Serial numbers

[Uncle Stretch]

I have been here for several years now , and I have seen hundreds of posts on what year is my frame. Then the ones that keep up with all the serial number list ,quickly send the person to one of them to track down their number. On the harder ones RMS37 steps in with his exceptional talent to remember more that any of us could ever hope to in three lifetimes. I don't know him , but I imagine him being a couple hundred year old man living in a castle with thousands of books surrounding him at all times. Kinda like a wizard that throws some chemical in a fire and the answer on the make and year of your bike will magically jump out. Now these people with their new found information know without a doubt , that their rusty frame is a 1935 hoobie goobie , and they proceed to throw new fat tires and bike parts on it that are just being made this year. For some reason I feel like that the only reason to date a bike frame ,would be to start on an expensive restoration, that most of us can't or won't afford. I would think that the most important thing would be that you really like the frame shape , or the way its been designed ,and it will fit with the multitude of new parts that your going to add to it. That silly number on the bottom of your BB really doesn't mean much. Ok that is just my opinion. :lol:

 

[Tailwinds]

I see what you're saying and you're completely correct on most counts. Regardless of what path I take with any of my bikes I like to nail down the age as closely as possible because it really helps give the bike an identity, and, whenever I find a 50's-something Hoobie Goobie I love to dig in and discover the history of the brand, models, etc. It's part of what makes this hobby interesting to me....

ADDITIONALLY, and most importantly, if I'm going to be marketing the bike for sale I want to make every effort to properly date the frame. How many times have you seen for-sale ads where somebody is just obviously taking a wildazz guess at a bike's vintage? It's unprofessional and dishonest.

 

[udallcustombikes]

Another reason I like to know exactly what my bike is before I pull out the grinder and start attacking it. I would hate to find out after it has been cut up that it was a rare '42 Hoobie Goobie prototype bike that was worth a small fortune.

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Really and truly if you saw a frame for sale and someone told you it was a 1920 and he told you that because someone told him that ,and you bought it.....somewhere your reality check would jump in and tell you not to pay $250 for just a frame. If you loved it and ignore your sanity ,and buy it anyway...then you find out its a 1930 would you automatically hate your frame because you paid too much for it? I think here we all love each rusty ,barely usable bike , because that is what drives this place. The desire to make something great out of something that is marginally usable regardless of what year it is.

 

[deorman]

I don't care too much about exact details of age or originality, but I like to have an idea of the approximate age, if only to answer Goober's "who makes, how old, what's it worth" queries with something a little more astute than "duh, gee, I dunno.". :lol:

 

[Tailwinds]

...if only to answer Goober's "who makes, how old, what's it worth" queries with something a little more astute than "duh, gee, I dunno.". :lol:

Yes, exactly. As a rule, I don't like to deal in "maybe".

 

[Tailwinds]

I think here we all love each rusty ,barely usable bike , because that is what drives this place. The desire to make something great out of something that is marginally usable regardless of what year it is.

Extremely well put and succinct, that is the soul of this place, or at least that's how I perceive it.

Back to your original point, there are a few bikes I'm very interested in the history of, a couple of my Schwinns, my Hercules, an old Tyler I picked up this morning, and the Hiawatha I started a thread on here recently. There have been others I'm less than interested in as it pertains to its history and even some that I wouldn't waste a moment investigating.
If I were cutting frames up I certainly wouldn't bother with its vintage beyond making sure that its not the 30's Hoobie Goobie prototype.
Some guys here are profuse with the cutting torch (in a good way).
Some guys (like myself) lean more toward the resto-mods, and a bike's history is an important element that guides its design.

 

[ratina]

I just like to know how old something is. Its nice to be able to tell people what year it is when they ask. It does help when looking for parts sometimes too.

 

[Rat Rod]

Uncle Stretch is also the guy who likes the sound of a grinder against perfectly aged patina....ha ha. :lol:

 

[maddogrider]

Gee Uncle Stretch maybe you should put numbers on your build from scratch frames just give the next owner something to talk about :mrgreen:. Im just curios what my frames are thats just the kind of guy i am. Heck my brother just got an old Yale padlock and i felt like i had to find out how old that sucker is.

 

[kram]

Gee Uncle Stretch maybe you should put numbers on your build from scratch frames just give the next owner something to talk about :mrgreen:.

My Uncle Stretch frame does have a serial number on it. It's a big old #1

 

[xHOBOPHOBIAx]

I just like to know how old my bikes are if they seem to be cool. Anything from the 80s and newer I really don't care about, but the history is interesting to me. Take this example. I bought an old schwinn varsity. I looked up the code and it said it was made in December 1962. Then one day I found some old schwinn catalog scans on the Waterford site and started looking, but all the varsities from 1962 had 26" wheels not 27" like the one I have... then I realized that It was made in 62 to be sold in 63 and there it was in the catalog. Just a way to know more about the past.