Spectrum #26: Order these cycling milestones by year — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from September 9, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, earliest to latest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these cycling milestones by year, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Tour de France first run
- Draisine, the first two-wheeler
- Penny-farthing
- Mountain bikes mass-produced
- Safety bicycle
- E-bike patented
Nothing was in its place; Tour de France first run opened 4 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Draisine, the first two-wheeler is the earliest of the six at 1817 and Mountain bikes mass-produced the latest at 1981. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Tour de France first run (1903) and Mountain bikes mass-produced (1981) — 78 years apart. Everything above that line belongs on the earliest side and everything below it on the latest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. E-bike patented (1895) and Tour de France first run (1903) are only 8 years apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.
The answer
| # | Earliest to Latest | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Draisine, the first two-wheeler | 1817 |
| 2 | Penny-farthing | 1871 |
| 3 | Safety bicycle | 1885 |
| 4 | E-bike patented | 1895 |
| 5 | Tour de France first run | 1903 |
| 6 | Mountain bikes mass-produced | 1981 |
Previous: Spectrum #25 (Tue, Sep 8) · Next: Spectrum #27 (Thu, Sep 10)
About Spectrum
Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.