# 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:** 11
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/201 "2017-07-13T20:26:37Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > – the cue system is not fail-safe! Wouldn’t be as interesting to watch if it was. ---
**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:** [July 13, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/202 "2017-07-13T20:29:39Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Was she a magician? > Was she a circus performer? No and Yes. > [@Riemann](#): > > And I don’t think we’ve asked yet - > > Did she die by falling from height? Yes. > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Was this the woman’s job? > > Not the dying part but the blindfold and performing a certain action? Yes and yes. > [@Riemann](#): > > I’m thinking that there are blindfold trapeze acts, and perhaps the person with the blindfold is cued to release from the trapeze and fly toward the catcher by the music stopping. The music stops accidentally, with nobody there to catch her. Seems a bit obscure though. But does tie in with her being female, since the lighter performer would be the catchee. Tightrope walker. > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > :eek: > > Is she something like a tightrope walker or trapeze artist and the music cue normally tells her when to start walking on the tightrope or grab the trapeze and the blindfold prevented her from seeing that the other elements were not in place for her act? > > eta: dangit, Riemann. Yes. **She was a tightrope walker who did it blindfolded. They started the music, she went. When the music stopped, she stepped off to the final platform. The music malfunctioned, she stepped off and fell to her death.** I would love to keep going with these, as they are fun, but I have a request. If you know, please do not give hints unless the person who gave the puzzle said so. I have plenty of others, but would someone else kindly give one? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/203 "2017-07-13T20:42:08Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I have plenty of others, but would someone else kindly give one? You probably know this one, but it’s good practice: A bell rings, a man dies. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/204 "2017-07-13T21:39:23Z")
Is the man a wrestler? Had the bell not rung, would the man have died? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/205 "2017-07-13T21:42:05Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Is the man a wrestler? No > [@](#): > > Had the bell not rung, would the man have died? No (well he would die eventually just like everyone else, but that’s irrelevant) ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/206 "2017-07-13T21:44:28Z")
Did the bell ring as a consequence of something the man did? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/207 "2017-07-13T22:01:37Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Did the bell ring as a consequence of something the man did? No ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/208 "2017-07-13T22:06:29Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > **She was a tightrope walker who did it blindfolded. They started the music, she went. When the music stopped, she stepped off to the final platform. The music malfunctioned, she stepped off and fell to her death.** I guess we got there, but my reaction is “meh” - it’s contrived and implausible. A blindfolded tightrope walker would be feeling her way with her leading foot all the way across before putting weight on it. She would not suddenly take a big step into the unknown on some external cue. She would continue to test ahead with her leading foot to feel the presence of the end platform before putting her weight onto it. And I don’t really think my trapeze idea works any better, because the blindfolded performer would similarly not rely upon any external cue to release, she would only start swinging after the (unblinded) catcher is already in place and ready. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/209 "2017-07-13T22:21:03Z")
Is the bell a signal to the man (who died)? Was the man murdered? If so, was the bell a signal for the murderer? Is the bell meant to signal people nearby (like a doorbell or a telephone) or is it widely broadcast (like a church bell)? Is the bell a sgnal or a musical instrument? ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/210 "2017-07-13T22:23:33Z")
Please replaced “murder” in the above questions with “killed by another person”- we’ll figure out if it’s murder after the jury is empaneled. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/211 "2017-07-13T22:57:13Z")
Did Pavlov’s dog eat him? 🙂 ---
**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:** [July 13, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/212 "2017-07-13T23:21:07Z")
I haven’t heard it. Is the man an actual living human being? Is the bell a traditional bell like a church bell, with a clapper and so forth? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/213 "2017-07-13T23:38:53Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > Is the bell a signal to the man (who died)? He thinks it is. > [@](#): > > Was the man murdered? No. > [@](#): > > Is the bell meant to signal people nearby (like a doorbell or a telephone) or is it widely broadcast (like a church bell)? More like the latter. > [@](#): > > Is the bell a sgnal or a musical instrument? Signal ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/214 "2017-07-13T23:39:54Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > Did Pavlov’s dog eat him? 🙂 No > [@Mahaloth](#): > > I haven’t heard it. > > Is the man an actual living human being? Before he dies he is. A fictional living human being anyway, I don’t know this happened to any actual person. > [@](#): > > Is the bell a traditional bell like a church bell, with a clapper and so forth? You can assume so. ---
**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:** [July 13, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/215 "2017-07-13T23:41:40Z")
Was it suicide? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/216 "2017-07-13T23:42:23Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Was it suicide? No. It’s an unintended death. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/217 "2017-07-13T23:44:08Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I guess we got there, but my reaction is “meh” - it’s contrived and implausible. I don’t think of these as riddles. They’re more like 20 Questions because there are many possible answers based on the initial information and you have to ask questions to determine the specific answer needed. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/218 "2017-07-13T23:49:19Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t think of these as riddles. They’re more like 20 Questions because there are many possible answers based on the initial information and you have to ask questions to determine the specific answer needed. Yeah, but although I’m more than happy with misdirection (I liked the “bicycle parts” one), I think the chosen answer has to be credible. The circus had actually crossed my mind earlier, and I dismissed it because I really couldn’t see how anyone would be cued in a life-or-death situation by music stopping. And, quite honestly, I _still_ can’t! ---
**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:** [July 13, 2017, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/219 "2017-07-13T23:57:13Z")
Did the man die from disease of some sort? Did the man die from physical trauma? Did the man die from the action of a toxin or poison? Did the man die from lack of some external resource essential to life? Did the man’s mental state contribute to his death? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/220 "2017-07-14T00:06:30Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Did the man die from disease of some sort? > Did the man die from physical trauma? > Did the man die from the action of a toxin or poison? > Did the man die from lack of some external resource essential to life? > Did the man’s mental state contribute to his death? No Yes No No No. Well, he was mentally healthy. He was thinking something that led to this situation though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=12)