Mantis Question

My friend operated mantis last Halloween and she liked riding it and doing it. when I ride I find the front row to be alot smoother than the rest of the train, however. I don't hate the ride, but I have been thinking about the banshee thing. I understand that cp did not like the meaning behind the name, but it sure sounds better than a giant bug name!!

I think it's more of a Banshee than a Mantis, considering how loud it is.

I actually do "gray" out at the bottom of the loop, and I get close to it at few other places. Friends that have ridden it with me often complain of the same thing. I've never ridden it more than once a season.

Bleh, edited for a typo. *** Edited 6/30/2007 1:52:51 AM UTC by Jamie the Crazy***

Will all the major changes that would need to take place inside the station i think that we can rule floorless out. But, I think that just adding trains with floors would be an easy change. Would be a boring, but less painful ride.

Mantis is not Tall People Friendly. I only ever ride it anymore if I see no line in the queue. I' 6' 7" and i cant stand up that well on it, so one ride a year is all I care to get in. It sucks cause I have a favorite part on this ride when it changes direction real quick and you get that aggressive pop. Other than that, the rest of the ride to me is a long and painful wait to the horrible break run. I'm all for Floorless Trains if it could be done, but CP would never do it.

Ah yes. The age old question of which is worse: Mantis or Mean Streak? Personally, I like both; and I'm a big guy (6'1" 250 lbs). It's all about HOW you ride both. MS is simple. Keep you back off the back. Mantis gives you a very small window of opportunity to get it right. Ride ops will tell you to keep legs straigh and feet back. I make sure to do this WHEN they inspect. I simply slide my feet forward 2" and put just a hint of bend in my knees. Now I'm ready to enjoy and ride and still be comfortable. I've tried to explain this to my wife and she still doesn't get. I usually ride Mantis by myself. :( I Hope this helps. Although floorless trains would be nice.

they need to install sit down trains such as Kumba at Busch Gardens Florida. Very similar layout except you enjoy the ride sitting instead of painfully standing up. Stand up coasters are a thing of the past! If CP was smart and wanted to increase interest and more riders to this painful ride, they could simply retrofit it will B&M floorless sit down trains.

If it were even possible, that would be very cool and I'd start riding Mantis again :) I agree that stand-ups are a thing of the past and Cedar Point always likes to have the newest and best coaster it seems, so modifying it and re-marketing it would be very cool and less expensive than building a whole new coaster.

I remember this being discussed before and someone saying something about the heartline being different if you were sitting down...I don't know, I think they could modify the trains in such a way where floorless could work.

I think they could easily add floorless trains. The problem is more likely the matter of altering the station to accommodate the change. I could be 100% wrong in saying that... just a speculation.

The only thing the stand-up feature (on any coaster) has ever done for me, is given me the right to say that I've ridden a stand-up coaster. Other than that, I don't know what they're good for.

It's just a gimic. I guess floorless is a gimic too, but at least it's more cool ;) And yes, the station would have to be modified heavily, but I'm sure it could be done with the right amount of money.
*** Edited 7/1/2007 3:49:22 PM UTC by airee85***

At least I could ride it without sounding like a member of the lollipop guild afterward!

Ive rode Mantis just once,and will never ride it again,my head bangs and,the ride is not comfortable.

ive never been on mantis.

Im going tommorow though. so yeah. Im like scared.

Don't be scared. It's not as bad as it is made out to be. It just starts to get uncomfortable after a ride or two and it just doesn't have re-ride factor that Millennium Force, Magnum, and Maverick has.

cptedsdisciple2 said:
At least I could ride it without sounding like a member of the lollipop guild afterward!

LOL. YEah it does hurt EVERY part of the body; even tall guys cuz im 6 foot 2 and it still hurts.

I'm tired of hearing people complain about rides. if you don't like the ride, don't ride it. it'll just be a shorter line for me. Mantis is a great ride and yes it is a little uncomfortable but it will stay CP for a while and i will ride it no matter what other people think

I like the idea of the remarketing the ride campaign. Although Sheikra is a fairly new coaster the floorless advertizing campaign was all over when i went to florida. I think that Mantis would get many more riders if they did swich to another style trains.

I'm not complaining, I like Mantis, I think a lot of us are just saying it could be better. Times are changing and modifying Mantis could be a fun way to update an old ride while not losing it's original "charm" (if you will) completely, it would still have the same layout after all.

scroog468 said:
...Mantis gives you a very small window of opportunity to get it right. Ride ops will tell you to keep legs straigh and feet back. I make sure to do this WHEN they inspect. I simply slide my feet forward 2" and put just a hint of bend in my knees. Now I'm ready to enjoy and ride and still be comfortable. I've tried to explain this to my wife and she still doesn't get. ....

Your point is well taken for the bicycle-like seats on Mantis. You have a very narrow window to position your feet correctly for comfort on your legs. Lots of people who ride it don't get it right. However -- that darn coaster still bashes my ears on the restraints on several of the quick changes in direction (I'm 5'10"). And for a guy -- it smashes other more sensitive spots (as another poster alluded to) if you get e-stopped on the mid-course block or a hard stop on the first set of breaks on the final break run.

I rode it last season (first time since probably '98) because a friend had never been on it. When I got back to the station I was reminded why I avoided riding it so long. (My friend didn't want to go back either, as his ears were pretty red too).

Mantis is on of the best coasters at CP. Leave it the way it is. They need to trash DT and MS before any other coasters.

I for one would start rideing Mantis again if it were to get normal seats rather then the standing "seats". I have not ridden it in years because it's so painfull on my legs and ears.
*** Edited 7/2/2007 5:57:17 PM UTC by koaster kiwi***