Mean Streak Fans?

I'd gladly take two more "Blue Streak" caliber coaters instead of one Mean Streak.

I rode it opening year and rode it in the front and back and I've since ridden it since they braked it to death. My comments are thus:

Pre-Brakes
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Back Ride - I came off the ride with a headache. It was too rough, even for a wooden coaster. I love good wooden coasters, especially "out & back" types (i.e. Blue Streak, Big Dipper, Swamp Fox, Rebel Yell, KI Racer, Jack Rabbit, etc.), but Mean Streak is nothing like those coasters. It's just rough. The first drop was great back then, especially in the back, but not long after that, it was mostly just rough. I even liked Ragin Wolf Bobs much better (no longer since they changed trains from PTC to a Gerstauler. I personally despise Gerstauler trains due to no cushioning and having battering leg bars on either side with no seat divider to help keep you from bashing into them). Anyway, there's no ait-time anywhere on Mean Streak (maybe there was a tad the first year in one spot and perhaps at the first drop in the back, but otherwise, nada).

Front Ride - It's FAR FAR less rough in the front than the back (gets progressively worse the further you go back). I'd say it's perfectly rideable in the front. OTOH, you miss most of the first drop (the main reason I don't usually care for the front on most coasters, as you tend to get the big speed going UP hills instead of down them, which is different, but IMO less fun then getting pulled down them in the back. However, on Mean Streak, I'll ride in the front just to avoid the roughness (you also get a nicer view).

After trims
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Back - Any big impact the first hill used to have is mostly gone. I mean who ever heard of braking the first drop? Oh wait, I recall them doing something similar to The Beast the last time I was there (it was a tamed Beast compared years past). In any case, all that is left is rough, period. It actually slows down so much at some points on the ride, I almost wonder if it'll stop one of these times. After the first drop (which as I said sucks now), it's a lot like riding a heavily vibrating version of the CP Railway over much of the ride. I'm not kidding. :)

Front - Less rough, better scenic view of the CP Railway. :)

Now go compare that to little ole' Blue Streak. That thing FLYS along. You're flying out of your seat having a good 'ole time (even with the newer restraints and head-rests... boo). It's like you could fit a few Blue Streaks in the space Mean Streak takes up and I think it'd be a much more fun affair. So if they do ever tear that waste-of-time down, I'll be CHEERING. I DON'T want another steel looper to take it's place, though. I'd prefer a real wooden coaster too, not another pretend wooden coaster (Gemini is fun, but it's a steel coaster merely with wooden supports). What would be nice is a new large-scale wooden out & back like Shivering Timbers (probably wouldn't fit in Mean Streak's area, though since they're more straight shot track).

There's nothing wrong with good wooden designs. But bad designs are often more boring than bad steel designs, I think so wooden coasters sometimes get a bad rap these days (plus everyone always wants the biggest coaster imaginale, instead of just doing something FUN).