when i was looking at that theming thread i thought of this. if a ride is a "classic" doesit make it a better ride? i've never ridden the CI cyclone or the magnum, but do you think people overrate them because of them being a "classic"? on my HP reveiw on TN i said that i didnt really care for the comet but then someone left a comment saying "how can you not like the comet, its a classic" this also goes with space mountain. i think its a terrible ride that just gives whiplash but i think people overrate it because its a disney ride and disney isnt supposed to make bad rides. what don you think?

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i think if you go into a coaster expecting a positive ride experience than you will definately enjoy a ride more....

....most of the time you are expecting a lot from a "classic" and that can make your ride a little more enjoyable.

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I think you might have a certain attachment toward a classic which would cause you to like it more than you should.

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I dont think it makes the ride better, but it sure cam make you eager to ride it more. moreover, there is the issue of old coastes that gives you as a coaster enthusiastic a kind of feeling you are reqly a coaster fun .

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Enjoy the ride of your life

My local park (3 minutes away) is a horrible, tacky holiday resort fun-fair. But, out of the 3 coasters that are there, two of them are a bit special. "Jetstream" was the UK's first steel roller-coaster and the "Runaway Train" is a Schwarzkopf Alpenblitz II. Only 5 of these were ever made and only 2 remain operational, so yes, I think the history does change the way I feel about these rides.

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There is no doubt that certain classic rides get way overrated. The biggest example of this would be Magnum. It remained no.1 in the polls for a ridiculously long time whereas from a pure ride perspective there were blatently superior hypercoasters out there. Why? Because it was the first hypercoaster and in it's day was one of the world's best it became the favourite of many enthusiasts who later became reluctant to acknowledge it's outdatedness, instead clinging onto the past and kidding themselves that it was still one of the best. The sheer popularity of CP amongst enthusiasts also played a role. The only way Magnum was gonig to plummet down the polls was when CP built something superior, not when other parks did.

I think the history of a coaster is very important and can affect one's view of the ride. Usig Leap-the-Dips as an example, if a rider knew nothing about it, he might think it was way too slow, had no good drops, and no speed. But knowing it is the oldest coaster operating in the U.S. and one of the few side-friction coasters still in operation around the world, the ride is put in perspective.

Coney Island Cyclone is another. Coney Island was the birthplace and real testing ground for modern coasters. Dozens of coasters were built in Coney Island. Coney Island was a world-wide mecca for amusement and the Cyclone became a worldwide milestone against which all future coasters would be judged. If you study the history of coasters, you wonder why this one stood out - and you find out. If you study the history of Coney Island, you wonder why this one survived where others luved and died - and you find out. If you never rode a coaster before the Cyclone, the questions going through your head as you snake through the queue are "how old is this thing?", "is it safe?", "anyone ever die on here?", "why is is here?". You get drawn into the history.

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I think if a coaster has been around long enough to be deemed a "classic", then it's surely a good ride. Your opinion may differ after riding it, but its those good rides that will last for years, putting them into classic status. The bad ones won't attain "classicness", simpy because they aren't good enough to stay around.

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Finally!! Someone who feels like I do.

Please don't flame me for the following words:

I always thought that the Thunderbolt, at Kennywood, was a terrible ride, I had heard from everyone before this that it was the best coaster there was in Kennywood. After I rode it, I thought it was just a bad ride but after I did it again, I was sure. I wanted to like it so bad, just to feel the same as everyone, and I just couldn't force myself to like it just to say I did. I figured that my opinion was genuine, and that makes it good.

I still prefer not to waste time on that coaster and some others, just because of their lack of fun, and long lines, nice to look at but not that great to ride.

~Jay

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See, I agree with BrooklynRider on many aspects. There are 2 types of coaster enthusiasts - those that love all coasters for what they are, and those that like the more contemporary, next-best-thing people. Neither one is better than the other, just different views on different rides. I am in the first group, I love new extreme coasters, I don't skip a single one, and I don't find any too terrifying to ride. But at the same time, the classic coasters are great, not because they are fast and crazy, but because of their significance from an enthusiast standpoint. This is what BrooklynRider was saying, so I am not going to reiterate everything, but next time you ride the Thunderbolt, don't think of it as a thrilling experience because it isn't. Look at it for what it was back when it was built in it's day, and it's history up until this point. Like, for instance, the fact that it was almost torn down a few times and what lead up to those decisions to keep it.

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Thunderbolt--really--u don't like it---wow!

Labeling something a classic isn't important to me, I take each ride as it is and decide if I like it. If it is a "classic" and I don't like it then I try to figure out what makes it a “classic” and try to appreciate the ride even if I don't like to ride it.

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Now I would argue that just because a coaster is a classic doesn't make it a good ride. Usually they will have been around long enough to attain that because they are, but many would feel that there are exceptions. Some of that also depends on what you consider "classic", but that's another discussion.

As a personal example, I didn't find the Giant Dipper in San Diego to be a very good ride. I appreciate it's history, and it looks great, but when it comes down to the ride itself I wasn't impressed by the bumping, banging, slamming and bruising that I got. I was rather disappointed, and have a hard time saying that it was a good ride by any means. Especially compared to the one with the same name up north a ways. However, I'm also happy they restored it because of the history involved with it. Great reasons to have it open and running that really have little to do with whether or not it's a good ride.

By the same token, you also have Leap the Dips. Personally, I really like the ride, but I've heard from some that just absolutely hated it, regardless of the history and technology involved.

Different strokes for different folks, but I have a hard time calling something good just because it's old.

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I agree with you that Giant Dipper isn't all that great of a ride, but I didn't find it particularly rough or abusive. It was actually quite smooth the day I was there. I just didn't like it because I was expecting at least alittle bit of air time, but there was none what so ever.

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Yeah I would say I favor some of my old favorites, like Mindbender at SFOG. If it was released today as a new coaster, we would laugh our heads off at it. But it was my first adult coaster, so I'll always ride it whenever I make it to Atlanta. It's still a fun ride.

But to play devil's advocate, many CE's also rave about rides that just aren't that great. I loved Drachenfire, it was tough, but it wouldn't even be in my Top 10 if it were still running today. It just wasn't THAT great. But the way people talked about it before they tore it down, you would have thought that it was Magnum or something.

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Intimidator Racing in to Carowinds 3/27/2010!

Well i haven't been on many coasters that have been labled "classic".

I've been on Magnum and here's my thought- barely in my top 15 (it's @ 15th place) that says something.

I thought it was a rough, poor tacking, out of date machine. Many people said it was smooth. I guess it is, but it's track work is terrible! (esspecally(sp?) on the bunney hops) I'm suprised Cedar Point hasn't done something about it! I got on with EXTREAMLY high expectations and got off feeling let down- bad.

Hersheyparks Comit and SFAs Wild One were both completely different storys. I loved them. There was a "sort of air" sorronding them i guess. I liked them because they weren't too fast, too long, to rough, to powerful. They were fun. The more i rode those two the more i loved them and the higher they cilmed up my lists. Comit in piticular was wonderful. Sfter my first ride i thought it was "okay" but after 2 or 3 more spins, man i loved it. The 2nd day i was @ Hershey it rained (a lot) and i got in half a dosen nightrides. DUDE! There was NO feeling like that one. I'll probably never feel that peacefull ever again in my life. What A Great Ride! A Classic! no dought.

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What if the history of the ride was that people have blacked out on a certain corner, that would change the ride.
Eventhough it won't happen

I happen to love Magnum and the history behind it had nothing to do with it. If I listened to history I would have hated Shockwave (which I loved) I would have loved Mean Streak (which I hate).

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