# 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:** 106
**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 4, 2017, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2101 "2017-12-04T22:09:03Z")
Do the type of shoes you wear serve some kind of purpose that sneakers don’t provide? Do you perform any other activity besides walking and ice cream-getting? Is the ice cream parlor on the second floor and you wear stilts? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2102 "2017-12-04T22:50:03Z")
Is there any other sort of footwear that you would not wear to go out for ice cream? Is the location of the ice cream shops relevant? Is the location you walk through immediately before and/or after getting ice cream relevant? Would your reason still apply if you lived in Nome, Alaska? Would your reason still apply if you lived in Hawaii? ---
**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, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2103 "2017-12-04T22:53:46Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Do the type of shoes you wear serve some kind of purpose that sneakers don’t provide? **No.** > [@](#): > > Do you perform any other activity besides walking and ice cream-getting? **No.** > [@](#): > > Is the ice cream parlor on the second floor and you wear stilts? **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, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2104 "2017-12-04T22:57:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Is there any other sort of footwear that you would not wear to go out for ice cream? **Yes.** > [@](#): > > Is the location of the ice cream shops relevant? **Only in the sense that the rule applies specifically to ice cream shops that I walk to.** > [@](#): > > Is the location you walk through immediately before and/or after getting ice cream relevant? **No.** > [@](#): > > Would your reason still apply if you lived in Nome, Alaska? **Yes, although it would probably not be the only reason I would not want to wear sneakers.** > [@](#): > > Would your reason still apply if you lived in Hawaii? **Yes.** ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2105 "2017-12-04T23:13:27Z")
Do you wear any footwear at all when you go out for ice cream? It doesn’t seem consistent with some of the other answers, but I keep on picturing you walking to an ice cream shop on the beach, and of course you’re going to be barefoot on the beach. ---
**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, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2106 "2017-12-04T23:22:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Do you wear any footwear at all when you go out for ice cream? > > It doesn’t seem consistent with some of the other answers, but I keep on picturing you walking to an ice cream shop on the beach, and of course you’re going to be barefoot on the beach. **I do wear footwear when I go out for ice cream. I was waiting for someone to ask this question, since I could sense that people were picturing me walking barefoot.** ---
**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 4, 2017, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2107 "2017-12-04T23:34:33Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > **I do wear footwear when I go out for ice cream. I was waiting for someone to ask this question, since I could sense that people were picturing me walking barefoot.** Not just your feet buddy… Is the reason for the rule because you are walking while eating the ice cream? Is the surface you are walking on the reason for the rule? If you took an uber to the ice cream store, would the rule still apply? Is there a reason you would want to walk audibly while walking with your 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, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2108 "2017-12-04T23:37:28Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Not just your feet buddy… **You should know that I am female.** > [@](#): > > Is the reason for the rule because you are walking while eating the ice cream? **Yes.** > [@](#): > > Does the surface you are walking on the reason for the rule? **No.** > [@](#): > > If you took an uber to the ice cream store, would the rule still apply? **No.** ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2109 "2017-12-04T23:39:11Z")
OK, so footwear can be divided into two categories, and there’s a difference of some sort between the categories, such that footwear of one category is suitable for **SpoilerVirgin** to go out for ice cream in, and footwear of the other category is not, and we need to figure out that key difference. Is that accurate? Is the (or a) relevant difference in the level of formality of the footwear? Is the (or a) relevant difference in the material from which the footwear is made? Is the (or a) relevant difference in the way in which the footwear is fastened? Is the (or a) relevant difference in the comfort of the footwear? Is the (or a) relevant difference in some utilitarian feature of the footwear? ---
**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 4, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2110 "2017-12-04T23:42:26Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > **You should know that I am female.** Eh, buddy is gender neutral for me. I edited in another question before your reply. Is there a reason you would want to walk audibly while walking with your 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, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2111 "2017-12-04T23:50:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, so footwear can be divided into two categories, and there’s a difference of some sort between the categories, such that footwear of one category is suitable for **SpoilerVirgin** to go out for ice cream in, and footwear of the other category is not, and we need to figure out that key difference. Is that accurate? **Yes.** > [@](#): > > Is the (or a) relevant difference in the level of formality of the footwear? **No.** > [@](#): > > (or a) relevant difference in the material from which the footwear is made? **No.** > [@](#): > > (or a) relevant difference in the way in which the footwear is fastened? **Yes.** > [@](#): > > or a) relevant difference in the comfort of the footwear? **No.** > [@](#): > > (or a) relevant difference in some utilitarian feature of the footwear? **Yes.** ---
**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, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2112 "2017-12-04T23:51:20Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Eh, buddy is gender neutral for me. > > I edited in another question before your reply. > Is there a reason you would want to walk audibly while walking with your ice cream? **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 5, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2113 "2017-12-05T00:12:21Z")
Do the shoes you wear instead have laces? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2114 "2017-12-05T00:13:18Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Do the shoes you wear instead have laces? **No.** ---
**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 5, 2017, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2115 "2017-12-05T00:52:55Z")
Is it so you can kick off your shoes without having to put down your 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 5, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2116 "2017-12-05T00:54:04Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Is it so you can kick off your shoes without having to put down your 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 5, 2017, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2117 "2017-12-05T01:36:01Z")
So, you walk to the ice cream shop in shoes that don’t lace, and then you walk home eating the ice cream. Are your ice-cream shoes slip ons? Do your ice-cream shoes have heels? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2118 "2017-12-05T01:50:52Z")
> [@j666](#): > > So, you walk to the ice cream shop in shoes that don’t lace, and then you walk home eating the ice cream. \*\*Yes. \*\* > [@](#): > > Are your ice-cream shoes slip ons? > > Do your ice-cream shoes have heels? **Both could be acceptable in ice cream shoes. (That makes it sounds like my shoes are made out of ice cream. Before we go down that route, I’ll just say that I wear perfectly ordinary shoes made out of leather or fabric, not ice cream.)** ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2119 "2017-12-05T01:53:57Z")
Is this a place that fills your shoes with 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 5, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2120 "2017-12-05T01:57:18Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is this a place that fills your shoes with ice cream? **No.** Aside unrelated to the puzzle: These are not my [shoes](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/7d/a7/21/7da721dbde8ee52b5dcb16b63b24f4a9--ice-cream-shoes-cream-high-heels.jpg). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=105) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=107)