Serial Numbers Decoded

[Keith A]

Jack -- I think you are correct with you decoding of this serial number. I can only assume that the Meivici's also used the "C" in the serial number if it was a custom.

[farmallguy]

Originally Posted by Keith A

Jack -- I think you are correct with you decoding of this serial number. I can only assume that the Meivici's also used the "C" in the serial number if it was a custom.

OK, thanks Keith

[cornelldewitt]

This has been very helpful - I have a Davis Phinney from the early 90s, serial number SD562291. It has a custom paint and stickers (Morgul Bismark team) from the factory, so it doesn't have the Davis Phinney sticker on it. Now I got to try to figure out the original year. I might have the original receipt buried somewhere, but curious if it can be deduced by the serial.

Thanks!

[Keith A]

cornelldewitt -- Unfortunately, the serial number won't give you a specific year the frame was built. They include the build sequence in the serial number and therefore the year of manufacture can often be determined by comparing with the serial numbers from other frames.

[bocobiking]

Originally Posted by cornelldewitt

This has been very helpful - I have a Davis Phinney from the early 90s, serial number SD562291. It has a custom paint and stickers (Morgul Bismark team) from the factory, so it doesn't have the Davis Phinney sticker on it. Now I got to try to figure out the original year. I might have the original receipt buried somewhere, but curious if it can be deduced by the serial.

Thanks!

Are you sure that Morgul Bismark is the name of a team? In the 90s, there was a Morgul Bismark brand of bicycle located here in Colorado. Davis Phinney and Ron Kiefel owned a bicycle shop in Boulder named Morgul Bismark. After they closed it, they sold the name to a bicycle maker who then made bicycles under that name. I wonder if the bike is a Morgul Bismark and not a Serotta Davis Phinney.

[Keith A]

Originally Posted by bocobiking

Are you sure that Morgul Bismark is the name of a team? In the 90s, there was a Morgul Bismark brand of bicycle located here in Colorado. Davis Phinney and Ron Kiefel owned a bicycle shop in Boulder named Morgul Bismark. After they closed it, they sold the name to a bicycle maker who then made bicycles under that name. I wonder if the bike is a Morgul Bismark and not a Serotta Davis Phinney.

According to his serial number and the info posted in the first message of this thread, SD = Davis Phinney Model.

[cornelldewitt]

Originally Posted by Keith A

According to his serial number and the info posted in the first message of this thread, SD = Davis Phinney Model.

Yes, definitely a Davis Phinney. Just can't remember the date I bought it.

I raced for the Morgul Bismark team back then so I got the team paint and was very close to the shop (Timm Peddie and Tyler Hamilton were also part of the crew). I knew they closed the shop (after I left Boulder), but was not aware they sold the name to a bike manufacturer.

The bike is now a bit of a franken-bike that has literally been sitting in a barn for 18 years, so I'm embarking on figuring it all out. Will probably be posting many more weird questions to other forums! (Who knew Ventana made carbon road forks?!) I'm new at this, so apologies if I'm not very good at it.

[Kingfisher]

just bought a legend ti from another forumite...he says numbers are

Ti 58 2941

of course 58 is size, but any help on the 2941??

[Keith A]

Originally Posted by Kingfisher

just bought a legend ti from another forumite...he says numbers are

Ti 58 2941

of course 58 is size, but any help on the 2941??

Look at the first post on this discussion thread for an explanation.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by cornelldewitt

This has been very helpful - I have a Davis Phinney from the early 90s, serial number SD562291. It has a custom paint and stickers (Morgul Bismark team) from the factory, so it doesn't have the Davis Phinney sticker on it. Now I got to try to figure out the original year. I might have the original receipt buried somewhere, but curious if it can be deduced by the serial.

Thanks!

It would have to be either a 1990 or a 1991, as those were the only two years the Davis Phinney model used that serial number system. Older ones would have had all numbers in the serial number. I'm guessing it's a 1991 since the serial number is 2291.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by bocobiking

Are you sure that Morgul Bismark is the name of a team? In the 90s, there was a Morgul Bismark brand of bicycle located here in Colorado. Davis Phinney and Ron Kiefel owned a bicycle shop in Boulder named Morgul Bismark. After they closed it, they sold the name to a bicycle maker who then made bicycles under that name. I wonder if the bike is a Morgul Bismark and not a Serotta Davis Phinney.

cornelldewitt has the info right. Even though the jersey says "Morgul Bismark Bicycles", I believe that was the name of the shop and predates the MB branded frames. The team rode Serottas, but they may have ridden other models besides Phinneys. Note the other sponsors, hope cornell has some Arraya rims. Anyone know what LT refers to?

[cornelldewitt]

Originally Posted by oliver1850

cornelldewitt has the info right. Even though the jersey says "Morgul Bismark Bicycles", I believe that was the name of the shop and predates the MB branded frames. The team rode Serottas, but they may have ridden other models besides Phinneys. Note the other sponsors, hope cornell has some Arraya rims. Anyone know what LT refers to?

Where did you come up with that jersey?! I've still got a couple too - including an even older one that didn't have Serotta on it.

I think that '91 is the correct date - the date in the serial sounded really familiar. Couldn't bring myself to dig that deep into my file cabinet this weekend (got a new whip!), but I'm 75% certain I've still got the original receipt.

I raced off-road for Morgul Bismark for a couple of years - still have my custom T-max. I don't have any Arraya rims - as I kept racing for different teams, I kept getting new stuff, and then at the end of each season, I'd keep my favorite parts and put them on my T-max. So it's pretty pimped out with the craziest stuff from early to mid-90s off-road. Halson inverted forks with a Campy high-flange track hub anyone?! Raceface cranks. Gripshift!

I got the Phinney to train on - I have a really long torso and I like aggressive bikes, so getting a Phinney was as much for fit as anything. Then I put a mish-mash of components on it. Ventana carbon forks (prototypes), Campy shifting, Mavic starfish cranks. I don't remember what the rest of the roadies raced on, because all of them had the custom paint which eliminated the model name. Probably Colorado II.

LT was a brand of helmets. The worst fitting helmets ever. I still have a purple one somewhere! Probably should toss it, as it is so old it would probably evaporate in a cloud of dust as soon as it impacted anything.

[oliver1850]

Interesting that they let you spec the bikes as you wished. Were all the team bikes painted the same? I'd be interested in seeing one. I have a Nova Special that I need to get painted anyway.

I have the matching shorts, but perhaps will not pursue the LT helmet.

[cornelldewitt]

Originally Posted by oliver1850

Interesting that they let you spec the bikes as you wished. Were all the team bikes painted the same? I'd be interested in seeing one. I have a Nova Special that I need to get painted anyway.

I have the matching shorts, but perhaps will not pursue the LT helmet.

To clarify, we couldn't spec bikes as we wished - the road team had fully kitted bikes, according to Cat. Cat II & I racers had the nicest Serottas (Colo IIs, I seem to recall) with Dura-Ace components, and on down from there. I raced off-road, so I had a different deal, I got a fully kitted T-max and a deal with Rock Shox (I stitched a Rock Shox sticker on the sleeve of my jerseys!), including the opportunity to buy whatever Serotta road bike I wanted for training purposes at below dealer cost, and I could get the team paint on it. On both my Phinney and T-max, I added different components over the years, as I raced for different teams. Thus the prototype Ventana carbon forks from when I raced off-road for Ventana ('95, I think).

I'll take some pics of the bikes and post them in the appropriate forums this weekend.

[cornelldewitt]

Ok - here's the pics: http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=186292

Don't know if this will work this way, and apologies if I'm doing something wrong. Noob.