Eh-h, I'm not too sure about Georgia Cyclone aging well. Don't get me wrong, one of my favorite woodies. But, if we're talking solely of roughness, it fails the test.

Now I'm one to consider it as the ride's "personality," but some do not. The second drop on GC makes all the bouncing around worth it. As long as you "ride it right," it's fine.

I'm really interested in seeing some aging on GCI's rides. I'm trying to imagine Thunderhead ever being rough! I just can't do it! Millenium Flyers definitely will factor in somehow. Hm-m-m.

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Yea, to me, the Cyclone hasn't aged overly well. It hasn't aged really well, but in the same sense it hasn't aged poorly. It merely has shown signs of aging, as most coasters do. Back when that thing opened, it was a beast. One of the top coasters in the world, and it scared the hell out of me as a barely-tall-enough-to-ride kiddie way back when I was just starting grade school. I'm now in college and the Cyclone can still be that world class thriller, not to mention intimidating. On good days the ride is very tolerable and the ejector airtime is like none other. However, on most days, the air is present while the tolerability tanks. But, it should have been expected. Even though it was the coaster that Summers screwed up and got it right, it was bound to age. No cyclone-style coaster with PTCs will stay smooth for long (hell, Scream Machine can be rough in the back and true to Allen form, Mr. Twister and maybe a few others withheld, its pretty much all strait lines)... at least it hasn't lost its ferocity. But wait.. since it hasn't gone to hell like Mean Streak or Predator or Psyclone, and hasn't met the wrecking balls that brought down Hercules, perhaps the level of "achievement" for Dinn Co. is so low that as long as it doesn't age like crap and doesn't become borderline (or over-the-line) unbearable, is it a success? Is anything but bad aging good aging for those in the line of infamous Summers creations? Can the same hold true for other woodies, whereas so long as it doesn't age poorly it is a success story?

Enough 4am philosophy for me.. :)

By the way, I'd still find room in my top 10 for the GA Cyclone

Georgia Cyclone, to me, was horrible. There were only two I thought were worst as far as woodies go: Raging Wolf Bobs and Mean Streak. (Yes, I really like Son of Beast). One that has aged really well is Big Dipper at GL. Interesting how RWB and Villain aged rather poorly, but BD is still very, very good ride; and they are in the same park.

Compared to BD, Thunderhawk was not even in the same league. They are roughly (no pun here) the same age, but Thunderhawk is very bouncy and shaky.

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Wood #1 Voyage, #2 Renegade, #3 T-Express, #4 Boulder Dash, #5 Ghostrider

All wooden coasters IMO age well. It's the maintenance that is the issue.

If you have a park that doesn't take care of their woodys, then it will not age well and will be rough very quickly.

Look at SFA, they have Wild One which was built in 1923 I think, and it's about as smooth as a modern woody.

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Intimidator Racing in to Carowinds 3/27/2010!

^Agreed the maintance is the problem with most coasters. The older a coaster gets the more the wood will give and giving the rider a better ride all together, IMO. The only one that has aged badly in my opinion is Mean Streak and it gets good maintance, but I still love Mean Streak. I would have to say that Beast has aged the best though.

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I actually had some decent rides on SOB when I rode it during its second year. Now its just a pain in the you-know-what.

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cheers

-p

http://www.myspace.com/pschroeder

Wood coasters are all about maintenance. Unless a ride was designed badly and opened rough, it should stay the same according to maintenance. I understand that age is an issue, but I think that steel structured coasters are much less prone to aging since the structure will not gradually losen up, settle, or warp the same way wood will. Rides like that are all about taking care of the rails IMO.

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I like the Zingo a lot.

[quote=Griswold]I thought Screechin' Eagle at LeSourdesville Lake ran beautifully until the park closed again in 2002. Has anyone else here ridden this classic?[/quote]
I have and yes it does run well.
For its age the Cannonball @ LW runs so well its smoother than some coasters that are fairly new. I think they replace the track everyyear, I know it sounds crazy but seriously I think they do.

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http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/
My park review blog.

[quote=RllrCoasterFan]^Agreed the maintance is the problem with most coasters. The older a coaster gets the more the wood will give and giving the rider a better ride all together, IMO. The only one that has aged badly in my opinion is Mean Streak and it gets good maintance, but I still love Mean Streak. I would have to say that Beast has aged the best though.[/quote]Actually, Mean Streak has aged pretty well (it was basically like that to begin with), especially when you compare it to the woodies at Geauga Lake. Anyone who complains about Mean Streak being rough is a wuss and should try riding SOB.

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I live the beautiful Pacific Northwest and can speak for the coasters in our area as well as a few others in the US.

I've rated them as the good, the bad, and the ugly:
:usa: = Aged woodies (over five years of operation)

[B][COLOR=blue]The Good:[/COLOR][/B]
[COLOR=black][B]:usa: Tremors [/B][/COLOR]- Best on a cold dark night.
[B]:usa: Timber Terror[/B] - Best on a cold dark night.
[B]:usa: Coaster Thrill Ride[/B] - At night in the pouring rain. Oh yeah!
[B]Timberhawk[/B] - During the winter it's much more fun to ride.
[B]:usa: Viper[/B] (SFGAm) - At night offers lots of floaters and air.
[B]:usa: American Eagle[/B] - Probably runs smoother and faster in the cold.
[B]:usa: Zeus [/B]- Runs much better at night in front.
[B]:usa: Cyclops[/B] - A bit rough but better at night.
[B]Hades [/B]- Although it's good now hopefully it'll maintain its durability.
[B]Avalanche - [/B]Good now but is already showing signs of roughness.

[COLOR=blue][B]The Bad:[/B][/COLOR]
[B]:usa: Pegasus[/B] - A rough yet unusual junior coaster. Gave me a headache.

[COLOR=blue][B]The Ugly:[/B][/COLOR]
[B]:usa: Wolverine Wildcat[/B] - Gave me a migrane each time I rode it.

Lisa
Roller Coasters of The Pacific Northwest
[URL="http://www.rollercoastersofthepacificnw.com"]http://www.rollercoastersofthepacificnw.com[/URL]

Jackrabbit at KW still gives good rides too.

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"Ok, fat ***, we've just traveled 2,460 miles just for a little Roy Wally entertainment. The moose says you're closed. I say you're open!"

[B]The Good
[/B]GASM- Sure, a little rough on the lower back, but this wooden still felt smooth and gave out lots of air. I think of it as an underrated wooden coaster.

[B]The Bad
[/B]Gwazi- This has aged horridly and over time, poorer operations. Surely for capacity reasons, but why still advertise it as a dueling wooden coaster? Anyways, my last ride on Gwazi Lion a few months ago makes me ticked off at Busch at how they need to give this wooden a retrack. After riding, it gave me an even WORSE headache than Python (an old Arrow Corkscrew at the park).

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[quote=Raptor]Actually, Mean Streak has aged pretty well (it was basically like that to begin with), especially when you compare it to the woodies at Geauga Lake. Anyone who complains about Mean Streak being rough is a wuss and should try riding SOB.[/quote]

Yea, the son may be rougher (and I personally think Predator and Psyclone are even worse than Mean Streak), but that doesn't mean that Mean Streak hasn't worsened over time. I didn't ride it in its infancy, but I have been told that it was a great ride back in the early nineties and nowhere near as rough as it is today. So yea, MS isn't the worst of woodies but it has still gone to hell. Not rough? haha yea.

Georgia Cyclone and GASM really aren't all that bad.

I rode Cyclone 22 consecutive times in the back car (1st row, you always have to ride in the 1st row of each car) and was fine, other than some thigh bruises that came from the massive air (Opening Weekend=untrimmed). Really, you should only ride in 1-1 and 6-1 or maybe 5-1.

With GASM, the key is to get in the 1st or 2nd row of any car because the trains are trailered, so the 3rd row is a wheel seat, which is more painful.


I found Wolverine Wildcat to be a lot of fun, nowhere near Timbers though.


The only woodie I've been on that has aged poorly is Hurler at PC, which is incredibly rough on the turns (get a retrack or something, geez). Also, Timbers is showing signs of its age, it needs a retracking and, in one spot, a reprofiling.

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Even though lightning racer is not that old..it still has been giving intense yet very comfterball rides ever since its opening. Wildcat is getting rough even though I love wildcat..everyone who rides with me complaines about how crazy and rough it is.

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HAPPY 100 HERSHEY!

[quote]Jackrabbit at KW still gives good rides too.[/quote]

Agreed-All coasters at kennywood have aged well.

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Wildcat at Hersheypark has aged perfectly, IMO. No, I did not ride it when it was new. But I like my wood coasters to be somewhat rough; wildcat's roughness gives it that perfect jerky, out of control feeling, when coupled with it's speed. I'd rather have it be a little too rough for some people than braked to death (and smoothness) like Mean Streak.

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I love the Hersheypark Wildcat. It only had one off year, and that was due to a trim brake. She has always given a great ride, except in '03 when the trim brake was added.

As to a ride that has not aged well, I wouldn't know, because all the really bad woodies that I have ridden, I haven't been on them often enough to be able to make a judicious decision. The two Summers & Dinn rides that I've survived (Mean Streak and Hercules) threw my spine out of alignment, but I've always been under the assumption that it was due to design issues. Also, Rolling Thunder @ SFGADV. is in dire need of a retracking... It was an uncomfortable ride when I first rode her in '99, she was rough in '05.

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If there ain't air, I ain't there.

Mean Streak...It's not that old for a woodie, its just that the park didin't take care of it until they started seeing some of the problems.

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Magnum XL- 200...1989-2007...18 years of toppin the list

Every single one of you are wrong, the coaster that has easily aged the best is [b]The Big Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.[/b] Honestly, its in better shape than some Six Flags Coasters that were built no less than 3 years ago.

Its a historic landmark, and looks fantastic year after year, kept clean, and fresh paint when it needs it. Not only that, but it stands out like it should. The trains are kept clean and good looking, and the station is still its same old self in great shape.

Its EASILY the best maintained coaster existing on this planet (Or at least I think so).

And just for kicks, the coaster was built in 1922....and its in better shape than Roar at Marine World, Mean Streak, Grizzley, and so many other coasters. It simply cannot compare.

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Thornton to Heatley all day, every day.

Umm, gee, I think I mentioned that one way back on page 2. hehe

And just because other people disagree with you or think other coasters have or haven't aged well doesn't make them all wrong. Just means you're limited in scope. :P (just kidding with you there)

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Have you read my number 1 best seller? There will be a test! ~God
Life with God is one thrill ride you'll never want to get off of.
My park & coaster photos: Sir Willow's Smugmug pictures