Mean Streak´s final year?

My first ride on MS will be one July 8th of this year. Roughest coaster for me to this point was Ninja at Knotts..gave me a major neck stinger...

Best woooden coasters I've done are Ghost Rider at Knotts(it still running?) and Gwaza at Busch..both tracks on that one are fine..though Lion seems a bit faster.

Did Knott's build a new coaster I'm not aware of?

I say retrack it, and invest in some new trains. Do u think something like the trains KW has on the Racer would improve the ride, or do u think the ride would be a little much with a single, non adjustable lap bar?
*** Edited 5/31/2006 1:29:07 AM UTC by Phantom 1898***

It seemed less rough this year than in years past, although it wasn't yet a pleasant experience.

I still see lines of over one hour in the summer, and people still want to ride a big, wooden coaster, so I think they'll leave it for awhile.

I am not sure if this is true, but I once heard that wooden coasters get better as they age. If that's the case, don't demolish it. Maybe one day it will be a great roller coaster.

Last night on that NG special the builders of Voyage said no matter how the rest of the ride is built, it's all in the track.

Just a little food for thought...

Mean Streak hurts. That's why it's "Mean". Lean forward, off the back rest and it will be kinder.

MrScott

you're right Gomez..i think Ninja was Six Flags Atlanta come to think of it..Been a while! but I hated that coaster...

Getting rid of MS because it is bumpy would be like taking MF out because the first drop is too steep and taking Dragster out because that launch is just too fast. Each coaster type provides a different experience. The wooden roller coaster experience is unique.

If space is the issue (and it's not), DT would be my pick. My five year old doesn't even like it.. although he gets mad at me because he isn't tall enough for MF. He is a chip off the old block.....

Ok I think this is the second time I have posted this now. CP does not maintain their wooden coasters and doesn't want to. The trims were added so that the speed was reduced as the train went around the laterals. What happens then is instead of slamming hard against the sides of the track, it jostles between them. That is the "rough" feeling you are experiencing.

The original design was made for the speed but CP doesn't want to maintain it like they should because the slamming motion bends the bolts that hold the tracks together and they have to replace them. This is the maintainence part. It costs both money and time and CP just doesn't want to deal with it. The builder's original design was somewhat flawed also, as the laterals should transfer DOWN more towards the supports. This lateral force causes unnecessary wear on the track, which CP has to pay for.

And I still don't think they grease their coasters. Graphite lubricant is way more expensive then regular grease and it washes off in water. It's great for enclosed applications but NOT for ourdoor ones. Sadly, I have not seen grease on their coasters for nearly 2 1/2 years now.

Back to the trim being removed and people saying the ride is better for the first half, it's because you are traveling at the speed the ride was designed for. Going any slower on a banked turn causes the car to jostle.

I hope this is understandable now! It's not that difficult to see what the problem is here.

My wish is that they would not slow you to almost a dead stop at the midcourse break.

While I did feel a difference, I really think they could lighten that one up.

Doesnt Kinzel ever ride it and say "what can we do about this?".

Becca_Raptor said:
Ok I think this is the second time I have posted this now. CP does not maintain their wooden coasters and doesn't want to.

I'm sure those 3 or 4 guys that walk MS every morning wouldn't agree.

They are given orders to do what they do. It's not their fault the coasters don't get greased Gomez.

I'm just saying, CP maintains all their rides, very well. MS and BS run everyday and very safely. A better way to put it would be that CP doesn't put a lot of money into their giant woodie in the back of the park since the ridership isn't high enough to add to the $32,000 a year they pay to keep it running.

Here's where I got the $32,000.
http://capital2.capital.edu/admin-staff/dalthoff/adventures/tr2003/uscp05.html *** Edited 5/31/2006 8:41:50 PM UTC by Gomez***

They do enough maintaince to keep them running.

The ridership would be higher on MS if it rode like it did when it opened, the way it is supposed to. They just don't see it as a good investment to keep it running in that fashion.

That's the ethusiast talking. The GP isn't going to change their mind about MS being better if that happens.

Cedar Point has had major maintenance done to Mean Streak several times over the years. In their eagerness to go higher yet again they ended up with a poorly designed ride.

It isn't about the money.

I don't mind Mean Streak but it isn't in my top 5 at the park let alone on my top "anything" list.

I was thinking of starting another topic, but since it's so similar, I figured I'd ask it here...

Has anyone noticed how awful Blue Streak feels this year? On the "out" portion of the ride I actually made the comment, "Oh no, it's Mean Streak, but it's blue!"

The past few years Blue Streak ran great with a lot of air, and nice laterals on the turnaround. What the heck happened between last year and this year that messed the ride up so much?

I have a feeling that the enthusiasts will give us all an ear full after CoasterMania when they are thoroughly disappointed with the ride. :(

Blue Streak ran great as always opening weekend.