How to Read Serial Numbers on a Specialized Bicycle

March 02, 2022 Post a Comment

(Hunting for a deal? Several retailers are running sales fifty-fifty before Black Friday. Bank check out our constantly updated resource on the all-time cycling deals )

You've just purchased a brand new cycle and the first thing y'all want to practice is take information technology out for a ride, but before you do that at that place's something else you demand to do ASAP: you need to find your bike's serial number.

This is the almost important feature of your bike because if it gets stolen this number can help you rails it down. However, quite alarmingly, less than 20 percent of bike owners know their bike'southward serial number, as Bike Law reports.

What, exactly, is a cycle serial number?

A bike serial number is basically a string of digits that will have between six and ten numbers in it. It is sometimes referred to as a cycle frame number.

Your serial number is very important to bank check on your bike and continue somewhere handy in case your bicycle goes missing because photos of your bike just aren't plenty in the consequence that you need to rail downwardly your beloved bike.

With that in mind, let's accept a look at how to find your bike's serial number and how to get about using it if your bike gets stolen.

Where tin can you find your bike serial number?

Your bike'due south serial number will most likely be found underneath the wheel'due south bottom bracket. And then, turn your bike around and look for the spot where the two pedal cranks bring together.

What might happen, still, is that there'south no serial number there.

Don't stress!

There are other places where your serial number could be stamped on your bike.

Try to check the headset, the rear stays, the seat downtube (next to the crank), and the summit of the creepo, as these are common places for a serial number to exist put.

One time y'all've located the bike's series number, it's important for you to tape it and then that you have copies of it.

You lot tin do this in various ways, such every bit by emailing information technology to yourself, taking a snapshot of the serial number and then emailing that to yourself or bankroll it up in your iCloud account.

If you want, you could fifty-fifty take pictures of yourself and the cycle, making sure that the serial number is visible. That way, if you lot ever practice demand to know your serial number, like when reporting your bike as stolen to the constabulary, you'll accept it handy.

After you've found the serial number that'south stamped on your bike, you might discover a barcode that'due south printed on a sticker adjacent to it.

This is actually merely a sticker that the bike manufacturer put on the bike in gild to check and verify warranties, and isn't related to the serial number itself. Now y'all know.

Why Bike Series Numbers Are Then Important

Yous might think you'll never need to use your bike'southward series number, but you never know what could happen.

Your bike's serial number is really like it'southward identity number should it get stolen or lost – information technology's the near important way in which you could track information technology downward.

Even if you own a device tracker on your bike, that's sometimes not enough to go on your bicycle safe.

If you want to track down your bike, you'll have much better success by being able to provide the bike's serial number to organizations that track down stolen bikes and to your local law.

Merely call up of how many bikes are out there that look and so similar to yours. Your bike needs to be meliorate identified so that it tin be found. Even if it looks really unique and stands out in a oversupply, having the series number is even so a must.

Something that'due south of import to comport in mind is that some cycle thieves don't steal a bike in order to use it themselves or sell it as a whole.

They volition want to detach the cycle as soon as they become their hands on information technology and then that they tin sell its parts. If this is the instance with your stolen bike, no ane'southward going to exist able to spot your unique bike on the road because it won't be there.

Past having the serial number, however, y'all'll still be able to track down the wheel (or at to the lowest degree function of information technology) and this could help to bring wheel thieves to justice.

Why Y'all Should Register Your Bike

In one case yous've made a copy of your bike'southward serial number then that it'south somewhere handy if your bike gets stolen, you lot should waste no time in registering your bike so that it's on a bicycle database and yous're registered as its owner.

You know that it'due south important simply maybe you lot retrieve that you'll get to register your bike "someday."

This is unsafe thinking because if you discover yourself the victim of a stolen bike, you'll wish you had taken the steps to register it. Yous know what they say: prevention is improve than cure.

You might not always exist able to prevent your bike from being stolen, just registering can aid you go your own back!

The adept news is that registering your bike doesn't have to be a mission. There are many places where you can register your bicycle, merely make sure that it's washed with an international, or at least nationwide, registration service.

Some groovy bike services are Bike Index, 529 Garage, and Bike Annals (which is an international example). It's totally complimentary and really like shooting fish in a barrel to annals your bike.

In some U.South. cities yous tin can too register your bike with the police department. These include Chicago, New York, and Milwaukee.

After registering your bicycle, you might go a sticker that you'll need to put on your cycle. This is sort of like an ID number and simply the presence of it might be enough to ward off criminals because they'll realize that your bike has been registered.

Past registering your bike, if it gets stolen at a later stage you'll exist able to notify the customs as well every bit bike shops in your area and so that they can be on the lookout for your stolen bicycle serial number chart.

This can assist to stop bike criminals while also (hopefully) ensuring that the bike finds its way dorsum to y'all.

How To Register Your Cycle If Information technology Doesn't Have A Serial Number

Now, what if you've looked all over your cycle with a magnifying drinking glass and yous still tin can't find a serial number?

Although all bikes are assumed to have bicycle serial number database, not all do! This is the example for some old, hand-made bikes, for instance. If you find that your bike doesn't have these digits, it doesn't hateful you can't annals your bike.

Y'all can still (and should) register it.

What you should do is make it touch with Project 529, a non-turn a profit bike-registration company that helps people to recover their stolen bikes, and purchase a registration kit from them so that yous can constitute that y'all're the owner of the wheel.

This kit is slap-up because it likewise contains a weather-resistant and tamper-resistant sticker that comes with a unique identifier. Later on sticking this onto your bike, you'll be able to identify that the bike is yours according to that specific number.

So, it sort of replaces your serial number. These digits will help you locate your cycle if it gets stolen.

Just brand sure you're happy with where your sticker is placed on your bike frame because information technology'southward impossible to remove one time attached onto it and you actually don't want the hassle of ruining information technology and starting the process all over once more.

Tin Y'all Search For A Bike'due south Serial Number?

Imagine the worst-case scenario: you stepped out of your office edifice and noticed that the spot where you usually park your bike is empty.

Your bike has been stolen.

Having it's series number is not but important to aid you when contacting organizations and the police force because they'll be able to track down the wheel according to its unique serial number, but it tin likewise assistance you do some detective work of your own.

There are websites, such as Bike Index, that go far their mission to help bike owners locate their stolen bikes.

How you brand use of these websites is by using their search bar that's specifically for serial numbers and punching your number in. Information technology'southward that like shooting fish in a barrel!

Another site that offers this service is Bike Register.

How To Tell If Your Bike's Stolen Goods

If you've purchased a cycle and worry that it was stolen before being sold to you lot, check the wheel all over for its serial number.

If information technology's scratched or filed out, this is a red flag that the bike could've been stolen and the thief wanted to endeavor to erase the number.

If the number'southward there but you're nonetheless concerned it'south been stolen, utilize the specialized bike serial number lookup to try to locate the bike on sites such equally Bike Index.

Serial number bated, there are other ways to tell if the bicycle you've purchased – or desire to buy – is really stolen goods. These include:

The price of the bicycle seems as well skillful to be true. You know what they say: if information technology seems too good to be true, it probably is. Giving you an excellent bargain on a bike is sometimes what bike thieves volition practise if they're eager to get money for the stolen goods and get the product off their easily every bit quickly every bit possible.
The cycle seller'south advertisement is a crimson flag. If y'all're interested in purchasing a wheel online, something to expect out for is if you lot desire to buy the bike only the seller'due south advert doesn't incorporate much information or photos most the bike. This is usually done past criminals to prevent the bike from being identified online.
The bike seller won't answer your questions. Don't exist agape to ask the seller questions about the bike. If they're vague or ignore you, those are warning signs that the bicycle has been stolen. Stay away!

Determination

You might never have idea near your bike serial number check, or possibly you didn't even know what it was or how to find it.

Only later on reading this commodity, now you lot know that your bike serial number lookup is the nearly important number you need to keep your bike condom – and you don't want to misplace it.

If your bicycle gets stolen, having registered information technology with its unique serial number tin can make all the departure in ensuring that your bicycle comes dorsum abode.

Fifty-fifty if these efforts don't bring back your bike, the serial number is the almost important tool at your disposal to try to track it down while serving an of import part: it will alert other bike owners in the community that your bike's been stolen so they can keep their eyes peeled for it and not fall casualty to crime themselves.

tabbcomill.blogspot.com

Source: https://bikesmarts.com/bike-serial-number/