same way. They are going to get rough and to me that is part of the fun of riding them. If you dont like roughness on a coaster then stick with the steels. People that continue to complain about Mean Streak and American Eagle (and i have seen and heard of let of this griping) should just steer clear of them and let the people that enjoy them continue to ride.

One trick is ( If you hate air time, but I like it) is to push down with your legs firmly so you don't fly out of the seat.
Kyle

Yes, pushing down with your legs does wonders with rough rides. I broke my tailbone last spring and it hurt just sitting in a stationary chair but I wasn't going to let that keep me off coasters! Pushing down really eliminates the bounce. Mean Streak is a great ride and it is refreshing to hear such positive comments!

well, I have to say The Beast at PKI isn't rough..and it's going on 21 years. I am a major wooden coaster fan and the reason I don't like Mean Streak isn't because it's rough...it just has a bad profile...not very exciting. I get more out of the Blue Streak.
Has anyone ridden Thunder Run at Kentucky Kingdom? I love that ride, and it's just as rough as the Mean Streak.
As far as the roughness of the Mean Streak goes, I think any ride that requires that much work to ride it is just not fun anymore! The whole point of riding a ride is to enjoy ourselves, not try to survive!




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magnum of MF now that is a real question.

I guess I am blessed, because I do absolutely everything opposite of what CPDave said and I love Meanstreak - it never beats me up.

I won't deny that a few things can be done to MS to help out a bit, but I'm gonna get on the soapbox here for a little bit, too...
Although the effort to make MS a more enjoyable experience for the masses by giving riding instructions is an honoroable deed, I still have to agree with CP Psyclone when he says, "The whole point of riding a ride is to enjoy ourselves, not try to survive! "--Very good point. At this point, with no further modification to the ride, I believe that people's opinions are pretty well set in stone unless something is drastically changed. Those who like it will continue to do so, but those who don't will also continue on their path. This is what being biased is about. Personally, I take the ride for what it is--it's rough-- there's no doubts about it--but some people like it rough... ;) Simply go on the ride expecting that it's going to shake you around as usual, hope for a trim free experience, and get psyched--get the adrenaline pumping. That way when you exit the ride, you may have gotten shaken around a little bit, but you'll feel invincible just like the boxer who took a beating for eight rounds but came out victorious in the end. You'll feel better that you didn't just complain about it.

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Dave Kochman
Hands free in Pittsburgh, the city of three seasons:
Wants-to-be-winter
Is-Winter
and Just-when-you-thought-winter-was-going-away...

I maintain that any coaster which requires a certain strategy to achieve a comfortable and/or enjoyable ride is flawed in its design or execution. A coaster should not have to be overcome.

Coasters like this include OL:FOF, basically anything by Premier or Togo, and unfortunately, a surprising amount of Summers & Dinn woodies. It's not to say that they can't be enjoyed, but I shouldn't have to work for it.

i look forward to the beating MS gives me. it releases ALL of the stress that's built up over the last 6 months or so. it's like getting a great workout or something. i don't think it's that rough. but in this day and age of smooth-as-silk steelies, ANYTHING looks rough. take MS for what is is, or leave it. true, it shouldn't require work to enjoy it, but maybe, with practice, the suggestions made will become second nature and then it won't be work it'll be fun...eh who am i kidding. i love it the way it is and i will try some of the things mentioned and then i will try them again. and again..and again...hee hee. i love MS!!!

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"I think I scrambled my brain!!"

i think a lot of you forgot that mean streak is a WOOD coaster. these are meant to feel rough and out of control. the beast is very rough. i rode it the first time when i was 6 and i remeber my head hitting the sides of the seats. if you want a coaster worse than mean streak, go on beast. i have also found that that back seats are smoother than the front on ms. if you can't take the roughness and have to go through all that crap to make a good ride, stay on steelies. no one should bash any of cp's coasters. not dt, not id, and not ms. i know the brakes slow the ride down (thats what they are there for). but if you would ask a person if they felt the brakes that didnt know they were there, they would tell you 'what brakes?'. just go with the flow. i watched discovery channel the other day. the oldest lady in ACE who is 88 or something rode ms without a complaint. think about that next time you ride.
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"I'm a jerk I'm a PUNK took a shower cause I stunk", Blink 182's Degenerate

Bill: Thank you for saving me the trouble of trying to say what I think. Mean Squeak is a slow, painful ride. Sure I ride it every once in awhile, but I agree with Bill that you shouldn't have to work at it.

The ride IS incredibly flawed. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be heavily braked, it would be much faster and it wouldn't squeak through the turns.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
"And he says 'I'm goin' crazy up there at the lake...'"

When I rode MS it had rained all day. Me and my friend rode the front seats. I did not think it was rough at all. Punk is right, woodies aren't made to feel like your flying, your supposed to be thrown around. When you hit a tight turn and just about knock out the person next to you, or vice a versa, it's fun! Maybe the fact it was raining that day factored in the fact that it was smooth. Mean Streak is one of the best woodies I've ever ridden. I think though, SoB will be a ride that will leave you with bruises. Unless CCI are making HUGE corrections on their cars, it's going to be a beater uper. That's just my opininon, take it for what it's worth.

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Homer Simpson: Will you stop your spontaneous cussing?
Bart Simpson: Hell yeah.

Sure, Mean Streak needs some improvements, but I don't think it's time to sell it for scrap wood! Let's add some artifical new woodie scent, and let Cedar Point make some money by putting an Tylonel machine outside the exit. Then, your day isn't ruined, and you can say that you've survived the Mean Streak. I read that on the Cyclone, many injuries were reported, and that everyday the operator would walk under the coaster and find all kinds of things people had lost. If in the old days they could take a little brusing, can't we now? Now, I'm not a fan of the Mean Streak by any means, but it's a nice coaster, and it won't be there much longer if they don't make necessary improvements. Ride it while you can, and bring some Tylonel with you!

I think I should dispell at least one sentiment here.
A wooden coaster is supposed to be violent, not rough. Roughness is a sign of something gone wrong. Also, the squealing is a crime. I have never heard another coaster scream like Mean Streak does. It's just... grating, and it does it *everywhere*.

If you want to see what good wood sounds like, go to Michigan's Adventure and ride Shivering Timbers. It has a violent turnaround that shakes you up, but it isn't the cheap chiropractor that Mean Streak is. Heck, go to SFGam and ride Viper! It's a twister, too, but it's *far* less painful.

In short, a coaster is fine if it's rough, but it's poorly designed if it hurts.

Thank you, uh, I think it was Bill (I'm at home and Lynx does a crappy job of rendering tables, so it's hard to see the attribution). Wood coasters are not supposed to shake your fillings loose, and whenever I hear people defend rides as rough as Mean Streak or Wolverine Wildcat with the "but it's a wood coaster" argument, I always want to ask those people if they have ever ridden a *good* wood coaster. Go to Kennywood sometime...the Kennywoodies are all extremely smooth, nearly silent, and a whole lot of fun...and not one of those has an articulated train. They all do have a lot of grease on them, though. Someone earlier in this thread mentioned Thunder Run, and identified it as a "rough ride." Have you ridden Thunder Run lately? A couple of years ago, Kentucky Kingdom replaced Thunder Run's trailered (like Raging Wolf Bobs) train with seats like Mean Streak, with a brand-new articulated (like Mean Streak) train with padded and upholstered seats (UNlike Mean Streak). Thunder Run is now a fast, smooth
wood coaster which, apart from the long lines created by single train operation, is truly a joy to ride.

--Dave Althoff, Jr. *** This post was edited by RideMan on 4/10/2000. ***

And who would have thought that these coasters need instructions

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"And now for something completely different" MPFC

I still don't understand why everyone seems to think that MS decayed into some rough beast. As far as I know, it was still rough when it opened, but a lot faster. I STILL say, the rougher the better. If MS didn't beat me up as much as it does, I think it would just plain suck. Plain and simple. It's the MEAN Streak. If I wanted a smoother ride on a woodie, I would ride BLUE Streak. What would you think if someone got of the Dodgem cars saying that it was too rough?!? Maybe you all like to float and slide on wooden coaster, but I like being thrown around from lift to brakes. And that's what MS does. If an 88 year old woman can survive it, surely the rest of us can.

Sit in the front car
lean forward the entire ride
enuf said


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Welcome back Raptor riders-how was your flight??

The first few months of the first year were golden. It was a fun ride. Heck, it'll probably be fun the first week this year with new rails. But it will quickly degrade when the rails get worn with deep grooves, just like every other year.

That said, a wet Mean Streak is a good Mean Streak. You might even get (gasp!) airtime when you go over the hop near the road after passing under the drop. I only got to ride it once under those conditions, but I distinctly remember a smoother ride and no squeaking.

I like your difference between "violent" and "rough," Bill. Never thought of it that way.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
"And he says 'I'm goin' crazy up there at the lake...'"