Unless you’ve made significant modifications to it, there are literally hundreds of the same bike with the same color and same size wheels out there. The third example is the most important, since describing your bike or having photos of it won’t be enough.
Why The Bike Serial Number Is ImportantĪs you can tell, the bike serial number is very important, even though it’s almost always overlooked by bicycle owners. The easiest way to read the bike serial number is by using a bicycle serial number decoder for the specific brand of your bike. That said, the first digit/s usually indicate the year when the bicycle was made, the second set of digits representing the month, and the last few digits indicating the assembly and individual ID of the bicycle.
Now, how do you read a bike serial number? The answer somewhat depends on the bike brand or manufacturer, since each one has their own metrics on how to assign these identifying digits onto a bike or bike part. It also helps the manufacturer in terms of inventory, and the repair shop in finding suitable parts that need replacement in your bicycle. What does a bicycle serial number mean, you ask? It’s a form of identification much like a fingerprint that tells you which of the thousands of the same bike is yours. Each and every bicycle has a unique serial number assigned by its manufacturer.
This serial number is important for two reasons: one, if you don’t know what type of bike you have, you’ll be able to find that out with a simple bicycle serial number chart. For more information, visit my disclosure page.Īfter buying a new bicycle, whether it’s a new one straight off the rack, or a second-hand vintage bicycle you got from someone, one of the first things you need to do before riding off into the sunset is to find the bike serial number.
Occasionally, custom frames might not have the same size as indicated by the serial number. Mountain bikes required rounding since they were built in one or two inch size increments. For example, a 55cm frame had a serial number starting with 550. This was used to keep the physical year of production, for example 'X9' - December of 1979, with the model year of the remainder of the production for that model - 1980. Some Japanese bikes may have an 'X' in the month position of the frame serial number.
This tool searches a database of Schwinn serial numbers and if it finds a match to your serial number then. Vintage Schwinn serial number lookup Enter your Schwinn serial number in the box and click 'find' to see what date and year your Schwinn bike was manufactured. Stand up Bikes Stand Up Bike (SUB)The serial number is an 8-digit number located on the top of the frame, towards the rear wheel by the pedals. The VIN appears on registration documents, and insurance cards in some countries but if you're like many people those documents are somewhere inside box in your house. In many respects, the VIN is the ID for your vehicle.
The VIN contains information on the manufacture, model year and where it was built.