Texas Giant flying off the tracks.

I have ridden the Giant several times through the years. The last time I rode it was in May 07. I could not believe how rough it was. I am enthusiast to enjoy cosaters, not physically hurt when I get off of them. Too bad SFOT has not learned to nuture their woodies like Holiday World and Lake Winnie.

Worst I was ever on was Mean Streak, anyone been on both and are able to compare?

"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."
-Joseph Campbell

Mean Streak is slow and boring.

Texas Giant is awesome but so painful.

I really think the real reason why TG is painful and shaky is in it's design. It was a Dinn/Summers design from the late 80's/early 90's. If you look at Dinn/Summers coasters from then, just about all of them are very rough. Some have even been taken down. Here are a few examples...Mean Streak @ CP, Predator @ Darien Lake, Hercules @ Dorney, Rattler @ SFFT, Psyclone @ SFMM. All of those coasters have either major problems with roughness or have been torn down. I truly think it is from the designers and not anything else. I can't think of another designer that has had so many rough wooden coasters

WildStangAlex, Mean Streak and Texas Giant are both awful, but I think Texas Giant hurts more. I won't ride Mean Streak anymore, I have learned my lessons.

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WildStangAlex said:
Worst I was ever on was Mean Streak, anyone been on both and are able to compare?

Even in its current state I don't think the Giant is as bad as the worst rides I've had on Mean Streak. Back in 1993 Mean Streak gave me a headache that lasted for days. Since then, Mean Streak has been smoothed out, but now it's slow and boring.

I agree the Giant is rougher than it should be, but it doesn't keep me from riding it.

^^Rattler is not a Dinn & Summers Coaster. It was built by John Pierce.

*** Edited 1/24/2008 5:31:57 PM UTC by Jeffrey Seifert***

How about this one. I was on Son of Beast before it was neutered. Any similarities with that ride and Giant?

"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."
-Joseph Campbell

With the old trains, Son of Beast had a high frequency roughness. Basically, there were parts of the ride where the train shimmied and shook (anytime it yawed basically) and this was your typical "rough". But everywhere else on the ride (bottom of first drop, rosebowl, basically EVERYWHERE) the train had this incredibly annoying vibration. It was high frequency, like the train was buzzing or something.

With the new G-trains, the vibration is more or less gone, but you still get some of the shimmy that the old trains had.

TG and MS have the classic bouncy sort of roughness, where you can feel the trains fighting the track.

That's my take, at least.

Both felt really similar to me although I ranked MS (#76) slightly higher than TG (#81) on Mitch's poll this year.

I survived a Japanese typhoon and the Togo flat ride of death!!!!!!

My first ride on TG was in 6-05. My daughters and I rode it numerous times over two days and again about 3 weeks after that. We loved it then. We rode it again this year and I still like it; but, could only ride it twice because it hurt so bad. I don't think it is in disrepair; but, something needs to be done to make it hurt less. We are planning on a trip to SFoT sometime this spring and it will be one of the last rides so we can enjoy the rest of the rides without being in pain.

GoliathKills said:I'm glad you agree with me Bill. It means I'm not going crazy.

Yeah, ummmm....if I were you, I'd downplay that a little. :)

I would almost not want to ride it again if it's that bad now, and I'll hold on to my memories of an aggressive, but very entertaining coaster.

^Exsctly. It easily became one of my very favorite "big" coasters...fast, fun, ferocious, and relatively smooth at the time. Even caught a hand-slap up on top of the midcourse before dropping, "Ghostily" into that amazing finale. After those rides over the course of three days, TG actually sat at #2 for me, behind only TrEmOrS. Everything I'm seeing, even from people I know and *really* trust, tells me the ride has fallen into consderable disrepair....very sad. :(

I rode TG in March 2002 and it was easily one of my favorite coasters.

Rode it again over labor day 2006 and could barely stand it. It was pretty unbearable.

I hope this ride is on the list along with Shockwave to get some TLC!

It was a top ten for me in 2005 and probably out of my top twenty after riding it again last summer. It's definitely rougher and slower, but still a fun and ferocious ride IMO. But to give Bill something for comparison, those rides we had on Gwazi last winter were way better than Giant is running now.

AV Matt
Long live the Big Bad Wolf

you know I love it. When I was at my height of riding coasters I got to ride some of the most wildest ride that are mostly defunct due to varisous reasons, but I enjoyed it. A couple I rode broke my ribs, two rides come in mind Idora Park Wildcat and Texas Cyclone (pre morgan). There were more but those were ones that stood out. Yes I know some coasters today have that roughness but nothing like those rides, mainly due to lawsuit happy people. TG did have it's great rides but after SF tamed it down they just don't seem to do as much upkeep on it. As for the flying off thats just a feeling that up get when you fly out of your seat. Right now the only coaster that comes close to the force that I use to encounter is the Voyage at Holiday World.

Texas Giant seems to be one of those coasters that you either love it for what it delivers (a big, fast, thrilling, wooden coaster) or hate it for how it delivers it (rough, bumpy and painful). I absolutely loved this ride when I rode back in 2003. I assume it's possible (probable) that it has become even rougher since then. I will say that this is one coaster that I really would like to go back and ride again, despite the fact that I probably never will.

Haters... step back!

Pass da' sizzrup, bro!

Boy does TG look rough. It looks like it could be as bad as MS, but maybe a little worse.

RIDE ON!

Craig the Coaster Freak said:
With the old trains, Son of Beast had a high frequency roughness. Basically, there were parts of the ride where the train shimmied and shook (anytime it yawed basically) and this was your typical "rough". But everywhere else on the ride (bottom of first drop, rosebowl, basically EVERYWHERE) the train had this incredibly annoying vibration. It was high frequency, like the train was buzzing or something.
With the new G-trains, the vibration is more or less gone, but you still get some of the shimmy that the old trains had.
TG and MS have the classic bouncy sort of roughness, where you can feel the trains fighting the track.
That's my take, at least.

Ok. Yeah, I've noticed that Son of Beast was totally unique in the majority of it's roughness.

"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."
-Joseph Campbell