# 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:** 145
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2882 "2018-05-08T21:25:04Z")
Was the boy trying to copy something he read in a comic book? In another type of book? Was the boy trying to copy something he saw on T.V.? Was the boy trying to copy something he saw in a movie? Did this take place after 2010? After 2000? ---
**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:** [May 9, 2018, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2883 "2018-05-09T00:01:43Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > Was the chemical: > > - naturally occurring in nature? YES > > or > > - artificial, made by humans? NO > [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Was the boy trying to copy something he read in a comic book? In another type of book? > > Was the boy trying to copy something he saw on T.V.? > > Was the boy trying to copy something he saw in a movie? > > Did this take place after 2010? After 2000? Comic book, though I think unclear if it is the book, a tv show, or a movie. But something seen in a comic book(or a movie/tv-show of one). I believe after 2010. After 2000 for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2884 "2018-05-09T00:18:50Z")
Was an animal or animals involved? Was the chemical produced by plants? Was the chemical produced by organisms, including bacteria etc? Did the arm go to the chemical, such as by putting his arm in something? or Did the chemical go to the arm, such as by smearing the chemical on his arm? Was the chemical in liquid form? Was the chemical in solid form? ---
**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:** [May 9, 2018, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2885 "2018-05-09T00:23:08Z")
Was the chemical poison ivy? Was the boy trying to develop a resistance and/or immunity to the chemical? ---
**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:** [May 9, 2018, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2886 "2018-05-09T02:16:30Z")
You know what? It’s basically solved except the details. I don’t see any reason for people to keep guessing. A Korean boy showed up with ulcers on his arm. He apparently injected mercury into himself to gain the powers of either Wolverine(the adamantium) or a hero named Mercury. I’ve read both versions. Oddly enough, the same boy had previously allowed spiders to bite him to become spider-man-like. Mental problems, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2887 "2018-05-09T02:29:07Z")
If a superhero villain called “[The Mad Hatter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erethism)” appears in the next few years, we’ll have our likely culprit, along with origin story. ---
**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:** [May 9, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2888 "2018-05-09T02:56:07Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > If a superhero villain called “[The Mad Hatter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erethism)” appears in the next few years, we’ll have our likely culprit, along with origin story. [There already is.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Hatter_(comics)) ---
**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:** [May 14, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2889 "2018-05-14T22:34:37Z")
Kind of a classic, so if you know it, zip it. 🙂 **A man hired a small crew to sail his yacht from New York to Florida(he had a vacation home in Florida). The man flew down to Florida and waited for his yacht, but when it did not arrive in a reasonable amount of time, he called the Coast Guard. Sure enough, the Coast Guard found the yacht…but not the crew. What happened?** ---
**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:** [May 14, 2018, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2890 "2018-05-14T22:43:34Z")
Was illegal activity involved? Specifically, was smuggling involved? Was all of the crew (presumably) alive and well? When the yacht was found, was it on the open ocean? Was it in dock, harbor, dry-dock, or a similar situation? Was the yacht still seaworthy? ---
**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:** [May 14, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2891 "2018-05-14T23:30:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Was illegal activity involved? NO > Specifically, was smuggling involved? NO > Was all of the crew (presumably) alive and well? NO > When the yacht was found, was it on the open ocean? YES > Was it in dock, harbor, dry-dock, or a similar situation? NO > Was the yacht still seaworthy? YES KK ---
**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:** [May 15, 2018, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2892 "2018-05-15T01:06:07Z")
Was all of the crew alive? Was any of the crew alive? Was any of the crew well? Were any of the crew mentally unwell? Was the yacht on the open ocean at the time the crew left it? Did the crew transfer to some other vehicle? ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2893 "2018-05-15T01:28:03Z")
Was the crew of sufficient size to man the yacht? Was this a motor vessel or a sailing yacht? How far off-shore was the yacht discovered? ---
**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:** [May 15, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2894 "2018-05-15T01:31:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Was all of the crew alive? NO > Was any of the crew alive? NO > Was any of the crew well? At the start? Yes > Were any of the crew mentally unwell? NO > Was the yacht on the open ocean at the time the crew left it? YES > Did the crew transfer to some other vehicle? NO > [@MonkeyMensch](#): > > Was the crew of sufficient size to man the yacht? YES > Was this a motor vessel or a sailing yacht? I think sailing, but irrelevant I think. > How far off-shore was the yacht discovered? Don’t know. Pretty far? 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:** [May 15, 2018, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2895 "2018-05-15T01:52:50Z")
Were the crew experienced sailors? Is it known for certain what happened to them? Is their fate speculative? Did the crew get drunk? Did the crew fall unwell? Were the crew poisoned? If so was it deliberate? Accidental? ---
**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:** [May 15, 2018, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2896 "2018-05-15T02:39:36Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Were the crew experienced sailors? YES, at least enough to do this job. > > Is it known for certain what happened to them? Yes, pretty much. We pretty much know. > Is their fate speculative? Very, very little bit. I mean…we pretty much know. > > Did the crew get drunk? Unknown > Did the crew fall unwell? NO > Were the crew poisoned? If so was it deliberate? Accidental? NO to all KK ---
**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:** [May 15, 2018, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2897 "2018-05-15T07:31:50Z")
Was the ship up to modern safety standards? Did all crew members die at the same time? Were the bodies eventually found? ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2898 "2018-05-15T11:00:57Z")
Did the crew leave some message behind which explains what happened? Are weather conditions relevant? Was it fair weather? Fog? Storm? Did they run into some unexpected natural phenomenon like a waterspout? This one is probably answered by your negative reply to Chronos’ question about vehicle transfer, but just to make sure: did the yacht, when recovered, still have all its lifeboats attached? Was some other item missing which should have been there, and might give a clue to the fate of the crew? ---
**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:** [May 15, 2018, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2899 "2018-05-15T14:59:30Z")
Did the crew all go swimming at once, whether accidentally or deliberately? ---
**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:** [May 15, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2900 "2018-05-15T16:20:20Z")
> [@kk\_fusion](#): > > Was the ship up to modern safety standards? YES > Did all crew members die at the same time? PRETTY MUCH > Were the bodies eventually found? NOPE > [@Ignotus](#): > > Did the crew leave some message behind which explains what happened? NO > > Are weather conditions relevant? Was it fair weather? Fog? Storm? Did they run into some unexpected natural phenomenon like a waterspout? NO TO ALL > > This one is probably answered by your negative reply to Chronos’ question about vehicle transfer, but just to make sure: did the yacht, when recovered, still have all its lifeboats attached? IT DID HAVE THEM > > Was some other item missing which should have been there, and might give a clue to the fate of the crew? KIND OF(?) > [@Folly](#): > > Did the crew all go swimming at once, whether accidentally or deliberately? 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:** [May 15, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2901 "2018-05-15T16:25:21Z")
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