How To Read Raleigh Serial Numbers
Raleigh Bike Serial Number Location
Vintage Raleigh Bicycle
Raleigh Bicycle Serial Number Lookup
Raleigh Serial Number Lookup

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Year range:	Serial:
1947-1955, Nottingham
1955-1964(?), 'RA..., RB....'	No photo
1963-1969, bottom bracket
1970-1972/3, seat lug + dropout on SC/GP

Year range:	Serial:
1973 - Grand Prix, Super Course, Grand Sports only
1973-1982+ Standardized
1983-1986+ Raleigh USA (Japan/Taiwan)
SBDU Team Professional (Ilkeston)

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Where is the serial number on my bike? The serial number is located on the underside of the frame where the pedals and crank arms attach. You most likely will need to flip your bike over. Look for a string of letters and numbers. The serial number is usually formatted like U1 or DAY16A123456. What do I do if my product has a problem? The Rolex serial numbers are found between the lugs on the side of the case at the 6 o’clock side, behind the bracelet. This 4-8 digit number is engraved by Rolex on every watch and it can be used to determine its production date. Beginning in 2005, the Company started to also engrave the serial number on the inside flange (or “rehaut” as it’s called in French) between the dial and the.

1947-1955, Nottingham:

Convention #1

Convention #2	Convention #2

Serial location:
Serials stamped on side of seat lug (men's), front of seat lug (ladies', not shown), or bottom bracket (men's and ladies,' not shown), positioning of serial has no relation to serial system - there does not appear to be rhyme or reason relating to positioning. Samples shown above.

Serial convention:
Three serial conventions are used during this period:

Convention #1 (1947-1955):
6 digits followed by the letter 'P' or 'T.' 'P' serials used until and during 1950. 'T' serials replaced 'P' serials sometime mid-year 1950. Digits or letters in serial do NOT relate to month/year/day codes; only the serial in whole determines the year.

NOTE: This numbering system apparently ran until 1955, possibly longer, and concurrently with the newer serial system that debuted in 1948 (shown below). Raleighs of any model may be seen with either serial number type during this era.

Convention #2 (1948-195?):
4-5 digits followed by two letters (or, for the 28'-wheel models, two letters followed by 4-5 digits). e.g.: '12345AB,' or 'AB12345.' Serial 'rolls over' when numerals are used up - without rhyme or reason relating to month or year - in the same fashion as an odometer. This convention might have been used in 1947 as well, however, we have not found any Raleigh examples from 1947 so far that exhibit this serial system.

Convention #3 (1954-?):
This convention remains still largely unidentified, though it appears to follow an identical format to convention #2; e.g., '12345RA.' However, the first letter in the serial, 'R,' appears to remain for the entire run of this system. The exact specifics of this system remain a mystery.

NOTE:
Some of the following information regarding Serial Convention #1 is derived from the Nottinghamshire Archive papers, and may therefore be approximated.

The entirety of the second serial chart is of our own research and are estimates - as accurate we can practically make them - of the serial numbers from the year and serial in question.

Convention #1 (1947-1955):

1947	437689P to 556893P (unconfirmed)
1948	556894P to 695050P (unconfirmed)
1949	Serials 695051P and approximately up to and past 730807P (a serial known to exist on a '49 Clubman)
1950	'P' serials past (and perhaps somewhat earlier then) '800000P' AND 'T' serials '000001T' (?) to '151178T.' Last year for 'P' serials.
1951	151179T to 367368T (unconfirmed)
1952	367369T - termination unknown
1953	No data
1954	No data
1955	Serials in the '591---T' range and up to an unknown terminus.

Convention #2 (1948-1955):

1948	.....AJ through .....AP (?)
1949	.....AP through .....A?
1950	.....A? through .....AX Serials '...AV,' '...AW,' and '...AX' may stand for both a late 1950 model, or early '51s built with frames built the previous year
1951	.....AV through .....BG
1952	.....BG through .....BI
1953	.....BI through .....B?
1954	No data
1955	No data

1955-1964(?) Serial System:

In addition to the two serial types above, a third system appears to have been established in 1955, or at the earliest, 1954; terminating in the early-mid '60s - the most recent example I have on hand is from 1962, though I suspect the official cutoff may date to 1963 or '64.

This system follows a similar pattern to Convention #2 above, and uses a prefix or suffic of 'RA' or 'RB,' followed by 4 or 5 digits, but never exceeding 5. Location is on the side of the seat lug, as with the earlier serials above.

By 1961/62, an additional-single letter suffix was added, presumably as an identifier of the factory the frame was produced, for every single example I've seen is represented by the letter 'N,' which is not unreasonable to assume stands for Nottingham. Neither it is not out of the question that other letters may exist, representing Raleigh's other factories.

One may assume that 'RA' serial numbers began with 'RA00001' (or RA1000), and continue until 'RA 99999 N,' at which point the system was reset to 'RB 00001 N' (or RB 10000 N). This seems to have happened around 1962, and it is reasonable to assume that all 'RB' symbols represent bikes produced post-1961.

Raleigh Serial Number Lookup