# 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:** 26
**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:** [July 18, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/501 "2017-07-18T00:08:05Z")
More frozen CO2? It melted and suffocated him? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/502 "2017-07-18T00:11:11Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > More frozen CO2? It melted and suffocated him? The room was perfectly safe when his hosts left him for the night. Or: no. 🙂 ---
**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 18, 2017, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/503 "2017-07-18T00:14:50Z")
\*\*A man was traveling from Switzerland to his home in France by train. If he had been in a non-smoking car he would have died. Why? \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/504 "2017-07-18T00:19:44Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > \*\*A man was traveling from Switzerland to his home in France by train. If he had been in a non-smoking car he would have died. Why? \*\* Hey, man! ---
**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 18, 2017, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/505 "2017-07-18T00:21:16Z")
LHOD: Was the man poisoned? Did he have any visible wounds when the body was discovered? Did he inadvertently bring anything dangerous into the room with him? Mahaloth: Did anyone else on the train die? Was the train itself damaged in any way? Are the windows on the train relevant? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/506 "2017-07-18T00:23:30Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > LHOD: > Was the man poisoned? > Did he have any visible wounds when the body was discovered? > Did he inadvertently bring anything dangerous into the room with him? 1. Yes 2. No 3. No ---
**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 18, 2017, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/507 "2017-07-18T00:41:20Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Hey, man! Sorry!! I’ll wait. My bad. ---
**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 18, 2017, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/508 "2017-07-18T00:50:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Mahaloth: > Did anyone else on the train die? > Was the train itself damaged in any way? > Are the windows on the train relevant? Let’s do one at a time. I’ll answer this after we finish the current one that I obviously didn’t see on the last page. 🙂 ---
**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 18, 2017, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/509 "2017-07-18T00:53:23Z")
His lover killed him. \*\*Did his lover poison him before he got to the house where he stayed? Was he poisoned at dinner that night? Was the poison taken in by food?\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/510 "2017-07-18T00:55:09Z")
1. was the lover human? 2. is the New Year’s Eve time frame critical, or could this have happened any old night? 3. was the door locked from the inside, as suggested by the narrative or is there something peculiar about the way the door locks? 4. does the room have a chimney? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/511 "2017-07-18T01:35:27Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > His lover killed him. > > \*\*Did his lover poison him before he got to the house where he stayed? > > Was he poisoned at dinner that night? > > Was the poison taken in by food?\*\* 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. > [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > 1. was the lover human? > 2. is the New Year’s Eve time frame critical, or could this have happened any old night? > 3. was the door locked from the inside, as suggested by the narrative or is there something peculiar about the way the door locks? > 4. does the room have a chimney? 1. Can you rephrase this question? 2. Yes. 3. Yes. 4. Yes–but it’s blocked. One more note, which may work as a hint: I got this puzzle from a Games Magazine a few decades ago. I’ve spent a bit of time Googling to make sure this murder method could work, and I’ve not come up with anything certain one way or another. ---
**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 18, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/512 "2017-07-18T01:57:46Z")
1. Is everyone in this story a human being? 2. Is the fact it is New Year’s Eve relevant? 3. Could this have happened any other night? 4. Was the poison breathed in? ---
**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:** [July 18, 2017, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/513 "2017-07-18T02:06:03Z")
Did the murder method involve a new year’s kiss? ---
**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:** [July 18, 2017, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/514 "2017-07-18T02:11:24Z")
1: Did he drink champagne on New Year’s Eve? 2. If so, was the champagne positioned? 3. Was the psycho ex at the NYE party? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/515 "2017-07-18T02:47:33Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 1. Is everyone in this story a human being? > > 2. Is the fact it is New Year’s Eve relevant? > > 3. Could this have happened any other night? > > 4. Was the poison breathed in? 1. Yes (and above when I asked about rephrasing the question, I meant to ask this about the New Year’s question, not the human question. Sorry!) 2. Yes 3. Yes, if you mean it could have happened on other nights. Unlikely, if you mean it could have happened on any random night. 4. Yes > [@Folly](#): > > Did the murder method involve a new year’s kiss? No > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > 1: Did he drink champagne on New Year’s Eve? > 2. If so, was the champagne positioned? > 3. Was the psycho ex at the NYE party? 1. No 2. No 3. No ---
**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 18, 2017, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/516 "2017-07-18T02:59:05Z")
Was poison gas pumped into the room? Were fireworks involved in this murder? Was the chimney blocked to keep poison gas in? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/517 "2017-07-18T03:04:06Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Was poison gas pumped into the room? > > Were fireworks involved in this murder? > > Was the chimney blocked to keep poison gas in? 1. …I’m gonna say “yes.” 2. No 3. No With that, I’m off to bed; I’ll check in tomorrow morning! ---
**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 18, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/518 "2017-07-18T03:29:59Z")
My recap, which could be wrong. Please check. On New Year’s Eve, which is relevant, a poisonous gas was pumped into a locked room and killed a guy. His lover, who was not there, did it(or arranged it). So we have to figure out: - how NY Eve plays into this situation - how his lover managed to get gas into the room ---
**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:** [July 18, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/519 "2017-07-18T03:36:13Z")
Would anyone else who had been in the room also have died? Was the victim poisoned at midnight? ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/520 "2017-07-18T05:14:21Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > More frozen CO2? It melted and suffocated him? [chemistry nitpick] Maybe he died of the bends? The room would have to be at more than 5 atmospheres for frozen CO2 to melt. At normal atmospheric pressure it would sublime (go directly from solid to gas.) [/chemistry nitpick] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=27)