# 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:** 85
**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:** [September 26, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1681 "2017-09-26T20:59:01Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > There is no trickiness to the word area. No. None intended, anyway. It’s a place or area. A location might work as well. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1682 "2017-09-26T22:44:48Z")
Is the sulphurous smell caused by the refining of something? Of coal? ---
**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:** [September 26, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1683 "2017-09-26T22:54:35Z")
\*Did it stop being cool : - within the last 10 years ? YES - 10 to 25 years ago ? YES - 25 to 100 years ago ? YES\* 😕 It happened in all three of the periods specified? Was the process of becoming not-cool drawn out over a number of years ? Did it change from cool to not-cool and back again several times? Or was the answer \*YES \*to all three an error? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1684 "2017-09-26T23:02:35Z")
Is the smell a byproduct of (non-human) animal activity? Is the smell a byproduct of plant activity (including decay)? ---
**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:** [September 26, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1685 "2017-09-26T23:24:03Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Is the sulfurous smell caused by the refining of something? Of coal? NO, since there is no sulfurous smell. > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > \*Did it stop being cool : > > - within the last 10 years ? YES > - 10 to 25 years ago ? YES > - 25 to 100 years ago ? YES\* > 😕 > > It happened in all three of the periods specified? WELL, SOMEWHAT > > Was the process of becoming not-cool drawn out over a number of years ? YES > > Did it change from cool to not-cool and back again several times? NO > > Or was the answer \*YES \*to all three an error? NO. > [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Is the smell a byproduct of (non-human) animal activity? PARTLY > > Is the smell a byproduct of plant activity (including decay)? NO ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1686 "2017-09-26T23:42:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Is the smell a byproduct of (non-human) animal activity? PARTLY Is the smell the result of something the animals did, rather than the actual smell of the animals or their waste products? Is the smell partly the result of domestic animal activity? Is the smell partly the result of wild animal activity? ---
**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:** [September 26, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1687 "2017-09-26T23:49:33Z")
FORGET THE SMELL! Smell isn’t important and it may not smell that much at all. I have re-written it to be this: > [@Mahaloth](#): > > \*\*There is a very famous area that used to be very cool, but now it isn’t at all. In fact, it is quite often sweltering. Almost nothing else has changed about this area, though. > > Where is it and what caused the change? I don’t think smell was important or even 100% accurate. It’s distracting. ---
**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:** [September 27, 2017, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1688 "2017-09-27T01:34:19Z")
Did sweltering conditions cause the smell? kidding Did something man-made cause the sweltering? ---
**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:** [September 27, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1689 "2017-09-27T01:38:36Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Did something man-made cause the sweltering? Yes. ---
**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:** [September 27, 2017, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1690 "2017-09-27T03:25:04Z")
Is the place that was once cool underground? ---
**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:** [September 27, 2017, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1691 "2017-09-27T10:54:56Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > Is the place that was once cool underground? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1692 "2017-09-27T14:20:45Z")
Is it that fire they started to burn off excess gas, but is still burning to this day? Googling, the name is “Door to Hell.” ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1693 "2017-09-27T14:51:15Z")
Is it tundra? ---
**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:** [September 27, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1694 "2017-09-27T15:43:57Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Is it that fire they started to burn off excess gas, but is still burning to this day? > > Googling, the name is “Door to Hell.” No. > [@Paintcharge](#): > > Is it tundra? No. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1695 "2017-09-27T16:00:09Z")
Is it that town in Pennsylvania that has a coal fire? Googles: Centralia. ---
**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:** [September 27, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1696 "2017-09-27T20:00:16Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Is it that town in Pennsylvania that has a coal fire? > > Googles: Centralia. No. ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1697 "2017-09-27T20:12:25Z")
Is the temperature increase due to: 1. Combustion? 2. Radiation? 3. Geothermal? 4. Solar? ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1698 "2017-09-27T20:48:50Z")
Is it in the United States? ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1699 "2017-09-27T20:57:37Z")
Was the hottening an accident? ---
**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:** [September 27, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1700 "2017-09-27T21:06:49Z")
> [@RadioWave](#): > > Is the temperature increase due to: > > 1. Combustion? Partly > 2. Radiation? NO > 3. Geothermal? NO > 4. Solar? NO Embedded. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=84) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=86)