New automatic Schwinn serial number lookup tool

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Dec 3, 2012
Messages
8
Reaction score
5
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hello, my name is Patrick Sexton and I am the creator of schwinncruisers.com and I have exciting news. I have taken all the schwinn serial numbers from several databases and made a tool that automatically searches for it. This means you can enter a vintage (1948-1982) schwinn serial number and get info about when it was manufactured. It was a big job, and I am not through yet, but it currently works for most serial numbers that are 6 or 7 characters long. I entered literally thousands of entries into it to accomplish this and it has been weeks since I started.
I am wondering if some of you will try it out and let me know how it works for you so I can fix bugs in the code.

The tool is on the http://SchwinnCruisers.com homepage, top right hand side.

If you do try it and it works for your serial number, great!
If you try it and it doesn't work for your serial number, please let me know the serial number and I will check it out.
Remember, there is no such thing as complete records for Schwinn serial numbers, so not everyone's is going to work, but for a few million bikes, it will.

Thank you,
Patrick Sexton
 
Very cool. I even tested it with some confusing numbers. It either gave two possible dates or asked you (w/ pictures) where the serial number is found, then gives you the date. Nice interface and quick to search.

I am going to index this in the Howto Manual and Bike ID sections.
 
cman - thanks for appreciating that. there are so many overlapping serial numbers, and i have seen so many people go through lists of serial number and they think they found the right year, but they dont know that Schwinn used the same serial number two or three times.
By showing those pictures and choosing the location of the serial number t can sometimes be narrowed down.
Something else worth noting, there were also many obvious errors in the main lists, which can only be seen if you are really working with those numbers.
I will be adding more tools as well. I am currently figuring out how to make a date / year tool for those four number serial numbers, and will be asking the community about special cases soon as well, like stings from taiwan, or paramounts, etc.
In any case thanks for noting the tricky serial numbers. I am really proud of what I am doing at schwinncruisers.

There is also a stand alone page for the Schinn serial number tool, which is http://schwinncruisers.com/serial-number.html

Have a good day.

Patrick Sexton
 
You have some great things at your site. I indexed your picture database a while ago. Alot to ask, but it would be nice to expand that with the "lightweights".
 
cman - there will be more bike pages eventually, but I am currently working on the catalogs first. Today I am going to put up the transcribed 1973 and 1974 catalogs. I even have a 1948 schwinn catalog which is exciting because there are not even pictures of that catalog available online, it will be great to add that one in the next weeks. Once I have the catalogs from 1940 to 1980s (I am getting close!) I will then break down all of those by bike model, including the lightweights. I really think that it two months or so I will have most of that done.
I have stayed off of the forums mostly, so it is good to know I can post here without getting flamed :)
Thanks again,
Patrick Sexton
 
Worked on mine! Well done sir. I have a 57 Flying Star B.F. Goodrich edition and it picked it right up. I will be using this with future projects. Thanks man! Kudos!!!!
148173_10151257091939286_1609571954_n.jpg
 
I will have to try it with one of my '66 Stingrays... there is a section in the serial number listing for Jan and Feb 1966 stating "above number obviously in error"... when in fact they're right, but confusing.

My coppertone '66 Stingray features a serial number that starts A _ 2 instead of what should be AB2XXXX. For a short run, the year code B was left off the frames. I will get the exact number and punch it in and see how it's handled.

I can also get you a picture of the "missing date" serial so you can see what it looks like, if that would be helpful at all. Apparently as February production rolled around, someone noticed and fixed the stamping machine. My OTHER '66 Stingray is a later February 66, and it's coded BBXXXXX.

Thanks for all the work on this project, because I'm sure it will be beneficial to many Schwinn experts and novices alike. I know I have referred to those charts so many times over the years.

--Rob
 
nlctvwguy -

Hi, I threw those numbers out so I am glad you spoke up about those "mistaken recorded" serial numbers. I will add them today, the "abxxxxx" numbers are an obvious mistake, and the "mistaken "bbxxxxx" number only overlap a little. I will add them.
Thanks,
this was exactly the type of input i hoped for.


update: I fixed the 1966 numbers
 
hi,
I tried your serial number lookup. It worked for : Hollywood '65, Super Sport '71 (with a problem: mine is a lady bike, the catalog shows only the men model), Collegiate '79.
Didn't worked for:
- World - s.n. 0042608 - probably '83
- Cruiser 5 - s.n. Y5100082 (0145 on badge) - probably '85
- Mesa Runner - s.n. on badge 0759 - probably '85
- Le Tour Tourist - s.n. IA 08939 (0191 on badge) - probably '81
Thanks, you did a great job.
Marius
 
You did a lot of work and it's nice to have this reference. Thanks! I hope you expand back in time before the fire and come up with some sort of framework for the prewar years '33-'41 and the '46-'48 bikes. I contacted someone once that is doing a prewar chart and they have lots of numbers and were moving forward. I don't remember who it was but hope you can find them and put your lists together. With all the original prewar bikes out there I think it would be entirely possible. Gary
 
I'm impressed!
After searching on my own through the usual websites and not finding my number, I plugged it in on yours and instantly came up with the result.
Btw, mine is a BF Goodrich/Schwinn, serial# H52953, built in Feb.1953.
Great work, thanks!
 
I got a pair of Schwinn Varsity bikes.
The men bike has s.n. A52566, the girls M457578. Your s.n. lookup tool gives me 1953-men and 1964-women.
But the bikes are almost identical. In 1953 the Schwinn catalog doesn't give a model for men.
Here are the bikes.
I'm sure I read the s.n. good. What is wrong?

DSCN3998_zps43d0f250.jpg

DSCN3994_zps80d88054.jpg
 
The first Varsity came out in 1960, so yours should have one more number or letter in the serial to put it in the right timeframe. It should be about the same age as the other, going by the seat tube decal.

edit2: The women's is Dec 1964 and the men's is Feb 1965, my guess is the first digit B is missing. They were probably bought as a pair at the same time in early 1965.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top