Why don’t you tell me ’bout the mystery rack?
by Ted JohnsonThis custom rack was made by Stuart Henderson, Bike Shop Hub‘s resident metal fabricator, artist, and renaissance man.
It is designed to carry a very specific object. Can you guess what that object is?
The first person who guesses correctly wins a Commute by Bike t-shirt. Leave your guesses in the comments.
Hint 1: The object is something a bike commuter might carry daily to work. (Why else build a specific rack for it?)
Hint 2: This object is most closely associated with a nation where English is not an official language, and bike commuting and utility cycling have been mainstream for decades. (Inexplicably, this rack design does not seem to be mass produced in this country.)
Bonus: Anyone who can say what I am referencing in the title of this blog post will win, uh, nothing but the satisfaction of making me smile. But, don’t be thrown by that reference in the title. It won’t help you guess the purpose of the rack.
Friends, relatives, and other Bike Shop Hub insiders… No, you’re not eligible. Get back to work.
And the winner is…
It’s for a bento box.
By the way: If you’d like one of these racks for your bike, Stu could make you one for your bike if the price is right. Reach me through the contact form.
a basketball, but I’m not sure why one would need to take it to work.
a beer container of some sort. one of those half kegs if I had to guess.
A bento box?
You win!
rack for a thermos of favorite beverage ??
or for a bucket of fresh fish??
It’s for tiffin tins, like the Indians use.
I’m going to guess it’s to carry a kid.
this was my first thought
Soccer Ball? (futball for you EU types)
I second the Bento Box Guess.
Well, the title is a reference to Elvis Costello’s “Mystery Dance” but as you say, that doesn’t help me figure out the purpose of the rack.
I was going to say a potted plant before I read the post. I don’t think you would need to carry that to work every day.
A coconut?
One of those Japanese lunchbox thingies?
A flower bucket holder? Esp for tulips?
Someone already said it, but I still think it’s super cool that it’s designed for tiffins.
The reference to Elvis Costello made my day!
As for the rack, I’m stuck on a soccer ball, but can’t for the life of me figure out why you would need one every day for work unless you bike commute to soccer camp!
Actually, that would be a fantastic summer!
Bento box.
No really, it’s for tiffin tin, the Indian lunch box:
http://www.google.com/search?q=tiffin+box&num=100&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=KnI&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivnse&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=O3tFTtOpAoTfsQLS6PCSCA&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CEEQ_AUoAQ&biw=1787&bih=838
A flower pot.
Perhaps with tulips.
Tiffin tin!
It’s not the tiffin tin of india, but the stacked “lunch box” of china
My guess is that it holds a lunchbox – one of those used in Latin America that has several round containers stacked together.
A beer growler.
A Bowling ball.
My guess was that it is for a lunch pail. Seems that I am on the same line of thought of others on here.
Given that you’ve said “this object is most closely associated with a nation where English is not an official language” and English is one of India’s official languages, it’s unlikely to be a tiffin carrier.
Although I do know that India has more English speakers than any other country, I’d never heard of a tiffin before today.
If Kyle hadn’t guessed correctly first with bento box, I probably would have accepted tiffin as a correct answer.
I think it’s for a propane tank.
Sperm, in nitrogen. Doing the mystery dance w/ a heifer
Best answer! (But wrong.)
It would work great for a pony keg too!
I’ve tried and I tried and I’m still mystified: I can’t do it any more and I’m not satisfied. Is it really for a tiffin? I didn’t catch the answer. It’s cool, though!
LD4 cryogenic dewer.
Carrier for Walt Disney’s frozen head?
If you are from Portland… It’s for a beer growler