How to Tell What Year a Schwinn Stingray Bike Was Built

The Schwinn Stingray is quickly recognized by the banana seat and backrest on the bicycle. After these three-speed bicycles appeared in the early 1970s, owning one seemed to be a right of passage for many youths. The Stingray featured a chopper style frame and the ubiquitous banana seat. If you have an old Stingray and are trying to establish the year it was made, just follow some simple instructions. Schwinn placed date stamps on their bicycles that are easily located.

Things You'll Need

  • Magnifying glass
  • Pen and paper or digital camera
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Instructions

    • 1

      Face the front of the Schwinn Stingray you are trying to date. Look at the front tube of the bicycle and locate the Schwinn name plate.

    • 2

      Go to the left hand side of the Schwinn name plate and look for a four-digit number. Write this number down or photograph it with the camera.

    • 3

      Use this number to date the bicycle. Schwinn made the bicycles at their Chicago plant in the 1970s and used the four-digit code to give date and year of production. Examples are 2453. The first three numbers represent the day of the year the bicycle was made, so in this example it would have come off the production line on the 245th day of the year. The last number is the year of production, and knowing the Stingrays were from the 1970s, you know to add 1970 to the number. This would be 1973.