bicycle serial numbers

[XXX]

hey now kind friends. i am trying to find out the brand and age of a bike i have. i have the serial number but don't know what to do with it. is there a serch engine or something i could use? i beleave it's an english bike. has 40 spokes on theback wheel and a coaster brake. the back upper wish bone un bolts so the chain can be removed without braking it. on piece lether seat mabe by a company called 'bells'. the wheels (which i have now replaced) had very very old 26inch tires on them, however new 26 inch tires are to big..... so it must be some strange sizing.

any help would be greatly appreciated.
keep up all the good work.some of these bikes are amazing.

 

[Schwinnspastic]

pics would probably tell more than #s and yep british bikes have a differant tire size than most others so I'm guessing 26x1 3/8

 

[Wildcat]

26 x 1 3/8 are larger than other 26 inch tires, the 1.75 and 2.125, so to be larger, your new tires might be Schwinn tires. What size is listed on the tire?

As for brand, If the bike doesn't have a headbadge, does the brake arm on the rear wheel have a name? The hub on the rear wheel may also have a name on it. If it's a Sturmey Archer hub, it may have the year stamped on it also. This would narrow the brand name down.