Serial Numbers Decoded

[FlashUNC]

Here's one for the guide, welcome anyone's thoughts on this one.

EM 58 001

I've traded PMs a bit with Mr. Kirk about some of the details about the frame, but I think some insight on the EM designation would be cool.

[oliver1850]

Joe, it would be interesting to see the frame. Obviously the 1st of that model; perhaps a model that didn't make it into production? The way the list has come about is by people knowing what they have and supplying the codes that correspond. Sometimes you can find a serial number in an old Gallery thread that helps. Perhaps someone has posted an EM serial number somewhere. If you have some guesses about what model it might be, you can search for those models and "serial". You might get lucky that way. I'll help search, but need more info than just EM to get started.

Otherwise start an ID thread on the bike in General Discussion, where more people will see it. Have good pics of all the details: lugs, BB shell, dropouts, seat cluster, fork, and tubing measurements.

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by oliver1850

Joe, it would be interesting to see the frame. Obviously the 1st of that model; perhaps a model that didn't make it into production? The way the list has come about is by people knowing what they have and supplying the codes that correspond. Sometimes you can find a serial number in an old Gallery thread that helps. Perhaps someone has posted an EM serial number somewhere. If you have some guesses about what model it might be, you can search for those models and "serial". You might get lucky that way. I'll help search, but need more info than just EM to get started.

Otherwise start an ID thread on the bike in General Discussion, where more people will see it. Have good pics of all the details: lugs, BB shell, dropouts, seat cluster, fork, and tubing measurements.

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Good idea. I'll post a bit more about the frame there. From what Mr. Kirk and Liberace told me when I purchased the frame from him, it was something of a one-off. Reynolds 753 tubes, Henry James lugs from the mid-90s. Unsure if the EM is something of a internal designation for a test model, or bike built for employees or what. But from all the Googling I've done, I haven't seen any Reynolds 753 that made it into production at Serotta.

[oliver1850]

EM = experimental model or employee model? Could be. Recently saw a Serotta on ebay listed by a former Serotta office employee. Was claimed to have been built for another employee and that it had no serial number whatsoever. Person listing the bike obviously had very little bike knowldege, so there's no telling whether that information was accurate or not.

[lemania]

My Serotta Davis Phinney model starts with SD .

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=82001

[oliver1850]

How 'bout some pics of the Phinney?

[David Kirk]

I can say with some certainty that there was never a model that had a serial number starting with 'EM'.

I'm pretty sure the bike in question was a one off, built off the clock, for Scott Paine who was the head machinist. I shouldn't say that I built it for him....I brazed it for him and Scotty did the rest of the work himself. He is very skilled but wanted someone else to braze the 753 as he'd never done it and I was certified in 753.

There was never a real model made with 753 and only a few of us made them for ourselves but even those were never official projects. Serotta at that time had a good number of skilled riders (Scotty included - he's beautiful on the bike) and we always wanted to make stuff for ourselves and the company was good about letting us do that. Everyone learned a lot this way and the cost to the company was very small.

I had bikes myself that were made with all kinds of tubes over the years - Colorado 853, 708, Tange Prestige, 753 and a number that I can't remember. most of these never got an official serial number. A few did as the CEO at the time was worried about liability issues should these bikes change hands and fail and hurt someone so I do recall that he required some number be put on them for easy ID. Maybe that's where the 'EM' number came from. I never personally stamped a bike with EM and most of my bikes had no number at all.

Fun stuff to remember.

dave

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

I can say with some certainty that there was never a model that had a serial number starting with 'EM'.

I'm pretty sure the bike in question was a one off, built off the clock, for Scott Paine who was the head machinist. I shouldn't say that I built it for him....I brazed it for him and Scotty did the rest of the work himself. He is very skilled but wanted someone else to braze the 753 as he'd never done it and I was certified in 753.

There was never a real model made with 753 and only a few of us made them for ourselves but even those were never official projects. Serotta at that time had a good number of skilled riders (Scotty included - he's beautiful on the bike) and we always wanted to make stuff for ourselves and the company was good about letting us do that. Everyone learned a lot this way and the cost to the company was very small.

I had bikes myself that were made with all kinds of tubes over the years - Colorado 853, 708, Tange Prestige, 753 and a number that I can't remember. most of these never got an official serial number. A few did as the CEO at the time was worried about liability issues should these bikes change hands and fail and hurt someone so I do recall that he required some number be put on them for easy ID. Maybe that's where the 'EM' number came from. I never personally stamped a bike with EM and most of my bikes had no number at all.

Fun stuff to remember.

dave

Unless Scott is lurking about and has some memories about it, I'd opt for just declaring the EM in the serial number as an homage to Eddy Merckx.

Thanks again for your thoughts on this little mini-mystery Dave.

[KF9YR]

Colorado Soft Tail MTB

TS 19 006

[Gat64]

My CST (Colorado Soft Tail) has the following: CT-S-18-140

I believe it was one of the last ones built.

[oliver1850]

1993 Colorado Legend AT: code is AT

1991 Davis Phinney (see blilrat's thread in Serotta Gallery): code is SD

[cnw20]

I have a 2010 Classique Ti serial # CL X00959 - does CL denote custom? Thanks.

[oliver1850]

I think your bike is a ready custom, which is a standard geometry.

If it was a built to order geometry, it would be CCL.

[cnw20]

Thanks, I was hoping to hear that

[lew plummer]

I am assembling a 1975 Serotta Special BS178. This confirmed by Ben as genuine. I am looking for examples of badge placment in those early years.