Most bicycles have their serial number engraved beneath their bottom bracket, but sometimes serial numbers are found in other places. Here are some examples of where and what to look for:
The book appears to list every Western Flyer model by manufacurer by model number from the Fall of 1953 until the end of 1959. The book also has detailed hub and brake exploded views of most hubs. The book finishes with parts such as fenders, bars, stems, and saddles. Worth it just for the serial number charts. 1939 Firestone Serial Number. 1940 Firestone bikes generally have four numbers with “FBH” Ex: 3467FBH or FBH4910. 1940 Firestone Serial Number. A lot of 1940 bikes have a serial starting with “B” followed by four or five numbers. In the example below there is also a number (2) underneath. 1940 Chieftan Serial Number. Built by Huffman Mfg. And badged as a LaFrance, this streamlined, art-deco styled bicycle was a top-of-the-line machine, even though it didn’t feature a tank 1919 Flying Merkel This is a very rare Miami Cycle & Mfg. Built 1919. Flying Merkel “Motorbike” bicycle. Schreiber Bassoon Serial Numbers Elgin Bicycle Serial Number Chart Please direct any questions or bugs regarding software to the company that developed the program. We Spared No Expense On The Development Of The New W.A.R Line. Our “Just Ride” Quick Build Systems Are The Definition Of Quality. Perfectly Tuned From The Factory With Less Than A 20 Minute Build Time.
The bottom bracket (where serial numbers are typically located) is circled.
A serial number on the underside of a bottom bracket.
Another serial number beneath the bottom bracket, aligned parallel to the frame.
Rad Power bikes have their serial number on the head tube. This is on the front of the bike.
Some Schwinn bicycles also have the unique identifying number (their serial number) on the head tube.
A serial number located on a rear dropout. Some BMX bikes and a few Schwinn bicycles place the serial on the rear dropout. On older Schwinns there are numbers stamped on both the drive side and non-drive side rear dropouts; the one on the non-drive side dropout is the serial number.
Some bikes have multiple serial numbers.2When adding a bike to the Index, it's best to enter all the groups of numbers and letters separated by spaces.
Hopefully you can find the serial number on the bicycle you're looking at - email [email protected] if you're having trouble.
Searching serials on Bike Index
Finding bicycles by serial number on Bike Index is a critical part of our functionality. When searching for a serial number, use our serial search bar - it's the second bar on our search form.
We've done a few things to make it more likely that you'll find the bike you're looking for.
Certain numbers and letters are difficult or impossible to distinguish between (e.g. 0 and O, S and 5). We treat all these numbers the same way - a search for 005LLL will match a bike with the serial OOS111.
We split bike serials up by spaces and store each separately. If you see multiple numbers on a bicycle - such as in the photo of the Look bike above - try searching for just one of the numbers at a time. Searching for eitherM4106I9CA1 or 200910427-2A will find the bike.
We do close serial matching - bikes with serial numbers that are close to the serial you entered are shown below the matching results under the heading 'Serial Numbers Close to...' - given a search of a serial number with a couple numbers/letters that are different or missing.
We do not currently do partial serial searches. If you search for 1234, you will only find bikes with serial numbers of 1234 and serials close to that - not a bike with serial number of 12345689.
Elgin Pocket Watch Serial Numbers
Okay, fine, so maybe there are a few bikes without serial numbers, but this is rare and typical only on hand made bikes or really old bicycles.↩
In this picture 200910427-2A is a manufacturer number and not a serial number. However, to make bikes as easy as possible to find, feel free to enter all numbers you encounter.↩