Cyclone

[screamingnight]

I have never beem on the famous Astro Land Cyclone. I have always heard these great things about it. I look at the design and all I gotta say is what is so great about it?

[The Interpreter]

Somehow I suspect you (given how often you express your love of thrill rides) would be disappointed, but I may be wrong. The Coney Island Cyclone is both the granddaddy of wooden roller coasters and perhaps the most overrated wooden coaster of all time. Part of what I say here will be seen as blasphemy by some, others will agree.

The trains on it nowadays have been heavily modified. If you are of any size other than that of 170 pound, 5 foot 10 inch tall male, they can be painful.

The coaster itself has been modified time and again. Even compared to when I started riding it, it is now a much tamer beast (but that can be said of a great many wooden coasters, from Rattler to Beast to Riverside (now Six Flags) Cyclone to Colossus).

That being said, the Cyclone endures and gives grand, historic and somewhat expensive rides in the relatively inaccessible, for most, Brooklyn. The layout itself is found elsewhere, sometimes even improved, such as at Six Flags Over Georgia and the Georgia Cyclone.

Beware, if you don't like rough wooden coasters (and I do mean rough), you will not like the Cyclone. The back seats, and especially THE back seat, can be brutal. I actually enjoy the thing, but I know many, many people who have been greatly disappointed with it. And as much as I like it, I prefer the one in Atlanta. Most of the time, that is my favorite wood coaster in the country. Sometimes, though, I prefer Tremors in Idaho, depending on my mood.

The Coney Island Cyclone has had some very good people marketing it for a very long time. It is in the largest city in the country and gets lots of media attention. It is the only wooden coaster in New York City. It was not, however, by all accounts, even the best roller coaster on Coney Island. That would have been the Thunderbolt, which, sadly, I got to see but never got to ride. The Thunderbolt was unexpectedly dismantled after a long period of standing but not oeprating....while the industry trade group was meeting at IAAPA, and virtually everyone who could have stopped it was at the meeting.

[scotty]

Simple. It is located in NYC. New Yorkers think the world revolves around them, and if it isnt in New York, it isnt worth a crap. Remember the blackout a few years ago? All they talked about was New York. Reporters asking people how they were getting home. Finally after over an hour, they said "We just got a memo that this blackout is extended to Toronto, Cleveland, and even Detroit", as I was sitting in my car listening the whole time. I was listening to Howard Stern the other day, and he was talking about Pedro Martinez (Pitcher for Yankees rival(s) Red Sox and Mets), likes to garden. Artie Lange (sp?) called him a panzy and started talking about Derek Jeter. He made the comment that Derek is a MAN, and he is out "banging chicks, when he is not winning world titles". Well I hope he practices safe sex, as he must be going through half of the 11 million population of NYC by now considering the Yankees have not one the World Series since 2000! New Yorkers automatically assume they will win it every year. I love seeing them fall flat, and watch George spend more money to come up short again, and again...

Getting back to the topic at hand, I have ridden the Cyclone 4-5 times, and I can honestly say the Big Dipper at Geauga Lake is a better ride. No to mention the Dipper is two years older to boot!

Scotty

[PhantomTheater]

Cleveland started the blackout! Also, finnaly some love for Dipper, That ride is still great with tons of airtime.

[The Interpreter]

Indeed, the Geauga Lake Big Dipper is, in my opinion, the best wooden coaster currently operating in the state of Ohio. Until recently, I would have reserved that honor for a ride in Middletown, Ohio; but the park is closed and the Screechin' Eagle sadly stands but does not operate.