How do I find out how old a bicycle is?

What do you do with the old bikes once you buy them?

This info only comes with long experience and reference material. I have 40+ years of bike catalogs, Sears catalogs, Wards catalogs, and others to determine the age of a bike if I need them, but I usually don't because the components and design of the bike tells me much more quickly and accurately. You would never guess the vast amount of information about bikes that ISN'T on the web.

It is a sign of the times, with the Internet pushing people to retrieve information rather than retain it in their heads, so I suggest that you start seeking out and obtaining as much info about bikes as possible. I have catalogs and repair manuals from as far back as 1895 and all of them have information about bikes and parts of the era. This info is essential if you REALLY want to develop expertise in the field.

If the bikes you buy are recent- say from 1995 or later you can try http://bikepedia.com/

become an expert

some parts have 4 digit date codes

0371 would mean march 1971

but

it doesn;t really matter

you are not really dealing ''vintage'' wh ere you have to be a n expert

i suspect you are just finding ''old'' bikes

where the only thing that matters is how they work and look

year doesn;t really tell you much

for instance it does not help find parts

at least not parts that would be needed to make it rideable

tires, brakes, wheels, shifters, many parts are somewhat interchangeable

again if you have some knowledge

wle

take it to the shop bike

Flick the top tube with your fingernail- if it sounds like it's made of plastic or aluminium, it's not very old at all. If it sounds like it's made of steel it's either really expensive or really old.