Mantis Haters, Are You Crazy?

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Swoosh said:
Yes but haven ridden every B&M stand-up in the USA, with the exception of Vortex, RRv just appeared to me as "let's see how many loops we can throw in here." I guess I just prefer the simplicity of the Scorcher to the "loop after loop after loop after loop..." The directional changes on Scorcher make the ride.

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Same can be said about Scorcher too - on the opposite spectrum. Rather than how many loops - "Let's see how much of a stand-up coaster we can fit in a plot of land that is 50 X 200 and if the layout isn't feasible - we'll just emphasize the ride's movement by dodging its own elements to form a closed circuit. (Zonga)."

True, I was just stating why I like the Scorcher better. It shows how good a small compact coaster can be. :)

I always make sure I ride Mantis each time I go to CP. I try really hard to enjoy the ride, but my legs and head just tell me not to. Everything is fun before the midcourse brakes. After that the transitions of banking left to right and tight turns make my head bang back and forth against the restrants. I'm not a Mantis hater but I don't like. I do think the ride still deserves its place at Cedar Point.

I don't find Mantis to be rough at all. Of course, if you just stand there limp in the restraints, you'll get banged around a bit, just like any other ride. A lot of people complain about the strain on their calves. Boo Hoo.

As others had mentioned, in Mantis' debut year, there was no trim on the first drop. And this was one intense ride. My calves did ache a little, and that was partly what I loved about it. A compact layout; sudden directional changes, fast, furious, and intense. It never seemed to slow down, even going through the midcourse brakes. I'm sure others will think I'm crazy, but I remember getting off of my first ride on Mantis, my friends and I wondering if it had just beat out Raptor as our favorite ride in the park. B&M had built another beautiful piece of art, except this one had a nasty attitude. Then the trims were added. While I still enjoy it, it has never been the same. Sigh... oh the glory days...

Yeah, people complain way too much about getting injured on rides. Why, in the glory days, we got the crap beat out of us on rides, and we loved it!

Seriously... all I see are a bunch of people saying they're not crazy about Mantis because it a) banged their head around, b) hurt their calves, c) treated their junk in a less-than-kind way, or d) they've ridden smoother B&M stand-ups that didn't do a), b) or c) to them. Sounds very reasonable to me.

I don't hate Mantis, that's too strong of a word. I just choose not to ride it. I've never been a big fan of stand-up coasters period. Scorcher, Iron Wolf, and King Cobra are better than their larger counterparts IMHO. Mantis was better without the brake they added because it slows the ride too much. I used to like the speed hill transition from the inclined loop into the mid-course brake the best. That hasn't been the same since they added the trim to the first drop. I don't ride the coaster much anymore because the only thing I really liked was destroyed by something that I hate (appropriate)....trims.

Mantis....How much can you stand?...I'm ready to sit!!

i dont think that its rough at all actually and its one of my favorite coasters in the park.

rollergator said:

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Scorcher's *simplicity* IMO should help it maintain the QUALITY of the ride....or so I keep telling myself, LOL.

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Don't count on it. PGA's Vortex is as simple as you can get, and although it was smooth when it first opened, now it's extremely rough and brutal. Close your eyes and you'd swear you're on some sort of Vekoma torture device.

Okay, first off im not one to complain about roughness on rides. It normally dosent bother me. Im young, I can take a little beating. And I make it a thing every time I visit cedar point(once a year if Im lucky), I always ride Mantis once. In truth, ive only been on one coaster thats rougher than Mantis, and thats the Steel Phantom(I think almost anyone whos rode that thing would agree) The difference with the Steel Phantom is it was actually a fun ride. Mantis on the other hand isnt really. I think the layout is too squashed for it's own good, adding to the roughness of the thing. Let's just say I think it deserves most of the bad rep it gets.