Level 178 · Old Bicycle

Old Bicycle is level 178 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1292 blocks in 8 colors, the tray holds 110 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Expert.

Difficulty

Expert

Pacing

Hard ending

Blocks

1292

Colors

8

Ant boxes

110

Mechanics

7 chained pair(s) · 1 golden key(s) · Spider web (54 bites) · Mystery boxes · 2 noodle(s)

Like this pixel picture? BitBead can turn it into a printable fuse bead pattern.

Play level 178

About the dish

Grandpa rode a big old 28-inch bicycle, black, tall and heavy, and I could only sit on the crossbar in front of him. He rang the bell all the way as he took me to the market in town.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 18 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly cream and tan, the middle band is mostly black and cream, and the core is mostly navy and black. Ants can only reach the next layer once the one around it is gone, so the core colors are the last to become useful.

By block count the biggest colors are cream, black and dark brown.

The 1 golden key(s) are buried in the outer ring of the picture, so the locks they open come into play early.

The spider web covers 30 cells in the middle band of the picture and needs 54 bites from soldier ants.

2 noodle(s) run through the picture, 24 cells in all. They can only be slurped from their ends, so they act as walls until an end is free and as tunnels after that.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 110 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: cream (bites now), black (bites now), cream (bites now) and tan (bites now).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 20, column 1–2, row 22, column 2–3, row 18, column 2–3, row 25, column 2–3, row 27, column 3–4, row 22 and column 3–4, row 26.

Locked boxes start in column 1, row 28.

27 mystery box(es) only show their color when they reach the front.

6 soldier box(es) carry the bites for the web.

How the verified run plays out

The solution further down was played to the end in the real game, with ants walking and real timing. It takes 103 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–36): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 37–76): 35% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 77–103): 32% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 59. The web breaks before tap 71. Chained pairs are taken at taps 68, 75, 81, 86, 89, 93 and 99.

Strategy

Check the colors of the first three boxes in each column and compare them with the colors exposed on the outer ring of the picture. Always keep one slot free to catch a color that can't be eaten yet.

This level tightens toward the end and the last third jams most easily. Don't fill all five slots early; keep room for the inner colors that appear layer by layer at the finish.

Keys are buried in the picture and must be dug out to open the locks in the tray. Prioritize colors that eat around the keys so locked boxes don't block the front row for long.

Nothing under the spider web can be eaten. Wait until the edge of the web is exposed before sending the soldier box (the leafy green one), or it just occupies a slot.

Chained boxes need both halves in the front row and two free slots. Take the boxes in front of them first and free two neighboring slots in advance.

Mystery boxes show their color only when they reach the front. When you see one coming, don't fill every slot; leave room for it.

Noodles are eaten only from an end with a white dot, never from the middle. Look for ends that are already free or about to be: slurping one opens a tunnel straight into the picture and can uncover inner colours early. A noodle with both ends buried is a wall until you dig to one of its ends.

Strategy guide: reading the tray and keeping the nest clear · Chained boxes · Locks and golden keys · Spider webs and soldier ants · Noodles · Difficulty curves

Step-by-step solution

This order of taps is verified to clear the level. Columns are numbered 1–4 from the left; after each tap, wait until the ants are out before the next one. Two boxes shown together are a chained pair taken in one tap.

Level 178 questions