Trek Bike Serial Number Lookup

Home forums > other bikes > klunkers & mountain bikes > Any way to decode Trek serial numbers? Discussion in ' KLUNKERS & MOUNTAIN BIKES ' started by ratina, May 15, 2012.

Trek Frame Serial Numbers Serial Number Location Trek frame serial numbers (SNs) are typically stamped into the bottom of the bottom bracket shell. In the case of some early 80s Treks, the number is under the plastic cable guide on the bottom of the shell. Just remove the plastic cable guide to see the number. The other place Trek (or their subcontractors) stamped the SN is at the lower end of the seat tube. Note: The SN on your original sales receipt may not match the one on your bike.

Sales persons sometimes had difficulty reading the numbers. Many early Trek bottom bracket shells have a one or two letter code stamped separately from the serial number. This was made by the individual framebuilder to mark his/her work. On some bottom brackets there are two codes: one indicating the maker of the main triangle and the other for the maker of the rear triangle or perhaps the person who cut and shaped the tubing, if not done by the framebuilder. If you know which mark was used by a particular craftsman, please let me know. Serialization Date The dates coded in the serial numbers, or the dates inferred from the numbers, are dates on which the new frames were stamped with serial numbers (serialized).

These dates are not necessarily the same as the model year of the frame. At some time late in each year (beginning generally September or October) the frames produced were created from designs, and painted with colors, for the next year. Hard to read? Trek serial numbers can be hard to read. Clean the area well, and use lots of light at various angles.

A suggestion by J. Hansen can help you read a serial number. Serial Number highlighted with red wax. Click on image to see an enlarged version.

Hansen) 'Rub the area with candle wax of a color that contrasts with your paint. Lightly wipe it off with a rag. The wax stays in the indented area of the S/N.

Now you can easily read the number. I have included a photo of the results from my bike. In this case I used a red candle to make the serial number stand out. Note that even with the serial number filled with wax, the leading '0' is almost imperceptible.' Serial Number Descriptions The serial number descriptions are divided into five categories.

Click on the link below to go to the appropriate category. PRIOR TO LATE 1980 Before late 1980, Trek used an alphanumeric serial number scheme. Each seven-character number consists of three letters mixed with numerals. The serial number list and the code for the list are not available from Trek (but hope springs eternal).

In the meantime, we have the results of the serial number decoding project: Serial Number Decoding Project Nearly two hundred Trek owners submitted their frame's specifics to help decode Trek's first serial number system. Our thanks to these generous cyclists. Next. Trek used this system from 1976 to late 1980. A variant of this first system was used in 81 and perhaps 82 for some frames. See **** year exceptions below. These serial numbers have seven characters, in the form L N L N L N N, where L is a letter and N is a number. Here are the results: The first letter is the model designation.

The letter code indicates frame model, which would include bike models made from that model of frame. A = 310 (see note * below) B = TX200 (see note ** below), C = TX300, D = 530, E = TX500, F = 510 ( **** ), G = TX700 and TX770 (see note *** below), H = 710, I = 730, J = TX900. K = 910, L = 930, M = 412 and 414 ( **** ), N = 610, 613, and 614 ( **** O = 950. This numbering system was used for custom 950s. This letter may also have been used for custom 750 frames. If you have a leading O (Oh) serial number on a frame with Reynolds 531 stickers, please contact me (Skip). This applies only to serial numbers in the form LNLNLNN where the first letter is an O (Oh).

This does not apply to the all-numeric serial number form that began in late 1980. These begin with a zero not an Oh. For these all-numeric numbers with a leading zero, see below. A couple of serial numbers have been submitted that are missing the first letter. This letter designates the model. The remaining six characters are typical.

It appears that some custom frames were built that did not fit within the standard model description. For example, a 710 frame made with Columbus tubing instead of 531. What leading letter to use? Perhaps it was just left blank?

The first number is the frame size, where 1 = 19.75', 2 = 21', 3 = 22.5', 4 = 24', 5 = 25.5', 6 = 57.5 cm (ctc) or indicates a custom size. (See Year Exception D.) 7 = 59 cm (ctc) or indicates a custom size. (See Year Exception D.) 9 = 63.5 cm (ctc) or indicates a custom size. (See Year Exception D.) The second letter represents the month the frame was serialized. Dec The second number is the last digit of the year, 6, 7, 8, 9 (for 197X) and 0 for 1980., ****, for year exceptions. Again, this is the date of serializing, not necessarily model year.