# 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:** 126
**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:** [February 17, 2018, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2501 "2018-02-17T02:33:33Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > I think **Quartz** might be on the right track - was there some sort of art/design competition at a Summer Olympics, for Olympic-themed art/design, and Bob won a gold medal for his artwork that depicted Ice Hockey? **You got it! Rah Dead Cat!** A Gold medal for you! How many are aware that for several years in the early 20th century you could [earn an Olympic medal in various Art competitions?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Olympic_medalists_in_art_competitions) Really. There was a “Literature” competition, an “Architecture” competition, an “Epic” competition and my favorite, a medal competition for “Town Planning.” Among other Art competitions was a “Painting” competition, which garnered Ryuji Fujita a bronze medal for his work \*Ice Hockey \* at the 1936 games in Berlin. When I think of the ratings NBC is missing for not being able to broadcast an Olympic “Engravings and Etchings” match in the next Summer Olympics, I feel very bad. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2018, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2502 "2018-02-17T04:21:50Z")
[Another good article on the Olympics and its attempts at art criticism](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-the-olympics-gave-out-medals-for-art-6878965/) ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2503 "2018-02-18T15:02:10Z")
Nice. I did know that early modern Olympics had some events we find strange today (probably no stranger than they would find some of the Winter events today!) but it was really Quartz’s idea that got me there. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2504 "2018-02-19T22:08:35Z")
\*\*John and Susan have something in common that is very rare. For a long time, no one could figure out why/how they both had it. In the end, it was discovered it all has to do with a certain toy they both had as a child. What do they have and what is the toy? \*\* ---
**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:** [February 19, 2018, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2505 "2018-02-19T22:18:03Z")
Perfect pitch and those old school xylophones with the color coding? ---
**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:** [February 19, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2506 "2018-02-19T22:33:10Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Perfect pitch and those old school xylophones with the color coding? No. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2507 "2018-02-19T22:45:02Z")
Did repeated use of the toy leave their bodies somehow modified? (Like a yoyo string leaves a groove around a finger) ---
**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:** [February 19, 2018, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2508 "2018-02-19T22:58:01Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Did repeated use of the toy leave their bodies somehow modified? (Like a yoyo string leaves a groove around a finger) No. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2509 "2018-02-19T23:55:35Z")
Is the something in common (not the toy) a possession? A trait? A condition? Was the toy poisonous? Are John and Susan human? ---
**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:** [February 20, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2510 "2018-02-20T00:17:54Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Is the something in common (not the toy) a possession? NO > > A trait? YES > > A condition? I don’t think it would be called a “condition”. > > Was the toy poisonous? NO > > Are John and Susan human? YES KK ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2511 "2018-02-20T01:16:34Z")
Did \*everyone \*with the toy develop the same trait? If not everyone, then: - most people? - about half? - less than half? - a few? - a tiny minority ? - just John and Susan and nobody else? Is the toy electronic? Does it have moving parts? Was it intended as an educational toy? Does it have many separate pieces? (Such as a jigsaw puzzle, or Lego bricks) Does the toy have a human voice? (Or a reasonable simulation of one) ---
**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:** [February 20, 2018, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2512 "2018-02-20T02:22:44Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Did \*everyone \*with the toy develop the same trait? NO > > If not everyone, then: > > - most people? NO > - about half? NO > - less than half? YES > - a few? YES > - a tiny minority ? YES > - just John and Susan and nobody else? NO > Is the toy electronic? NO > Does it have moving parts? NO > Was it intended as an educational toy? YES > Does it have many separate pieces? YES (Such as a jigsaw puzzle, or Lego bricks) > Does the toy have a human voice? NO (Or a reasonable simulation of one) KK ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2513 "2018-02-20T02:37:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Does it have many separate pieces? YES (Such as a jigsaw puzzle, or Lego bricks) Is it a jigsaw puzzle? Is it Lego? Is it Mechano? Is it something similar to Lego/ Mechano, where you can build many different objects with the pieces? ---
**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:** [February 20, 2018, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2514 "2018-02-20T02:48:29Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Is it a jigsaw puzzle? > Is it Lego? > Is it Mechano? > Is it something similar to Lego/ Mechano, where you can build many different objects with the pieces? No to all. ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2515 "2018-02-20T06:10:58Z")
Did the toy contain a factual misconception that J&S still hold? Is it a surgery-simulating doll? (ISTR that one of those got something anatomically wrong.) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2516 "2018-02-20T09:28:22Z")
Is the trait physical? Psychological? ---
**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:** [February 20, 2018, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2517 "2018-02-20T17:44:02Z")
> [@kk\_fusion](#): > > Did the toy contain a factual misconception that J&S still hold? > > Is it a surgery-simulating doll? (ISTR that one of those got something anatomically wrong.) No to both. > [@Quartz](#): > > Is the trait physical? Psychological? Psychological. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2518 "2018-02-20T20:24:42Z")
Is this trait: - positive, one that many people would like to have? - negative, one that many people wouldn’t like to have? - neutral, many people wouldn’t care either way? Could this trait be described as a specialised skill? A phobia? ---
**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:** [February 20, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2519 "2018-02-20T23:54:55Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Is this trait: > > - positive, one that many people would like to have? > - negative, one that many people wouldn’t like to have? > - neutral, many people wouldn’t care either way? > > Could this trait be described as a specialised skill? A phobia? 1. **Neutral** , though that is my opinion. There are NO negatives to it and I guess there could be some advantages. Neutral is my thought, though. 2. Not a specialized skill. Not a phobia. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2520 "2018-02-21T00:26:30Z")
Is the trait spatial awareness? Is the toy a Rubik’s Cube? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=125) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=127)