The Big "Bad" Wooden Coaster Club

There's several big wooden coasters infamous for being rough and/or boring and I was wondering if some people can give me their positive thoughts on those coasters and why you think they're so "bad" or rough for some people.

Do you love the re-rides because the lines are short? Are there special airtime seats or way to ride some people don't know about? Are they better at certain times of the day? Let's know what that motivation is or do you just like a nice beating? :)

So, who really loves these neglected masterworks and why do they get your lovin'?

Some notorious woodies you can talk about: Psyclone, Collosus, SOB, Mean Streak, Rattler, Raging Wolf Bobs, Hercules, American Eagle, Rolling Thunder, Twister II, Grizzly(PGA), ...

This is a *Luv* Thread! :)

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Danny

As of this year, you can take American Eagle off the list. In recent years past, it has steadily been getting better, and this year, blue side has become better than Viper (I think, I only got one ride on each last time I was there.)

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When did American Eagle get more airtime than Viper?

I love the Raging WolfBobs at SFWOA. This coaster sure is rough but it has some amazing airtime, especially in the back seat at the top of the lift hill! Also, later in the evening you can go back and do a mini-marathon on this coaster all night. My friends and I rode it in the middle of the train from 9 PM to closing at 10 on opening day and we loved it. We were a little beat up, but hey...it's worth it for a coaster.

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mmm, roller coaster
(Homer Simpson)

In all honesty, I thought that Psyclone was a fairly fun ride. I don't see what people hate about it. Sure, it wasn't the best woodie I have ben on, but it was a lot better than Colossus, which was just slow. SOB though, I can understand. It would have been a great ride, but those restraints make your legs smash into the metal bars at every turn. Twister II has a lot of new tracking this year and from what I have heard is running very well. oh well, just my 0.02.

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"Attention all Time Travel Commitee Members; the reasearch and development meeting will take place last friday at O-Three-Hundred hours. Do not be late."

Psyclone can be the biggest rough rider out there but still is has a great layout. Though its roughness, I still love to reride it because of its twisted layout and ejector airtime(it's up on that list for most painful airtime, but for some reason I like Psyclone's airtime.) It's a far cry from the Coney Island Cyclone, but any descendant of the Coney Island Cyclone can't be all that bad, rough or not. The other thing is that Cyclone may be rough but is not tamed like Texas Cyclone and keeps its speed throughout the whole ride. Thanks to Deja Vu in Cyclone Bay now, Psyclone very rarely has long lines either.

Grizzly, well, the only way you can love the Grizzly is if you feel sorry that it is such a pathetic ride. When the ride loses all of speed by the second hill, you have lost all hope for the ride. It’s all down hill from there, very slowly down hill because not only is it slow but rough and tame. No banking, two trims, low airtime, rough cub, and famous 2 mph turnaround.

The wildcat is real rough

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Psyclone is not that bad! It has an unfair reputation... Now I rode it right after a rehab, so there was little roughness to speak of. But the layout is very good... After all it is a Cyclone Clone...

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Xcelerator-
0-82 in 2.3 seconds! =Wow!

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Koaster King said:

Some notorious woodies you can talk about: Psyclone, Collosus, SOB, Mean Streak, Rattler, Raging Wolf Bobs, Hercules, American Eagle, Rolling Thunder, Twister II, Grizzly(PGA), ...

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Well, I got the backwards Colossus, thought it was good not great...SoB - gotta give PKI props for what they did, but I still think the choice of layout on a LOOPING wooden coaster may be a *tad* questionable. Really, other than the top of the second hill entering the first helix, I was surprised it ran as well as it did for a woodie traveling at THOSE speeds...Twister, Rattler and AE I haven't ridden (AE comes this June...:)). Mean Streak I remember fondly, from when it still had a...Mean Streak. Grizzly at PGA certainly didn't match up against its namesake on the right coast (as opposed to left coast, not "wrong" coast), but was still fun and had a good setting. (editorial note: why is PGA the only Paramount park with SUCH a gaping hole in the wooden coaster collection - topic for discussion). Psyclone - -well, it wasn't as bad when I rode it as it seems to be now based on ALL reports. Rotting Lumber....this park deserves no additional wood, unwilling to take care of a simple out-n-back?!?!!?

As for RWB and Herc, I gotta believe that Summers and Dinn shared something other than dinner when drawing up those disasters-in-waiting....I mean, layout dictates the ride won't ever really improve.....sad.

But shoot, two wooden coasters out of the bunch that I've deemed "beyond hope", and one (RT) that is nearly beyond repair....if all the steelies I've ridden had that kind of batting average, maybe I wouldn't be such a woodie-snob...;)

bill, still lovin' them Kings......maybe Tonya Harding could do to Shaq what no NBAers can....hmmm, not really the help we want, but quite possibly the only way to dethrone the reigning champs....

Sonny keeps getting better and better. Mean Streak was running great the first time I rode it this year, fast, furious, and even air. I rode it later that same day and it was the worst coaster ride I have ever had. I was ready to get the matches out.

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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

What about the Boss that ride is rough. Rougher than most rides but I loved it.

I was thinking about The Boss as well. Is Predator at SFDL known to be a rough coaster? If it is, I remember I conversation I had with an enthusiast who was absolutely in love with the coaster. I really hope I do like some of the "bad" wooden coasters, because they actually look like they have some pretty interesting layouts.

The first time I rode MS, I adored it. I thought it was even better than The Beast. And that was a nice ride I had in the 2000 season! But in 2001, it is undoubtably my second least favorite wooden coaster over Hercules(a lethal coaster!). I don't even want to talk about that one!

I do like SOB and American Eagle a lot though. I have a lot of fun on both of them and can't wait to ride the Eagle this year now that we get to go backwards!!

I don't think there's anything bad about Mean Streak, I loved it each time I've ridden it. Compared to Hercules, Mean Streak is as smooth as a B&M. Wildcat at Hershey is really bad too, I loved it the first year or 2, but I haven't been on it now in about 2 years, because it's so painfull. Hershey should use the same kind of trains as on LR, maybee that would help.

Really Mean Streak is a shame, when it was new oh baby it was just awesome. But now it really is sad. Maybe as an 11 year old I thought it was great in 91.

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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

I loved Mean Streak the last time I was on it (2000). I think that maybe many fans are airtime junkies. I am certainly not that way, and its being boring due to little airtime is a crock IMO. It's a fast, fun, and LONG ride. I still don't think it's rough either. Cyclone at SFOG.... now THAT is rough (but still great ;) )

Mean Streak's roughness doesn't bother me too much. It's the lack of much excitement that gets me. It is a long ride as MisterX pointed out and that alone makes it a must ride every year.

I just rode Hercules for the first time on Sunday (see trip report here at coasterbuzz) and I can honestly say it's the first coaster I've ever been on that I may never ride again. Just ridiculously brutal and slow. How can a ride be slow and brutally rough? I don't know either, but it is.

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www.coasterimage.com

Mean Streak - Love the coaster, always have, still one of my top wooden coasters. I have never been on a ride on that where I didn't get air in several places. Yes, it's a bit rough, but not horrendous in any way shape or form, and I prefer for a wooden coaster to be rough, they're supposed to be that way. Hercules - Well, the first drop and first turn after the drop are incredible. Not going to say too much more. The Beast - What else can I say, not a hated coaster, but rough, but a great ride leads into an amazing finale. Psyclone - Well, it's cool to go into a tunnel right out of the station going to the lift hill. Colossus - Pretty good air in the first half, and when racing it's always fun. Son of Beast - Loved it. Didn't seem overly rough to me when I rode it. Also, the loop had some good g's in it. The first drop is great. Some of the helicies aren't overwhelming. I think high expectations were what hurt this ride the most. Rattler - Wow, it's been a LONG time since I rode this (to give you an example, it's drop was still all the way down when I last rode it). I don't remember it being anything overly amazing, but nothing terrible either. Raging Wolf Bobs - Rode this quite a while ago as well. The layout is great. Although it lacks air a bit, I still love that layout and some of those little hills do pack some air. American Eagle - First drop and hills after it are LOADED with air. The rest depends on how tight the brakes are. It can either be an amazing ride or a bore. Usually more amazing this year. Rolling Thunder - Another coaster with a good layout that just can't maintain the speed it needs to to keep a great ride. Needs some way to cut out a lot of that friction. PGA Grizzly - A watered down version of the PKD one. Still has the great fundamentals of the PKD one, but just has been watered down. Great idea that just didn't work out the way it should've. Still a decent ride still. The Boss - One of my favorite wooden coasters. It's got that breakneck speed, amazing air, and just gives that overall ride that lets you know that you've been on a great ride. Yes, it's rough, but I really have no complaints about this ride.

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"You can't kill what's stronger than death" - Zakk Wylde

I don't mind the roughness on Mean Streak until the second half towards the end. At that point, its just an annoying vibration to the ride and I really can't stand that. The ride just isn't particularly fun or intense in the way of positive, negative, or lateral g's. Really disappointing after my great ride in 2000. Luckily BS makes up for it for the most part.

I have really never had a bad ride on Mean Streak. This year it's flying. Gotta show love to the big woodies. (Coasters!)

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Hey man. Wanna buy some weed? Crack? Freepass on Millennium Force? I got the hook up...

Mean Streak was much rougher before they trimmed it down. I learned right away to lean forward and let the vibrations flow through me rather than sitting back in the seat and getting a pounding. It was always a fast and furious and LONG ride. Now that it's trimmed it isn't nearly as rough as it used to be, but no lines make it a ride and re-ride for me every trip.

I only rode Raging Wolf Bob's years ago, back when it was still Geauga Lake, but I recall riding that coaster several times in a row and enjoying it. Probably because I was so used to riding forward and "relaxed" on Mean Streak, I automatically did the same thing on RWB.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

Legend, The only coaster besides Riverside Cyclone that I have ridden that will beat you to death and keep ya comming back for more!

Thing is, They don't hurt you, Just make you feel every sensation under the sun and mean it!

Chuck

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Charles Nungester
Americana (Now called The great americana amusement park at Lesourdsville Lake) is opening in 2002. Indivdual visits are very improtant to the parks survival.