Locating your Bicycle Serial Number - Department of Public Safety (2024)

FAQs

Locating your Bicycle Serial Number - Department of Public Safety? ›

Where to Find It. The majority of serial numbers are located under the bottom bracket where the two pedal cranks meet. Turn your bike upside down and record the number. If there is no serial number near the cranks, you should check other common places including the front headset or rear stays.

Most bicycles have a frame number stamped into the metal under the bottom bracket. If it's a carbon frame, the number will be etched into the surface or displayed on a sticker. Occasionally, the frame number will be on the inside of the chain stay or on the down tube or top tube.

The model number and date code can be found on a small silver sticker by the non-chain side crank arm, above the pedals on the frame of the bike.

A bike frame number, also known as a serial number, is a unique identifier. It's important to record it when you get a new bike as a proof of ownership – for cycle insurance, manufacturer warranties, property databases and the police – to help should the worst happen.

To get to know your VIN, start by breaking it into three sections: the first three digits, followed by the next six digits, and then the last eight digits. The first section of the VIN represents the World Manufacturer Identifier, which tells you the vehicle's country of origin.

Frame numbers are usually 6-12 characters long codes, combining numbers and letters. A modern standard number consists of 2 letters followed by 7 digits, but this often varies, especially with older pieces.

The VIN or Chassis Number can be found on the dashboard, driver's side door and on the registration certificate. All cars and light commercial vehicles built after 1981 have a unique 17-character VIN that provides access to valuable information about that vehicle's history.

Every bike should have a number or code stamped somewhere on it to act as a unique identifier. This helps police or other investigators to tell the difference between two bikes that appear identical, so it can be very useful in identifying stolen or missing bikes.

Before buying a used bike, ask the seller for the serial number and check it against online databases, such as Bike Index or Garage 529, to see if it's been reported stolen.

Do bikes have VIN numbers? ›

Turn it over and look on the frame between the pedals. Serial numbers could be the same if you compare different manufacturers. The number stamped into the bottom bracker is the equivalent of a VIN # and is normally the number you use to register your frame in the national bicycle registry.

Where can I find the BMC serial number? The serial number (also known as frame number) can be found in front of or below the bottom bracket. On model year 2014 bicycles or newer, it is printed at the bottom of the QR code.

For bikes, the serial number is located on a sticker on the underside of your toptube and/or downtube as well as on the underside of your bike, underneath the bottom bracket. Specialized serial numbers typically start with the prefix “WSBC,” “WUD,” “STT,” or “STE.”

A serial number (SN) is a number assigned to each individual product in order to distinguish that product from all others. The serial number is sometimes used only for warranty control and sometimes used for both warranty control and for version control.

Note: A serial number does not indicate the size, model, or year of a bicycle. We will not be able to tell you this information with only the serial number. If you do not know the model and year of your bicycle, you will need to find it manually via the photos in the online archive.

Your serial number is also located on the box your bike was shipped in and may be located on the receipt provided by the retailer you purchased your bike from.