Was Maverick The Right Choice?

Ugh... I get so tired of hearing that. Most of the B&M's are blocked as such that there is a mid-course brake, from which the ride must be able to complete from a dead stop. To compensate for that, it's not uncommon to have to bleed a little bit of speed off of the ride at that point. In no case on any B&M I've been on has that ever taken anything away from the ride.

Some do have brakes actually used for trimming, very few of them, and in all of those cases I think it's enthusiasts being cry babies. Take Raging Bull, for example, with the infamous trim over one of the bunny hops. It's not a big deal. Those brakes aren't there to piss cry babies off, they're there for timing or to minimize wear and tear on wheels.

I hate to throw this coaster in the mix, but consider Mean Streak. I'm sure (well, I hope) there is some structural reason why they do this, but can you imagine Mean Streak without coming to crawl at the midcourse break? It would actually be fun, instead of a snooze-fest through the structure to the end of the course. That break, to me, is the best example I have been on that shows how a midcourse break can certainly take something away.

I dont notice the breaks much on B&M's; take our own Raptor. That break is typically almost un-detectable, at least to me.

Kevinj said:
I hate to throw this coaster in the mix, but consider Mean Streak. I'm sure (well, I hope) there is some structural reason why they do this, but can you imagine Mean Streak without coming to crawl at the midcourse break? It would actually be fun, instead of a snooze-fest through the structure to the end of the course. That break, to me, is the best example I have been on that shows how a midcourse break can certainly take something away.

I dont notice the breaks much on B&M's; take our own Raptor. That break is typically almost un-detectable, at least to me.

I hate those breaks, but they would'nt be so bad if the breaks were gone on the first drop.

Anyway back to maverick. I am surprised it wasn't voted higher on the steel coaster list, at least in the top ten. Does downtime have anything to do with it?

^Its because most of us can name 10, and probably 15-20 steel coasters better then Maverick, including three at CP (Magnum #2, MF #4, Raptor #5). Maverick is a great ride, I usually rate coasters two different ways, numbering, and quality ratings. That last one is really the most important one, 5 stars is excellent, 4 very good, 3 good, 2 ok, 1 poor/painful. Maverick still rates 5 stars, but again I dont think its a top ten coaster, at least for me.

Brakes, not breaks. Uggh. Pet peeve #379.

Maverick has trim brakes, even though you don't even notice it.

The only rides I hate having trim brakes on are Mean Streak and Gemini (only counting Cedar Point).

^How can you not notice Maverick's trims, they come on hard. The difference is, when you then complete the circuit and try to imagine doing that last half (especially that second Stengel Dive) without those trims, you end up thanking CP for putting them in.

I noticed Maverick's trim the first time I rode but but they aren't a huge deal. The trims on Gemini before the final helix really kill the end of the the ride. I love heading into the final stretch knowing that the trims are open.

Your mom is to fat to ride TTD. said:
B&M's have similar/boring layouts too.

ChrisC. said:

So B&Ms and has similar/boring layouts?

Yeah thats what I said... ::rolls eyes::

Anyways... Mantis has trim brakes on the 1st hill.

About the trims on Maverick:

I think they are ridiculous. Why not just launch the train at a lower speed? I can only imagine how much energy is wasted by the train coming out of a launch into a set of brakes. It there was some sort of fun element between the launch and the brakes, I might understand. But a launch into a set of brake just for the sake of a launch in my opinion is dumb when you have two other Intamins in the park with launches.

About Maverick as a whole:

I am not a huge fan of the ride. I think there are multiple factors that make me feel this way. I'll try to post at least some of them here.

1) They took out a family ride and replaced it with a ride with a 52" height requirement. Even if it had the 48" requirement, it is still a loss to families. According to the "Guide & Map" from 2005, White Water landing had a height requirement of "At least 46" or accompanied by a responsible person". (Sorry for the improper punctuation but I cut off the statement and don't know how to do it right).

2) Capacity: If I remember correctly, didn't the park advertise a capacity of 1200 riders per hour when the ride was announced? That is simply too low in my opinion for a park that could easily accommodate 2000 riders per hour on some older rides.

3) The aforementioned brakes almost immediately after the launch. Completely unnecessary in my opinion when they could just have a slower launch.

4) Restraints: That ride can be downright painful if you keep your head back, which is probably the position in which the park wants you to ride. Can someone confirm the proper position for me? I wouldn't have much of a problem with traditional OTSRs, but these are uncomfortable, and cause far too much neck pain for me.

5) It is an Intamin (OK, IntaRide!). I'll probably be flamed for saying that whether I explain it or not (did I use the right whether?). I do enjoy some of their rides. My two favorites from them are probably Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England and Wicked Twister.

In my opinion, Cedar Point needs more family rides, not a ride like Maverick!

-Sam

-Sam

^I have always wonder why they don't just slow down the lauch too. You get rid of the trim brakes. Also they might of been able to keep the heartline roll, not sure about that but it could be a possiblity. I think the reason they don't slow down the launch is to have yet another coaster reach at least 75 MPH.

^^personally im all for newer, bigger, faster rides and it would be nice to have them at cp where it is close to me. im not a fan of family rides but thats because im only 17. but i still go to cp with my parents sometimes and they dont like to ride coasters anymore. i can still find plenty to do at cp for a full day of entertainment with my family at cp that doesnt have to do with big and fast rollercoasters. while their main focus is obviously on coasters they still have plenty of family stuff to do in the park too. i love what they do at cp. and when i have a family of my own i will take them there too.

Perhaps you should ride it again Sam. They've reduced the trimming a great deal. Furthermore, launching at a slower speed would not be nearly as dramatic. You'd only need to launch at 40 mph, perhaps less, to get over that hill. Snooze.

Jeff,

My only rides this year were during the ERT last month, and I think I was tired anyway at that point. I seem to remember the trim in full force. I get what you are saying about it being less dramatic if the brake wasn't there, but why design it to go from a launch right into trims? To me it is just a waste of potential energy, and a waste in terms of the ride experience. I guess I just don't like the design. Some of the elements of the ride seem fun, but overall, I am not a big fan of the ride.

-Sam

During the first week the park was open, the trims were on in full force, same as last year.

Vince982 said:
The trims on Gemini before the final helix really kill the end of the the ride. I love heading into the final stretch knowing that the trims are open.

Unless of course you know that the ops are NOT hitting interval and there is still a train sitting in the station, and those outside the station brakes are going to grab HARD. Then I don't mind the trims being on.

Yeah they sure do grab hard. But it's like the end of Wildcat, if you know it's coming and you brace yourself you'll be fine.

Wildcat and Gemini's last brakes don't bother me nearly as much as Raptor's final stop...

come to think of it, even iron dragon has some rough brakes at the end.

mantis has the worst brakes at the end of any of the rides in the park from my opinion.