1990s ‘Boda-Boda’ Ugandan Bicycle Taxi; 1999 Dyno/GT Mooneyes Cruiser; JUVENILES. THE EVOLUTION OF CHILDREN’S TRICYCLES: 1800s-1920s. TO FIND OUT HOW OLD YOUR BIKE IS – JOIN THE VETERAN CYCLE CLUB! FRAME NUMBER DATING. Bicycles that can be dated with 100% accuracy are the exception. Marque enthusiasts use records of shop ledgers.
Hi guys, I happened to see this bike on eBay a bit ago and the seller had it advertised as an '89 Dyno Compe Survivor' based on the serial number on the dropout he was able to read. Upon looking at his pictures, I could instantly tell that it appeared to actually be a '90' model instead because of the decal set and the straight forks Dyno went to beginning in 1990. When I looked at the serial number in the picture, is where I started to get really confused.
It shows 'DH8912XXX'. Is it then really a 1989 model as he states? Or a 1991 because of the '91'? I know Dyno didn't switch to the cutout/flare-back drop out (and again to the straight forks) until the 90s which would make this a 1990 at the earliest. I know there are those who will say you can see this type of drop out in the '89 Catalog, but as far as hitting the showrooms, I don't think these appeared in their Production bikes until the 90s. Dyno switched decaling in 1991 as well, with 'Dyno' and 'Compe' literally switching places on the bars. Then I went to my storage shed and pulled out two old Dyno frames I've had for a while, and the same debate continues on these as well.
I have an original 1987 Dyno Detour and a 1988 Dyno Compe. These are both factory original and have not ever been repainted or redecaled. To prove these are structurally different frames, I illustrate in this next picture where I've laid the smaller 1987 frame over top of the 1988 frame. You can see that the blue frame is about an inch higher in the back tubing as this was changed from '87 to '88. You can also see in this picture that the support plates around the seat tube on the 1987 Detour are completely open (basically two separate 'Dyno' stamped plates, one turned upside-down and welded opposite, hence the logo on the bottom side too). On the 1988 Compe it's one solid piece bent back on itself with two holes drilled out for brake cables.
The difference in the rear of the frames are illustrated here. From the bend at the top of the rear tubes above where the rear brake mounts, is an entire inch different between the '87 and '88. So now here's where it gets weird. It may be hard to read, but the serial number for the 1987 Dyno Detour on the left is DH8873426 and the serial number for the 1988 Dyno Compe on the right is DH8803278. Also notice that the '87 drop out doesn't have the Dyno 'D' stamped in it, but the '88 does (another physical feature that began to surface in 1988 distinguishing any previous models). So here's the debate. The black bike decaled as a 1987 DOES have '87' in the serial number at positions 4 and 5.
However, with that same logic, then the blue bike decaled as a 1988 would be an '80' model. If you base it on positions 3 and 4, then they would both be '88's (which they're clearly not) and making the chrome bike at the top an '89'. Three separate bikes, three totally different designs, structures, and decals. Yet no clear logic to the numbers. Any one have any input on this?
I think it's up for debate on how to read these serial numbers and/or even if they matter if there's no consistency. Last edited by Dynotherium (2014-06-09 7:58am). Well the decaling, straight forks, and style of dropout all suggest the chrome bike is in fact a '90' model based on those physical features alone. Taking into consideration that it may very well have been manufactured in December of 1989 (the start of the 1990 production models?), hence the 'DH 8912xxx'. But as whitebread suggests, that only leaves three digits left in the serial number for individual designations. The first bike would have been 'DH8912 001' and the last bike being 'DH8912 999'?
That's hard to believe since you've also got Detours in that mix also made in Taiwan. The Pro Compes were made in the USA (different serial numbers).
Maybe there really were only 1,000 or so bikes done per production year run? Seems possible, but not very probable. Ahhh yes, that makes a lot more sense.
I should have seen that. So yeah, that would make it roughly 12,000 bikes a year then.
DH8901 001-DH8901 999: 1989, January, Bikes #001-#999 DH8902 001-DH8902 999: 1989, February, Bikes #001-#999 DH8903 001-DH8903 999: 1989, March, Bikes #001-#999 And so on. That's from 1988 forward. But it appears to be a completely different serialization from 1987 and years prior. Especially with my DH8 873426 example, where the year shifted to the right one character.
I wonder what the breakdown is then.
Redline is the third brand of new school BMX that I have researched and cracked the serial numbers for dating the age of BMX bikes. Mongoose serial numbers were first and then GT serial numbers. When rebuilding and restoring old BMX bikes it's extremely helpful to know exactly how your bike is. This post is intended to be used as a helpful guide to help read your Redline serial number and find out what year your new school Redline BMX was built and sold in bike shops.
The serial number guide will help date Redline BMX bikes made between 2001 and 2009. This guide may not work for all Redline BMX bikes built between this time and I have listed below which Redline serial numbers it does work for. I spent quite a bit of time looking into the Redline serial numbers on a few of my bikes as well as checking against other Redline BMX owners to see if my serial number crack was right. It seems to hold up and here it is. The above bike is a (2005 built 'P') 2006 Redline Proline Flight 24. 2001-2010 – 2 letters at beginning, 2nd is year K L M N O P Q R S T 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 A few examples are: H S00000 – 2 letters, S is the build year (2008), Sold in 2009 H P00000 – 2 letters, P is the build year (2005), Sold in 2006 H R00000 – 2 letters, R is the build year (2008), Sold in 2008 Please note: The Redline serial number will give you the build date of your Redline BMX.
Frames were normally manufactured the year before being sold in bike shops. So a build date on a frame of 2003 usually means the bike was sold in stores in 2004. This is the case with the 2009 Redline Proline Pro below. The Serial has a build date of 2008, it was confirmed in the catalogue it was a 2009 model. I have confirmed this Redline serial number crack many times against bikes that have been known to be purchased that year, bikes with distinct graphics and colours and checked them against available Redline BMX catalogues. If you have a Redline BMX that doesn’t fit into the code style above, here is how I can help. Go to t and post a couple photos of your bike and make sure you include the serial number in your post. I will look into all the numbers listed.
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