26 October 2009

Mystery Bike

commuter Trek bike in CambridgeSpotted in East Cambridge, the make is no mystery - even though it's painted over the bike is clearly a Trek. No, the mystery is what is contained in the locked box on the rear rack.

tail light and reflectorThis commuter bike is well thought-out. It has Schwalbe marathon tires, full fenders, those upright handlebars, an internal hub, and both a tail light AND a red reflector.

locked box on bike rack
The mystery box is locked, and there is even a bit of foam in the lock, presumably to reduce the rattle. What do you suppose is in there? I'm hoping for something super-top-secret. Any guesses?

10 comments:

  1. It's most certainly top-secret microfilm of some kind.

    That, or lunch.

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  2. Some people use a lock box on the back to store both a U-lock and a cable. It speeds up the lock/unlock process to not have to coil/uncoil the cable around the seatpost. Foam could be to muffle the U-lock's rattle.

    Or maybe lunch.

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  3. For some reason I immediately thought of the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator.

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  4. Did you ever see Repo Man? What's in the trunk of that car is also in that box.

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  5. Got it! Everything that a smart commuter would keep in under-seat bag or burrito-wrap, only locked: tubes, all-tools, flat kit, maybe CO2 cartridge.

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  6. Damn, lunch was my guess. OK, since that's taken I'll go with a humanities grad student transporting a cryogenically preserved tissue sample of Ivan Illich to a secret cloning lab at the Harvard Medical School.

    But he stopped for lunch.

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  7. The box is a Tardis. The rider lives inside.

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  8. That plastic Plano tackle box can easily be opened using a small saw blade!

    But that's a trick.

    Mark is right.

    I like the handlebar grips, myself.
    A very nice choice.

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  9. The box either contains a turkey and whole wheat sandwich or . . . a tray of watercolors and other painting supplies. I'm quite sure.

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