Wow, I just got home from my day at Valleyfair, and Renegade is definitely the new best ride there.
To start, my first ride of the day was in the middle of the train, which was great, probably better than anything else at the park. Right after that we tried the very front, which was still fun, and then the back (which is where we kept going for the rest of the day). Let me just say that the back seat is amazing, and a completely different experience than the front. I guess I'll just talk my way through the ride from the back seat, definitely the best place to ride this coaster.
So, going out of the station you actually pick up some decent speed on the way to the lift, as the station is about 10-15 feet off the ground, then it's up the lift to the twisting first drop.
Just as you level off at the top of the lift, the train picks up speed instantly, and since the track isn't really banked at the top, you get some great lateral air time as the track drops out from under you. Then, without ever landing back in your seat, you twist to the left and get a great push to the right, finally landing back on your seat as the pullout starts. This is really the best part of riding near the middle or back of the train, as the drop isn't really anything special in the front.
The first hill has amazing floater/ejector air (about -0.4 G's if i had to guess) that is sustained for about 2 seconds. Then it's on to the first turnaround, which is a great, lat-filled, swooping turn, followed by an airtime filled transition into the turn at the bottom. This is another place where being in the back is definitely the best choice.
The second hill has about the same forces as the first, just over a smaller period of time, and then it's right into the S-turn. Both of these turns give great lats, and at the same time, you feel like you could just reach out and touch the handrails going right over your head.
Now it's up into the second turnaround, this time with airtime both in and out of it, and still some great lats in the middle. As you can probably guess, the air is better going in in the front, and going out in the back, but it's a lot stronger in the back than it is in the front (wow, I hope that makes sense[lol]). Anyway, after that is a swooping right turn, also with great lats, into the really weird yet really awesome reverse banked hill/turn. This had a little more than floater air, while also throwing you to the right. This goes up into another floater air hill, crossing over the service road, and throwing you into the finale of the ride.
The finale starts with the swooping left turn around the station, still giving great positive G's as well as lats. The next two hills are great, filled with semi-ejector airtime, and are small enough to make the make the ride feel like it is almost speeding up as you near the brakes. Finally, there's the 180-ish degree turn up into the brakes, complete with a little airtime bump in the middle. Something that surprised me was that Renegade has magnetic brakes before the usual friction ones. Maybe this is standard GCI though, and I've just never heard about it.
So, if you actually read that whole thing, hopefully it wasn't too boring, and all made sense. Renegade is definitely worth going to Valleyfair for if you've been looking for a reason to go there. Oh and also, even though I said the back is the best place, I think it's a good idea to ride in the front or middle first, because it's still a great ride, and it makes the back seem that much better when you do get to it.
Sorry I don't have any pictures, I'm going to try to get some later in the year.