On the left side, the stampings can carry up to five bits of information: The left side of the BB carried information about the frame, and the right side stampings are a production code accompanied by a 4-digit serial number. His efforts in this area are heroic! You can find him and his many posts on Bike Forums here.įrom 1980 to about 2000, Steel Merckx frame production used a (reasonably) consistent numbering system.
However, much of the forensic work you’ll find here comes from a single source – CyclesMakaron. Edit: it's hard to see, but the chainstay cable stop is on top of the chainstay - not below it.After a few years of collecting and restoring EM frames, we’ve gathered some knowledge on frame dating. (Some bikes, like high end Miyatas, have curved caps and/or the company name cast into the caps.) The top of the seat stay cap has a flat surface and has nothing written on it. The date stamp is on the back side, so it is not shown. Note that the lugs have points in the middle (unlike some other Japanese lugs from that era). Also note that there is a chainstay bridge. The bottom of the bottom bracket, including the serial number. If you want to see what people said, here are the links to the two threads on and .) (I posted this information on a couple bike forums a few years ago. (That Bianchi has the chainstay cable stop on the underside, while my bike has the cable stop on top.) I've tried to arrange the pictures with the most identifying characteristics first.įWIW, Here is a similar looking, but not identical, 1986 Bianchi Brava. (E.g., this '89 Japanese Bianchi has a serial number ending in 86.) So the frame is likely from a '84 or '85 Bianchi (since the dropouts were made late in '84).įWIW, I've posted pictures below I've made sure to point out things that could help identify the frame (braze-ons, lug style, etc.). The dropouts were made in late '84 and we now know that the last two digits of the serial number do not represent the year. I got the bare frame, not the complete bike, and the paint is not original.Also, the crown race was originally JIS sized. Although I can't be sure that the fork is original, the steering tube has "Tange.5.I" and a 'J' and 'S' in a circle stamped on it.That means they were made in October 1984.
The frame has Shimano EF rear dropouts that are stamped with 'IJ'.This fits with the serial numbers for Japanese made Bianchis. The serial number under the bottom bracket is IS513786.(This post was substanically edited/updated on 5/8/14.)
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