# 53 bicycles: A lateral thinking puzzle **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 9, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868 "2017-07-09T19:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 104
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2061 "2017-12-03T17:05:54Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > O.K., another silly one from my life. > > **Why do I have a rule that I can’t wear sneakers when I go out for ice cream?** Do you have a medical condition that flares when you eat ice cream? Does the ice cream shop have a dress code? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2062 "2017-12-03T17:47:32Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Does it have to do with where you eat the ice cream that you get from these certain shops? **Yes, in part.** > [@](#): > > Does it have to do with what kind of ice cream you get from these certain shops? **No.** ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2063 "2017-12-03T17:48:33Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Does it involve the type of shoes you wear when you don’t wear sneakers? **Only in the sense that they are not sneakers.** ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2064 "2017-12-03T17:51:39Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Do you have a medical condition that flares when you eat ice cream? **No.** (Although it’s not relevant to this puzzle, this is an excellent guess that never occurred to me.) > [@](#): > > Does the ice cream shop have a dress code? \*\*No. \*\*But I like the idea of an ice cream shop that requires formal wear. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2065 "2017-12-03T17:55:18Z")
Does it have to do with dripping ice cream or potentially dripping ice cream? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2066 "2017-12-03T17:57:42Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Does it have to do with dripping ice cream or potentially dripping ice cream? **No.** ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2067 "2017-12-04T03:08:33Z")
The reason involves where you go for ice cream, and, in part, where you eat the ice cream, but has nothing to do with the region in which you live … Do the ice-cream shops have those cute little wrought iron ice cream parlor chairs than can cut off a toe if some one impales you with it when sitting down? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2068 "2017-12-04T03:28:36Z")
Do you prefer to eat your ice cream in a place that requires soft soled shoes, or do you need to cross through an area that requires sneakers/soft soled shoes? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2069 "2017-12-04T03:43:09Z")
> [@j666](#): > > The reason involves where you go for ice cream, and, in part, where you eat the ice cream, but has nothing to do with the region in which you live … **This summary is correct.** > [@](#): > > Do the ice-cream shops have those cute little wrought iron ice cream parlor chairs than can cut off a toe if some one impales you with it when sitting down? **No.** ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2070 "2017-12-04T03:44:56Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Do you prefer to eat your ice cream in a place that requires soft soled shoes, or do you need to cross through an area that requires sneakers/soft soled shoes? \*\*No. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2071 "2017-12-04T04:38:39Z")
Does this involve with **whom** you go for ice cream? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2072 "2017-12-04T04:47:35Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Does this involve with **whom** you go for ice cream? **No.** ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2073 "2017-12-04T05:12:40Z")
Do you have other rules for going out for ice cream? Do you have other … quirky rules involving attire? (I am terrible at this game.) ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2074 "2017-12-04T05:44:05Z")
Does it have anything to do with the bottom of the sneakers? ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2075 "2017-12-04T06:06:40Z")
Is it related to floor surface? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2076 "2017-12-04T13:37:22Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Do you have other rules for going out for ice cream? **Yes.** > [@](#): > > Do you have other … quirky rules involving attire? **Yes.** > [@](#): > > (I am terrible at this game.) **No.** 😉 To be fair, while I do have a lot of quirky rules, I always like to say, “There are rules for a reason.” In this case, there is a very practical reason for the rule that should be possible to discover by asking the right questions. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2077 "2017-12-04T13:40:11Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Does it have anything to do with the bottom of the sneakers? **No.** ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2078 "2017-12-04T13:44:14Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > Is it related to floor surface? **No.** ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2079 "2017-12-04T13:58:53Z")
Do you run or walk to the ice cream parlor, to get enough steps to offset the ice cream you eat? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2080 "2017-12-04T14:07:41Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Do you run or walk to the ice cream parlor, to get enough steps to offset the ice cream you eat? **Yes. It’s not actually for the steps; it’s because I don’t own a car.** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=103) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=105)