# 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:** 98
**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:** [November 7, 2017, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1941 "2017-11-07T13:49:10Z")
Is the money currently in the possession of a single individual? Is the money currently in the possession of an organization of individuals? Is the money currently in the possession of a group of unrelated individuals? ---
**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:** [November 7, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1942 "2017-11-07T13:51:21Z")
Was the money earned illegally? Is it held in a trust fund? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1943 "2017-11-07T13:53:54Z")
I realize that I need to clarify my past few answers, or we will get lost again. There is an inheritance involved that is currently in the possession of my parents. That inheritance is **not** the money that the person with the motive will gain. Step 1: Figure out what happens to the inheritance. Should not require lateral thinking. Step 2: Figure out how the person with the motive will gain. A difficult lateral thinking puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1944 "2017-11-07T13:56:21Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Are the parents criminals? **No. These are my actual, real life parents, who are in fact lawyers and have earned their money legitimately, although that has nothing to do with the puzzle.** > > Is the money to be passed down via a lawsuit or something similar? **No**. Answers embedded. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1945 "2017-11-07T13:59:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Is the money currently in the possession of a single individual? > > Is the money currently in the possession of an organization of individuals? > > Is the money currently in the possession of a group of unrelated individuals? **The money that will be gained could be almost anywhere right now, but will most likely come to the person with the motive from various individuals.** ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1946 "2017-11-07T14:01:04Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Was the money earned illegally? **No**. > > Is it held in a trust fund? **No**. Answers embedded. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2017, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1947 "2017-11-07T15:47:11Z")
Are your parents famous? Is there some kind of death pool happening? Is gambling involved at all? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1948 "2017-11-07T16:34:40Z")
* * * > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Are your parents famous?\*\* No\*\*. > > Is there some kind of death pool happening? **No**. > > Is gambling involved at all? **No**. Answers embedded. ---
**Author:** ![newme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e0b2c6/32.png) [@newme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newme)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1949 "2017-11-07T16:49:05Z")
Is your parent’s “last will and testament” aka “will” heavily involved? Is there an item or items in the “will” that is relevant and we need to discover? DEFINITION: Tangible items are things like land, cars, or hammers. Intangible items are things such as patents, copyrights, or money in a bank account. Would most people say the item is tangible? Would most people say the item is intangible? Is there a third option for the item not covered under tangible / intangible? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1950 "2017-11-07T16:58:05Z")
> [@newme](#): > > Is your parent’s “last will and testament” aka “will” heavily involved? **No**. > > Is there an item or items in the “will” that is relevant and we need to discover? **No**. > > DEFINITION: Tangible items are things like land, cars, or hammers. Intangible items are things such as patents, copyrights, or money in a bank account. > > Would most people say the item is tangible? **No**. > > Would most people say the item is intangible? **Yes**. > > Is there a third option for the item not covered under tangible / intangible? **No**. Answers embedded. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1951 "2017-11-07T16:59:21Z")
O.K., this is still not working, so I’m going to try one more time. Without looking for any special tricks or employing any kind of lateral thinking, what will happen to my parents’ money when they die? ---
**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:** [November 7, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1952 "2017-11-07T17:11:53Z")
Would this person inherit the money if your parents died but were not murdered? Is insurance involved? Do your parents receive income from a particular business? If so, is this business involved in the money distribution? ---
**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:** [November 7, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1953 "2017-11-07T17:49:19Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > O.K., this is still not working, so I’m going to try one more time. Without looking for any special tricks or employing any kind of lateral thinking, what will happen to my parents’ money when they die? It will be passed on to their next of kin or go to the government. Or to charity if they wish. Is it a charity that would receive the money? - Is it a charity that has a motive to murder them? Is it the government that would receive the money? - Is it the government that has a motive to murder them? I think it is a charity and they technically have a reason to murder them, but they wouldn’t do it and they don’t know the money is heading their way. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1954 "2017-11-07T18:22:19Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Would this person inherit the money if your parents died but were not murdered? **No**. > > Is insurance involved? **No**. > > Do your parents receive income from a particular business? **No.** If so, is this business involved in the money distribution? **No**. Answers embedded. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1955 "2017-11-07T18:34:47Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > It will be passed on to their next of kin Since it doesn’t look like we are going to get there any other way, I am going to declare this answer correct, and further declare that I am their next of kin and that I will inherit their money. This was Step 1 of the puzzle, just figuring out that this person has a motive to murder _my parents_ so that _I_ will inherit their money. Incidentally, I am very curious to know why it was so impossible to arrive at this seemingly obvious conclusion. Did I give any answers that prevent it? Or did everyone just assume that it wasn’t that simple and never bother to ask? Now, on to Step 2. \*\*I know someone who has a strong motive to murder to my parents so that I will inherit my parents’ money, even though this person has never met my parents and is unaware of the motive. Very Important Clue #1: The remainder of this puzzle has nothing to do with inheritance in any way. Forget that you have ever heard the word inheritance. FYI, I have decided that in the event of my death, I am leaving all of my money, including any money inherited from my parents, to a foundation to study how people solve lateral thinking puzzles. Very Important Clue #2: The person with the motive will never, under any circumstances, receive any of the money I inherited from my parents. Not while I am alive, and not after I die. So why does this person have a motive to cause me to inherit?\*\* ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1956 "2017-11-07T18:39:25Z")
nm ---
**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:** [November 7, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1957 "2017-11-07T19:15:27Z")
OK, so to be clear, if you were to inherit a sum of money, there’s someone else who would benefit from that. Correct? Would this person benefit similarly if you received a similarly-sized windfall from an arbitrary source? Does this person have any claim on money you receive through non-windfall sources? Would this person’s profit from your windfall be your loss (relative to where you would be if you received the windfall and this person were not involved)? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1958 "2017-11-07T19:26:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, so to be clear, if you were to inherit a sum of money, there’s someone else who would benefit from that. Correct? **Yes**. > > Would this person benefit similarly if you received a similarly-sized windfall from an arbitrary source? **Yes**. > > Does this person have any claim on money you receive through non-windfall sources? **Yes**. > > Would this person’s profit from your windfall be your loss (relative to where you would be if you received the windfall and this person were not involved)? **Possibly in a very indirect way, but in general no**. Answers embedded. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2017, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1959 "2017-11-07T19:28:15Z")
Is it a professional who will receive a large fee for work done? Is it a lawyer? Is it an undertaker? Is it an accountant? ---
**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:** [November 7, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1960 "2017-11-07T19:30:03Z")
I have one ready to go if this is solved, but I can wait if you all want to get the actual envisioned solution. Let me know, spoilervirgin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=97) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=99)