HOW OLD IS MY BICYCLE?

‘How old is my bicycle?’ is a question I get asked a lot, nearly as much as: ‘I have a bicycle that looks like one of yours; if I send you pictures please can you identify it for me?’

The answer, in short, is that I do not have time to tell you either. I’m not being callous about this. With an estimated 15,000 bicycle manufacturers, the odds are stacked against me recognizing yours; in any case, I do not claim to be an expert, just an assiduous recorder of information. To sift through information to try and find similar pictures to your unidentified bicycle would take me months, and I’m already doing similar research on my own bikes. Not only do I have a full-time job (I run my own business restoring and selling vintage vehicles) and am a hands-on parent of a young child, but I spend a minimum 30 hours every week building, updating and maintaining these free websites to help you do your own research. My hobby usually takes a backseat. Insomnia is my saving grace, otherwise there would be no time for any of this.

My purpose for creating these databases is simple. In the ‘old days’ (a time which seems to have ended in the past twenty five years or so), a youngster became an apprentice in a chosen field and learned its history from the older employees. Thus, for example, an apprentice mechanic was handed down an invaluable unwritten guide to repairing vehicles that could not be learned at college nor from books, because, as well as specific information about various models, it helped a youngster understand the way they were designed and built.

Your bike’s serial number will most likely be found underneath the bike’s bottom bracket. So, turn your bike around and look for the spot where the two pedal cranks join. What might happen, however, is that there’s no serial number there. Huffy is responsible for many peoples first bike. Although the quality wasnt always the best. Later on the made some pretty good bikes. The model number, serial number and production date indicators vary in location depending on the product type. For bikes, the model number and production date can be found on a sticker attached to the frame above the left pedal. The serial number is stamped on the bottom of the pedal crank housing. You may need to turn the bike over to find this. The 1st number and 5th number combined together is the year. The 2nd through 4th numbers are the day of the year it was made. Huffy is the manufacturer. 26 is the wheel size.

Similarly, to learn about vintage bicycles, we ask questions of our elders in the hobby. The key point here is that the elders who were around while our favourite vintage machines were still on the road are no longer with us, the last of them having passed on in the past thirty years or so. Now we must depend on those who gleaned that first-hand knowledge from them; these chaps were the ‘youngsters’ then, but now they’re getting older themselves, most in their seventies and eighties. They don’t usually use computers, so much of their knowledge is stored in their heads. By the time we learn from them, it’s second-generation information. My contemporaries and I are in a younger age group – forties to sixties – and we’re busy learning and recording what we can before it’s lost forever. We study 100-year-old magazines to see when certain new innovations were first reviewed (it helps us date bicycles with similar features), read correspondence of the time to try to understand contemporary views and opinions, research old catalogues, meet fellow enthusiasts, help each other with restorations, ride our old bikes as much as possible, and work with our elders to pick up tips and wisdom.

If you can help in any way by contributing to this research, please get in touch. My email is embedded in the picture below.

By recording and sharing this knowledge while it’s still as fresh as possible, our fabulous vintage hobbies will continue for centuries to come.

TO FIND OUT HOW OLD YOUR BIKE IS – JOIN THE VETERAN CYCLE CLUB!

Although we are in the so-called ‘Information Age’ and the internet provides a surplus of it – some of it accurate, much of it misleading – there is nowhere near enough information on vintage bicycles. This surprises many people. Sometimes, folks with no experience of the vintage hobby who may have recently unearthed an old bicycle contact me and demand that I immediately tell them what it is, how old it is and what it’s worth. I try to explain as politely as possible that such a service does not exist, and they are often abusive as a result. Usually they want me to identify it so they can sell it on ebay. Luckily, I remembered an old Sufi saying, ‘Only explain things to people in a language they understand.’ So now I answer that such a service, which will obviously increase the value of their unidentified machine, will cost them £50 + VAT. It’s still not a service I actually offer – but at least they are less abusive.

The question remains: ‘How old is my bicycle?’ Also, ‘I have a bicycle that looks like one of yours; if I send you pictures please can you identify it for me?’

The answer is simple. The Veteran Cycle Club (V-CC) has a system of ‘marque enthusiasts’ – volunteers who compile what information they can about particular manufacturers. By joining the V-CC you can access whatever information is available. If that doesn’t help, if it is interesting enough, you might be able to send pictures of it to the the V-CC magazine, or take it to vintage shows and ask exhibitors, or keep an eye on ebay to see if something similar ever comes up. Identifying an unknown bicycle is hard work. You may be lucky, but more than likely it will remain a mystery.

As I have stated before, the V-CC archives and Ray Miller’s Encyclopaedia are invaluable resources: these ongoing projects are becoming the world’s primary source of information on vintage bicycles. The V-CC’s system of marque specialists is unrivalled throughout the world. I recommend every vintage bicycle enthusiast to join the V-CC to access these (and many other) excellent facilities.

FRAME NUMBER DATING

Bicycles that can be dated with 100% accuracy are the exception. Marque enthusiasts use records of shop ledgers that recorded dates sold and frame numbers, and then calculate the ages of other bicycles by comparing them with known frame numbers. Sometimes the date sold does not reflect when a bicycle was actually manufactured (for example, Dursley Pedersens were very expensive, badly marketed and often took a long time to sell). Only certain manufacturers’ frame number sequencing is known. Many did not use chronoligical sequences.

Many manufacturers used ‘bought-in’ bikes at different times, ie made by a different company. This happened in particular in the 1890s when frame styles changed every few years. Frames made by top companies with the old designs were sold off through the trade, so smaller companies then sold bicycles using the old frames with different parts years after!

The records of the majority of the smaller companies no longer exist: you’d be surprised how fast the entire history of a company disappears once the factory closes. There were also a lot of ‘dodgy practices’ within the bicycle trade, with companies regularly liquidating and starting up again and spurious production claims often made for advertising purposes and to inflate a company’s worth. Few published their true production figures. It’s a nightmare trying to make sense of it a hundred years later.

A catalogue description is a good guide, though we rarely have a manufacturer’s catalogue for every year, so may not know for how many years a model was current. Also, though we now consider a catalogue description to be an accurate guide to a bicycle’s specification, despite the catalogue options listed a customer could choose any option whatsoever, even components sold by a competing company.

It’s possible to date Sturmey-Archer hubs, so if the rear hub is original to the bike that often helps.

Bear in mind that owners often updated their bicycles over the years; though we might like our bike to match its catalogue description, updated parts are also a valid part of its history and provenance.

Details of the following manufacturers have been published, so I hope this page can provide an easy reference point. I’ll add to it as I find more.

RALEIGH FRAME NUMBER DATING

MY NOTES:

1.The Raleigh Heron Head transfer was introduced in 1908. In the same year, mudguards received a forward extension.

2. Raleigh’s ‘R’ lamp bracket was superseded in September 1927 by the heron lamp bracket (see below). The company had been taking steps to make it harder for makers of cheap bicycles to copy Raleigh parts. The ‘R’ bracket was easy to copy, so they introduced this more complex lamp bracket instead.

Consult the list below to help remember when these companies were still ‘original’ before being taken over by Raleigh:

Humber 1932

Triumph 1932

Rudge-Whitworth 1943

Three Spires 1954

BSA , New Hudson, Sunbeam 1957

Phillips 1960

Hercules 1960

Norman 1960

Sun 1960

Carlton 1960

RUDGE-WHITWORTH FRAME NUMBER DATING

Production has been attributed as follows, with frame numbers as at 31 July each year:

1898, 70,000;

1900, 118,200;

1901, 140,754;

1902, 169,739;

1903, 210,950;

1904, 223,672;

1905, 272,991;

1906, 350,235;

1907, 427,114;

1908, 488,139;

1909, 538,390;

1910, 585,010;

1911, 626,400;

1912, 663,066;

1913, 697,524;

1914, 726,731;

1915, 740,862;

1916, 745,621;

1917, 749,192;

1918, 751,213;

1919, 755,622.

SUNBEAM FRAME NUMBER DATING

1909 = 96,739 (declared)

1910 = 101,700 (calculated)

1911 = 106,700 (calculated)

1912 = 111,642 (declared)

PREMIER FRAME NUMBER DATING

BEESTON HUMBER FRAME NUMBER DATING

ELSWICK HOPPER FRAME NUMBER DATING

SINGER

The following dated bicycle frame numbers from the Singer Car Club (not guaranteed):

1903 – 142069

1903 – 172676

1905 – 184483

1908 – 225451

1909 – 232178

TRIUMPH

I started to collate frame numbers from 1890s-1920 Triumph bicycles, and will update it as I go along. You can see it at the new Triumph Bicycle Museum

GERMAN NSU BICYCLES

(translated from German)

There’s no definite official information about part numbers and corresponding registration years. This data is approximate. With an accuracy of + / – one years, but they are assumed to be relatively safe.

1900 ~ 7000
1910 ~ 18,000
1925 ~ 550,000
1929 ~ 675,000
1930 ~ 685,000
1931 ~ 692,000
1932 ~ 700,000
1933 ~ 720,000
1934 ~ 770,000
1935 ~ 920,000
1936 ~ 1,000,000

1937 ~ 1.200.000

1938 ~ 1,300,000

1939 ~ 1,450,000
1940 ~ 1,550,000
1941 ~ 1,650,000
1942 ~ 1,700,000
1943 ~ 1,750,000
1944 ~ 1,800,000

1945 ~ 1,806,000

1946 Renumbered: Prewar numbers re-used. For example, 800,000 might be 1935 or 1956.
1947 ~ 55,000
1948 ~ 100,000
1949 ~ 175,000
1950 ~ 320,000
1951 ~ 420,000
1952 ~ 570,000
1953 ~ 650,000
1954 ~ 700,000
1955 ~ 750,000
1956 ~ 800,000
1957 ~ 900.000 to about 990.000

From 1957 / 990,000 Onwards: NSU used the same numbers as prewar again, so it’s confusing.

DATING FROM TORPEDO REAR HUBS

The best bet on post-1957 machines is to check the Torpedo rear wheel hubs. Since around 1920 they used a production stamp, with which they can be dated:

“36”, therefore stands for example for the production date in 1936; later, there were also some 1-digit numbers:
“5” or “55”, built in 1955
“6” or “56”, Built in 1956
“7”, built 1957
In 1958 there were also letters:
“A”, built in 1958
“B”, built in 1959
“C”, built in 1960
“D”, built in 1961

“E”, built in 1962

(Front hubs do not have date indicators)

COLUMBIA (USA) SERIAL NUMBERS 1936 – 1972

STURMEY ARCHER DATING GUIDE

If you want further details of Sturmey Archer hubs, buy the superb book The Sturmey Archer Story by Tony Hadland, available through the V-CC.

THE INTRODUCTION OF CHROME: 1930

The cycle industry was an early adopter of the new chrome process, and chrome was first used on bicycles in 1928.

Maurice Selbach is believed to have been the first British manufacturer to have used it in 1928 (see extract from his 1929 catalogue, below)

Shelby was one of the first US manufacturers to use chrome; their 1928 ‘Lindy’ model had a mixture of chrome and nickel.

It was offered as an option in 1930 by various British manufacturers (see extract from 1930 Raleigh catalogue, below) and by BSA in 1931 (I don’t have a copy of the BSA 1930 catalogue to check). Catalogues were generally printed the year before the season indicated in a catalogue. By 1933 it had become widely used.

If you want to date a vintage bicycle and it has chrome parts, it is generally accepted that it would have been made from 1930 onwards, or updated if made earlier.

WHEEL RIM DIMENSIONS

Here’s a handy 1911 reference guide for the rim dimensions on 26″ and 28″ wheels, both wired-edge and beaded-edge.

I’ve also reproduced the following wheel and tyre guides on the tyre page, but it may be useful to have all this reference stuff on one page.

MODERN TYRE SIZES

Bicycle tyre sizes are so confusing! Vintage motorcycle tyres are logical, those for cycles are not. Here’s a chart to help…

Some time ago, I asked John and Sue Middleton why they sold their wonderful bicycle museum in Camelford, Cornwall. They explained they’d always been upset that they received little support from fellow enthusiasts or vintage cycle clubs. But the turning point was apparently an incident when a visitor parked his car right in front of the entrance, and a big argument ensued when John tried to get him to move it. The driver insisted he had the right to park wherever he liked. I suppose ‘the great British public’ is an animal best avoided if you don’t have a thick skin, because statistically you’re eventually going to meet every sort of person in such circumstances.

I belong to many vintage clubs, but I refuse to have anything to do with their politics. Hobbyists, by definition, are eccentric (myself included): put more than one in a room together and the outcome is unpredictable. I support clubs because they help our hobby. I have wonderful friends within the hobby. I keep the two separate. I actually do spend an inordinate amount of time answering emails and phonecalls regarding obscure anomalies of our cycling and motorcycle history (I’m also a Veteran Motorcycle Club marque specialist). The questions I respond to are generally tricky ones that can’t be easily answered by the V-CC, those from fellow enthusiasts who have a similar machine to one of my own, and folks who need help with stuff left to them from enthusiast dads who have passed away. But, like other volunteers, there’s only so much time in the day to dedicate to our hobbies, and as much as I love vintage vehicles, I also have a fabulous life outside the hobby that takes priority. Good luck researching your bicycle …and I hope you continue to enjoy these websites 🙂

NSU DATING thanks to – http://www.fahrrad.nsu24.de

Huffy bicycle serial number decoding keyword after analyzing the system lists the list of keywords related and the list of websites with related content, in addition you can see which keywords most interested customers on the this website

Keyword Suggestions

Most Searched Keywords

Domains Actived Recently

› Alarm.firestormshop.com

› Bbs.duomiluntan.com

› Codenet.ru

› Frontgallerycafe.com

› M.visitmadison.org

› Michaelwhitegroup.com

› Na.industrial.panasonic.com

› Paradisegaragedoors.biz

› Vcdwrites.com

Websites Listing

We found at least 10 Websites Listing below when search with huffy bicycle serial number decoding on Search Engine

› Vintage huffy bicycle serial numbers

› Vintage huffy bicycles identification

› Huffy serial number decoder

› Huffy bike serial number

Help dating/naming an Old Huffy General Discussion About

Thecabe.comDA: 11PA: 50MOZ Rank: 61

• To date Huffy bicycles, first, you must find the serial number. The first digit in the number is the last digit in the year it was built. Second, you must look for other features or characteristics that would determine it's decade
• Your bike's number starts with '7'.

Huffy Bike Serial Number Lookupinstmank

Lensthompiecont.wixsite.comDA: 27PA: 50MOZ Rank: 78

• a1e5b628f3 'Verdict' Bicycles Recalled by Huffy.
• Were installed exclusively on Huffy Bicycle Company 'Verdict' full-suspension mountain bikes with serial numbers B98J,.How Can You Decode The Serial Number Of A Huffy BMX?.

Huffy bicycle serial number chart' Keyword Found Websites

Keyword-suggest-tool.comDA: 28PA: 42MOZ Rank: 72

To date Huffy bicycles, first, you must find the serial number The first digit in the number is the last digit in the year it was built Second, you must look for other features or characteristics that would determine it's decade Your bike 's number starts with '7'

Where is the serial number on the Huffy Bikes

Answers.comDA: 15PA: 48MOZ Rank: 66

• The 1st number and 5th number combined together is the year
• The 2nd through 4th numbers are the day of the year it was made

Huffy Bicycle Serial Number Lookup

Ageallworld.web.fc2.comDA: 23PA: 40MOZ Rank: 67

Huffy Bicycle Serial Number Lookup ageallworld.web.fc2.com › Huffy Bicycle Serial Number Lookup FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 1993 Release # 93-097 PRODUCT: Almost 14,000 men's and women's 20-, 24-, and 26- inch Huffy bicycles distributed under the 'Huffy' or 'Sears Free Spirit' trademark.

BIKE Identfication Help. Rat Rod Bikes

Ratrodbikes.comDA: 15PA: 16MOZ Rank: 36

• The Huffy serial number info in the oldroads.com site is not entirely accurate
• I haven't seen an awful lit of Huffy numbers but I haven't seen any that I could positively identify using the method described there
• There are serial numbers I CAN decode
• I got this from Huffy customer service.

1. Bicycle Frame / Serial No Dating – The Online Bicycle

Onlinebicyclemuseum.co.ukDA: 25PA: 35MOZ Rank: 66

• 1909 = 96,739 (declared) 1910 = 101,700 (calculated) 1911 = 106,700 (calculated) 1912 = 111,642 (declared) PREMIER FRAME NUMBER DATING
• BEESTON HUMBER FRAME NUMBER DATING
• ELSWICK HOPPER FRAME NUMBER DATING
• The following dated bicycle frame numbers from the Singer Car Club (not …

Huffy bicycle serial number decoding' Keyword Found

Keyword-suggest-tool.comDA: 28PA: 45MOZ Rank: 80

Most bicycle serial numbers are located under the bottom bracket where the two pedal cranks meet Simply turn your bike upside down and record the number.If there is no serial number there then check places like the headset at the front of the bike or the rear stays Huffy Bicycle Company Recalls 20-Inch, 24-Inch, And 26

Manufacturing Serial Number Decoder

Fmforums.comDA: 12PA: 49MOZ Rank: 69

• 5= May [some serials began with 10, 11, or 12 for October, November or December
• Eg 110xxxx X] 0= 1980 [they used the last digit of the year & will always be 9,0,1,2,or 3.] 1161= the serial number of the frame
• This can be as short as one digit, ie, 911 for Sept, 1981, frame number 1.

Can You Look Up A Bike Serial Number

Bikesmarts.comDA: 14PA: 20MOZ Rank: 43

• Your bike’s serial number will most likely be found underneath the bike’s bottom bracket
• So, turn your bike around and look for the spot where the two pedal cranks join
• What might happen, however, is that there’s no serial number there.

Elgin Bike Serial Number Database

Plugsupernal.weebly.comDA: 23PA: 39MOZ Rank: 72

• There are serial numbers I CAN decode
• I got this from Huffy customer service
• If the bike has a number that starts with HC, that's the number that will tell you the date
• I've seen bikes with numbers on the head tube and on the rear dropout.

Search results for: 'serial number on bike'

Huffybikes.comDA: 18PA: 22MOZ Rank: 51

• Disney Princess Kid Bike 16 inch
• Disney Princess Kid Bike 12 inch
• Heartbeat™ Girls' Bike, 18-inch
• Huffy Transic 26' Mountain Electric Bike for Adults
• Regular Price $999.99 Special Price $799.99.

Huffy bicycle serial number chart

Chemax.gob.mxDA: 13PA: 50MOZ Rank: 75

• Huffy Bicycle Company, of Springboro
• Huffy Bike Serial Number Chart 5,0/5 9763 reviews
• Vintage Huffy Bike Serial Number • You can only upload a photo (png, jpg, jpeg) or a video (3gp, 3gpp, mp4, mov, avi, mpg, mpeg, rm)
• This would mean that the year is 19-7.

Bike Frame Serial Number Decoder Webframes.org

Webframes.orgDA: 13PA: 34MOZ Rank: 60

• Serial Number And Date Code Information Bicycle Restoration Tips The Classic Antique Exchange
• Is This Bike Stolen Serial Number Guide
• Vintage Trek Bicycle Frame Serial Numbers Bike
• Bianchi X4 Serial Number Register Velo Aficionado
• Motorcycle Scooter Atv Quad Bike Frame Number Guide Decode A Vin Chassis Explained And Locations.

Search Bicycles by Serial Number

App.cpic-cipc.caDA: 16PA: 28MOZ Rank: 58

• Canadian Police Information Centre where the public can search the CPIC database to see if a motor vehicle or bicycle has been reported stolen
• Law enforcement partners can register to access more detailed documentation and reports based on information in the CPIC database.

HUFFY MULTI-SPEED COMFORT BICYCLES OWNER'S MANUAL Pdf

Manualslib.comDA: 18PA: 50MOZ Rank: 83

• Owner’s Bicycle Identifi cation Record NOTE: This information is only available on the bicycle itself
• Each Huffy bicycle has a Serial Number stamped into the frame
• The Serial Number (1) can be found on the bottom of the crank housing as shown
• Page 4: Warning And Safety Information

Need to decipher year of Huffy BMX bike serial numbers

Huffy Bike Serial Number Decoder Online

Bmxmuseum.comDA: 13PA: 21MOZ Rank: 50

• Re: Need to decipher year of Huffy BMX bike serial numbers
• Huffy Pro Thunder 1981 + a Pro Thunder 4 not sure on year + other old Huffy still to ID + a Huffy Street Stock II + 5 other old chrome bmx bikes: Diamond Back Viper 1987 or 88

Nishiki Serial Number Database Bike

Cinepotent.weebly.comDA: 21PA: 41MOZ Rank: 79

Huffy Bike Serial Number Location

• Howie Cohen later founded the company Everything Bicycles, working with Kuwahara to build and import BMX bikes carrying the Kuwahara brand name, developing the first major BMX distributorship [4] — and ultimately supplying Kuwahara bicycles for the 1982 movie E.T
• And securing the right to market the 'ET Bicycle.'

Western Flyer Bicycle Serial Number List

Masslogoboss.netlify.appDA: 24PA: 46MOZ Rank: 88

• There are serial numbers I CAN decode
• I got this from Huffy customer service
• If the bike has a number that starts with HC, that's the number that will tell you the date
• I've seen bikes with numbers on the head tube and on the rear dropout
• The HC number has always been on the head tube
• Here's how the number breaks down

HUFFY MOUNTAIN BIKES OWNER'S MANUAL Pdf Download …

Manualslib.comDA: 18PA: 40MOZ Rank: 77

• Owner’s Bicycle Identifi cation Record NOTE: This information is only available on the bicycle itself
• Each Huffy bicycle has a Serial Number stamped into the frame
• The Serial Number (1) can be found on the bottom of the crank housing as shown
• Page 4: Warning And Safety Information

I need help to identify my bmx bike by using serial numbers

Bicycles.stackexchange.comDA: 26PA: 50MOZ Rank: 96

• Follow edited Sep 12 '17 at 11:12.

Locating your Bicycle Serial Number Department of Public

Dps.usc.eduDA: 11PA: 23MOZ Rank: 55

• The majority of serial numbers are located under the bottom bracket where the two pedal cranks meet
• Turn your bike upside down and record the number
• If there is no serial number near the cranks, you should check other common places including the front headset or rear stays
• The diagram (below) indicates five of the most common serial number

Determining the Age of a Raleigh

Sheldonbrown.comDA: 16PA: 26MOZ Rank: 64

• Note that the serial number information below is fragmentary and incomplete, and many bikes have proven to be much newer than the serial numbers would suggest
• It appears that Raleigh recycled many of the older serial numbers in later years, so there are lots of bikes from the 60s and 70s that have serial numbers that would suggest much greater

Huffy Vintage Bikes for sale In Stock eBay

Ebay.comDA: 12PA: 40MOZ Rank: 75

• More than 100 million bicycles bearing the Huffy logo have been sold throughout the U.S
• If you’re shopping for affordably priced vintage Huffy bikes, eBay is the place to look
• Various models of old Huffy bikes
• By 1960, Huffy had become the third-largest bicycle manufacturer in the U.S
• With a wide range of models, including:

Huffy Bicycle Serial Number Decoder

How to read GT serial numbers for mid-school and new

Huffy Bike Serial Number Decoder Lookup

Shop.re-rides.comDA: 17PA: 50MOZ Rank: 91

• HF BH 00000 – 4 letters, BH are the dates
• B is the year (1992), H is the month (Aug) For new-school GT BMX bikes built through most of the 2000’s with a serial number that begins with 5 letters
• The 4th letter corresponds to the year of manufacture and follows on from the mid-school serial numbers
• 2001-2010 – 5 letters at beginning, 4th

› Toshiba hard drive installation software

› Invisible characters in excel

› Mid america corvette parts online

› Air force email webmail external

› Huffy bicycle serial number chart

› Swiss performance horses

Where Is The Serial Number On A Huffy Bike