Mantis Preys on Riders, Gives an Uncomfortable Ride
I never thought I’d see the day I would give a Bolliger & Mabillard designed coaster such a low rating. I like, if not love, all of their installations. Their coasters offer the smoothest rides while still delivering thrilling and innovative manuevers. Well, now I have to say that I love “almost all” of their coasters.
The Mantis opens with a straight 130 foot drop. Next you enter a massive vertical loop that offers some g-forces, but nothing too intense. The dive loop is pretty smooth then you rise up and swoop back down for the inclined loop. That’s where things go wrong. The rest of the ride there was this pressure in my legs and feet that was pretty painful. Add to that some pretty substantial headbang on turns and in the last inversion (corkscrew). For the last two-thirds of the ride I was just waiting for it to end. A feeling I’ve never had on a B&M coaster.
Even the older B&M’s and the stand-ups like the Georgia Scorcher at Six Flags Over Georgia and even Vortex at Carowinds didn’t beat me up or leave me with such a negative impression. Maybe a different seat would’ve offered a better ride, but this was by far one of my worst experiences on a steel coaster. Luckily Scorcher and Chang make the case for fun stand-up coasters. Because after you
feel that pain in your legs you wonder why they don’t just through some sitdown trains on that track. The look of the ride, location, and the relatively fun opening third save Mantis from an inconceivable ‘3’. Final Rating – 4.0 (Below Average)
Check out the rest of my rating scale here. Here’s a professional POV video of Mantis:Note – This is an official video that was filmed by professionals with permission from the park.
For safety reasons, please DO NOT take a camera on a roller coaster.
What’s Your Take?
Did you have a similar experience on Mantis? Leave a comment below.
Coaster Critic 
42 responses to “Mantis @ Cedar Point | Coaster Reviews”
My dad, who's about 6'1", does not enjoy this ride due to its roughness, but my cousin, who's about 5'1", loves it. Maybe the designers were short. o-oThey should have replaced this with the Maverick, not the log flume. That was one of my "old favorites". 😦
sry, but this is probably one of the rates that makes no sense to me. I am 6'2", and i LOVED Mantis. there was some pressure on my calf muscles, i admit, but despite that, this ride was AWESOME. i don't see whats so bad about this ride atall.
I have to disagree with your 4 rating here. I've probably ridden Mantis 10 times and I have never felt excessive pressure in my legs. There a chance that your seat wasn't quite adjusted right and you didn't have enough of your weight supported by the small seat. I'll agree that it does bang your head around at times, but I think the huge first loop along with a few of the twists at the end make this coaster a good time. Sure its not great, but I have to argue that a high average score like a 6 would be more appropriate.
i always wanted to go on this coaster. my uncle came back from cedar point. he told me in these exact words. NEVER RIDE MANTIS. that explains it all.
My dad and best friend agree…This ride JERKS and HURTS. The park employee says this has the most g-forces IN THE PARK 2nd only to Max-Air…! My dad hurt his back on this ride. My friend passed out. I probably would have died. NEVER RIDE THIS.
Yep. It was probably one of the most uncomfortable rides I've ever experienced on a steel coaster.
Shorter lines for me. Yippee!
speaking of rough steel coasters, could you make a top 3 thursady on the most rough steelies.
Speaking of standups, I saw in your chang review that It was your favorite standup. Was Riddlers Revenge any good or was it kind of painful like mantis? Oh and mantis was kinda rough but I like it better than the vortex because vortex is too short.
Riddler's Revenge was very close to Chang. They have a similar, but not identical layout or at least share a number of elements. Chang was also such a surprise because the surrounding park was so sub par.
CC, you mentioned Vortex at Carowinds and Georgia Scorcher at SFOG. How do those compare with the average stand-up? Can you do a review on them soon, or maybe give a Top 3 stand-ups week? I've only been on Vortex (above) when it comes to stand-ups, and I want to know more.
I'd say Vortex at Carowinds is an average stand-up coaster. Georgia Scorcher is short, but above average in part because it's newer and smoother. Then you've got Riddler's Revenge and Chang at the top and Mantis and Shockwave at the bottom. I can't believe I haven't done a Top 3 stand-ups, but then again I haven't ridden that many. I'll make it my next T3T CFC. Thanks for the suggestion.
I'd say Vortex is a pretty good stand-up considering it's B&M's third coaster since striking out on their own.
Maybe something has changed since you last rode Mantis but I have to agree with it's supporters. In fact I would go as far as to say this was one of the more enjoyable coasters I rode on my day at CP (that wasn't MF or TTD). Smooth as glass and lots of very cool g's. Didn't bang my head or hurt my legs at all. The only two bad things are looking at the gross toilet water below the ride and the typical manhood crushing bike seats for stand-ups. This definitely deserves at least a 6 maybe a 6.5, especially from the front row.
4.0?! Mantis is a great coaster! The best stand up I've ever been on . It has a great layout and an incredible dive loop. My only problem with it is the trim on the first drop. It's pretty smooth and makes my legs tingle every time, although the stand-up restraint systems are always somewhat awkward.
I just returned from 2 days at Cedar Point, and Mantis was the last ride of day 1. That day we rode Blue Streak, Power Tower, Millenium Force, Mean Streak, That Swinging Thing in the Back of the Park, Gemini, Corkscrew, Iron Dragon, and then Mantis. We left the park at around 6 to get dinner, probably because of this and Iron Dragon just putting a 3 hour drag on the day. M.S.,Gem., and Corkscrew were all a bit of a head-rattle and then Mantis just really sealed the deal. We'd also been up since 4 A.M. travelling so I thought I hadn't really given it a fair shake, and it might not have been responsible for our headaches, until reading the review. I enjoyed the ferris wheel the next day more than Mantis and Iron Dragon combined. 5'7", by the way; girlfriend is ~5'4"
Ive always found the Mantis uncomfortable and a snooze of a ride, another one I don't ride next to the Mean Streak.
Mantis IS a good coaster, but it's just bad in comparison with the others.
The last and only time I rode the Mantis was during its first season. During the day there I watched the first-aid golf cart come and go several times to the mantis to ferry away riders who had passed out or had experienced ill effects from what I surmise was the g-forces/poor seat height positioning that seems common with the Mantis. I can't recall over half of my ride on the Mantis due to fear for my life and constant pain and near 'black-out' in the loops due to what seemed like an intense amount of g-force. I've never had a problem with any other 'coaster at cedar point nor any other park I've visited. I wouldn't recommend this ride to anyone I know but take that with a grain of salt as it seems the ride is fine for some.
Um……you seem to rate these coasters as if you can do a better job of creating them. I would like to see you make a 145ft stand up that doesnt put as much pressure on your legs as Mantis for Cedar Point, then maybe you could talk. I mean come on a 4, you could at least give it a 7! Mantis is an great ride!
Nope. I'm not dumb enough to think I could do a better job making a roller coaster. Just like movie critics or food critics don't consider themselves skilled directors or chefs. I just report my experiences. There's no way a painful ride will ever get a 7 from me.
Well Thats mean. But you do have a point. btw i'm ten, really want to go on the mantis, the only other roller coaster ive been on was gemini, is it scary?
fyi also i am aound 60'' to 70'' inches, im pretty tall for my age, would it hurt me like it did for you men? (im a girl :] )
I've you've never ridden a looping coaster it might be a bit scary. You could warm up with Corkscrew just to get used to loops first then try Manta.
People have had so many different experiences there's no way to know until you ride it.
I agree with your review 100%, Mantis hurt my neck, legs, and head.
[…] I completely agree with the Coaster Critic’s review of Mantis. […]
I live near Cedar Point and have been going every year as far back as I can remember. I've always had the rule, "Never ride the Mantis," but today I decided to break that rule, as it has been many years since I've ridden it.
So I rode the Mantis today, and let me tell you, I will NEVER ride this roller coaster ever again. The pain in my calves was unbearable on this ride. It was like having two of the most excruciating charlie horses / cramps in my legs I've ever had. I just wanted off this ride. With every loop and turn, my calves felt like they were just being stretched and twisted. After getting off the ride, I could barely walk. I had to sit for a while before I could even hobble around the rest of the park. It's hours later, and I still have pain in my calves. The same happened to my friend riding with me.
Now I remember why I had that rule. I will NEVER ride The Mantis as long as I live.
I love Cedar Point, but unless you want a world of hurt, don't ride The Mantis.
-Carl
I should have listened to you coaster critic, this was the worst rollercoaster at cedar point. It hurt soooo much
We rode everything in the park and had a great great day…however….The Mantis was the WORST ride we have ever been on….we had 5 of us and it hurt ALL of us….it makes you smack your head on the turns, it's extremely rough and 4 out of 5 of us came off the mantis with headaches after…..WILL NEVER, EVER RIDE THAT RIDE AGAIN…BIG DISAPPOINTMENT…IT SHOULD BE MODIFIED OR TAKEN DOWN BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY HURT…. double thumbs down on this ride.
when i rode the mantis it was all fun untill after the loop i started feeling like my legs really hurt i had to actually put my feet on the coaster head to relax tem it almost made me wanna get of it granted i was hanging from the bike like seat because they put me to high off the ground which did not help my private regions but the ride is definently something to do but do it at the end of the day so u not walking around feeling like ur legs r on fire
I rode this with my son two days ago. I walked for a solid five minutes seeing "stars" around my head from the ricochet effect. Two days later, and I still have an intense headache. My son is fine and a total adrenaline junkie, but even he was disappointed with the coaster and described it as "lame." Never again.
I must have not ridden Mantis correctly. It didn't bother me at all, even my wife had no problems with it. It is not that great of a ride as far as thrills but the pain thing seems to be missing for me. We actually rode it twice.
First time i rode I was excited because It looked like Chang, but it did hurt my legs and left me disapointed. Second time tho a few years later i found it much more enjoyable. Still not somthing i would die for, but i would give it a low 7 the second time around.
I had very low expectations for this ride when I rode it, my only previous experience with a stand-up coaster being the Shockwave at Kings Dominion. After riding it, I liked it a lot; I think it deserves at least a 6. I heard bad things about it being rough and even painful, but I found it incredibly smooth and I enjoyed the inversions and other elements. I find it comparable to a stand-up version of the Dominator at Kings Dominion, both being B&M rides with interlocking corkscrews.
Hello,
I am going to Cedar Point on May 18 & my daughter has just recently reached 54″. She is 11 years old and is a huge coaster fan. She has ridden all the coasters at Cedar Point except for Mantis, Raptor, TTD, & Wicked Twister.
What I am asking is:
What will this ride be like for a 54″ girl? Will it hurt her legs in any way?
If it helps, she doesn’t mind head-banging. It doesn’t bother her.
Thank you.
~Esther
I do agree that Mantis is not a great coaster, but you gave this ride a 4, and Mean Streak a 5?! I would ride this over Mean Streak any day LOL, still not a great ride though.
Im actually a fan of mantis. I dont expereance the head banging, or roughness, except for the inclined loop. But, it may be because ive ridden it hundreds of times and i know where to sit, how to stand, and how to sort of brace myself. I would have given this ride a 6 or 7.
Sorry about the late comment, but i remember going on this when i was just 54 inches, and it doesnt hurt your legs as much, and you actually get some air when your shorter. And, i hope she did raptor, this, ttd, and wicked twister. Those are all good rides.
I agree that Mantis is painful, but I enjoyed it.
I rode the mantis when it first came out i was younger and in better shape then i am now.i went thru knee surgury when i was a teenager.when i rode it i was in my late 20s.the ride shook my knee apart to tge point where i was in tears and limping the rest of the day at the park.can someone please tell me why they cant put padding like a half a foot thick to remove the pain from the ride???? U stand on the padding!!! How hard would it be to do this??!!.
This was one of the best rides at the park and I wasn’t happy when I learned that the Park was closing the ride. I know that the ride gave you leg pain but it was one of the most unique rides in the whole park. I think that rougarou is a huge step down from Mantis and that it was a huge mistake from Cedar Point to take away this ride.