If they are 'JD,' Schwinn manufactured the bike in 2004. If they are 'JG,' Schwinn manufactured the bike in 2007. Classic Stingrays. Locate the bike's serial number. It will be on the head tube, the A-frame or the seat tube. Wipe dirt and oil from the serial number, if necessary, so you can read it accurately.
- After the 'Bicycle Boom' of the 1970s, however, Schwinn's proprietary frame-building technology and heavier bikes became less economically viable in an increasingly weight-obsessed industry-resulting in millions of unique vintage and antique bikes that can be identified by their serial numbers.
- Serial Number. Example: SN5 Each serial number must start with SN or IBD, followed by 11 alphanumeric characters. The serial number is located on the underside of the bike. Need help finding your serial number?
- My girlfriend bought me an old road bike for my birthday. It has no labeling on the frame, save for a serial number on the head-tube that reads: 502.
- Schwinn® 230i Recumbent Bike (2013 model) Assembly & Owner's Manual: Schwinn® 230i Recumbent Bike (2016 model) Assembly & Owner's Manual: Schwinn® 270i Recumbent Bike.
THIS CHART APPLIES TO CHICAGO SCHWINN`S ONLY.
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SERIAL NUMBER LOCATION:
NUMBERS ARE NOW LOCATED ON THE LOWER LEFT OF THE HEADTUBE(By The Schwinn Badge On The Front OF The Frame)
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NUMBERING SYSTEM:
THE FIRST 'LETTER' IS THE MONTH, THE SECOND 'LETTER' IS THE YEAR.THE LETTERS ' I ' and ' O ' ARE SKIPPED
TO AVOID CONFUSION WITH NUMBERS 'ONE' and 'ZERO'.
Examples:
AF***** = Jan. 1970,..... ('A' = Jan., 'F' = 1970)
GL***** = July. 1975,..... ('G' = July., 'L' = 1975)
MR***** = Dec. 1980,..... ('M' = Dec., 'R' = 1980), etc.
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JANUARY, ---------------------------- AF*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BF*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CF*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DF*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- EF*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FF*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GF*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HF*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JF*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KF*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LF*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MF*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AG*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BG*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CG*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DG*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- EG*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FG*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GG*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HG*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JG*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KG*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LG*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MG*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AH*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BH*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CH*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DH*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- EH*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FH*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GH*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HH*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JH*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KH*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LH*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MH*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AJ*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BJ*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CJ*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DJ*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- EJ*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FJ*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GJ*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HJ*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JJ*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KJ*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LJ*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MJ*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AK*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BK*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CK*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DK*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- EK*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FK*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GK*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HK*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JK*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KK*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LK*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MK*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AL*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BL*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CL*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DL*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- EL*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FL*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GL*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HL*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JL*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KL*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LL*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- ML*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AM*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BM*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CM*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DM*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- EM*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FM*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GM*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HM*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JM*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KM*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LM*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MM*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AN*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BN*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CN*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DN*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- EN*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FN*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GN*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HN*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JN*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KN*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LN*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MN*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AP*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BP*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CP*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DP*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- EP*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FP*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GP*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HP*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JP*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KP*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LP*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MP*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AQ*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BQ*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CQ*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DQ*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- EQ*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FQ*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GQ*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HQ*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JQ*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KQ*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LQ*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MQ*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AR*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BR*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CR*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DR*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- ER*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FR*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GR*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HR*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JR*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KR*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LR*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MR*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AS*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BS*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CS*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DS*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- ES*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FS*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GS*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HS*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JS*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KS*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LS*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MS*****
JANUARY, ---------------------------- AT*****
FEBRUARY, -------------------------- BT*****
MARCH, ------------------------------- CT*****
APRIL, --------------------------------- DT*****
MAY, ----------------------------------- ET*****
JUNE, ---------------------------------- FT*****
JULY, ---------------------------------- GT*****
AUGUST, ----------------------------- HT*****
SEPTEMBER, ------------------------- JT*****
OCTOBER, --------------------------- KT*****
NOVEMBER, ------------------------- LT*****
DECEMBER, ------------------------- MT*****
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THIS CHART APPLIES TO CHICAGO SCHWINN`S ONLY.
During the 1980s, Greenville used the old letter-digit
(e.g. F8 = June 1988)system which Chicago abandoned in 1965, when it changed to the two-letter system.
ON NEWER BIKES:
you can find a 4 digit serial number lightly stamped onto the headbadge.
The first three digits are the numerical day of the year,
and the last digit is the last digit of the year.
EXAMPLE:
3654 is 12/31/84 or 94 or? you determine decade.
Identifying a straight bar, cantilever, and DX frame
Since Schwinn first introduced the balloon tire bike in 1933 there have been a number of different frames used. The very early frames were of the motorbike or camel back style. The Aerocycle had a unique frame and there was a double bar roadster frame as well as a camel back in the later style frames as well.
This article is not going to cover all the varieties of frames Schwinn built through the years of which there are many. Essentially there are three basic styles; the straight bar, the DX, and the cantilever frames. Many different models were built on these frames. I am not going to try and associate the models to the frames because both straight bar and cantilever frames were used for Autocycle models and trying to explain Motorbike, Cycleplane, Standard, Super Deluxe, etc… gets complicated. This article will not cover either girls or juvenile models. The girls frames were pretty much the same and were differentiated between model lines largely by paint schemes or equipment e.g. tank, light, or rack. The juvenile models mimicked the adult models to a large degree. In the prewar years Schwinn offered their boys 26” tire models in several different frame sizes (16”, 18”, and the so-called ‘tall frame’ 20”). After the war all boys 26” tire frames were 18”.
While this may seem obvious the first thing to do is to make sure you are looking at a Schwinn frame. This is not as simple as it sounds because nearly all manufacturers made very similar frame styles. You will need to pay attention to paint schemes and colors, seat binding posts, drop outs, serial number structure, font, and size, welding construction, and other ‘tells’.
Prewar frames discussed here will have the following characteristics: rear facing dropouts (Fig. 1), no built in kick stand provision, and the head tubes on boys models are shorter than girls models which means the forks will not interchange. There are other differences between pre and post war frames but these are the main characteristics.
Post war frames will have front facing dropouts (Fig. 2), the head tubes are the same size between boys and girls bikes which means the fork whether an Ashtabula, truss, or springer will interchange. Except for some low tier ‘50s models all bikes will have a built in kick stand (Fig. 3). Middleweight frames (tire size 26” x 1 ¾”) will be narrower than balloon tire bikes.
A quick way to determine whether a frame is a balloon tire or middleweight (cantilever or straight bar) is the “three finger method”. An adult male with average size hands should be able to get three fingers comfortably through the rear seat cluster triangle on a balloon tire frame (Figs. 4, 4-1). Not so on a middleweight frame (Figs. 5, 5-1)
As previously mentioned the first balloon tire bikes had either a motorbike or camel back style frame. Starting in 1935 Schwinn introduced a new style frame. The first design straight bar frame is generally called a ‘double diamond’ due to the straight seat stays which create a triangle or diamond shape to match the front part of the bike (Fig. 6).
For 1936 the straight bar frame had curved seat stays and this feature would remain through the end of production of the straight bar frame (Fig. 7).
In 1938 Schwinn introduced the iconic cantilever frame (Fig. 8). Since its introduction the cantilever frame has been copied by nearly every bicycle manufacturer.
Schwinn Bike Serial Numbers
In 1939 Schwinn introduced a budget minded line called the DX. At first glance the DX frame (Fig. 9) looks very similar to the straight bar frame. Upon closer inspection however you will notice that the bottom bar (underneath the top tube) has a slight curve to it. For this reason the tanks between a straight bar and a DX will not interchange. The first year frame (1939) shown in Fig. 9 has built in drop stand ears. 1940 and later DX frames will not have these ears and look like Fig. 1. This is one of the few Schwinn frames to ever have this feature. The DX frame was only used until 1953 which is before Schwinn introduced its middleweight line so all DX frames are balloon tire bicycles.
Schwinn Bike Serial Number Lookup
By identifying whether or not a frame is pre or post war along with the style it will aid in potentially narrowing down the model of bike even if it lacks other identifying features such as a name on a chainguard which is never found on prewar bikes. As mentioned above there are many other differences on these frames, Besides the different sizes the straight bar and DX frames may have straight or curved down tubes and the tanks for B and BC straight bars will not fit C model straight bars and vice versa.
1980s Schwinn Serial Numbers
Armed with this information you should be able to determine whether you have a straight bar, DX, or cantilever frame. Enjoy the ride!