Cannondale serial numbers: how to date your frame
The serial is the closest thing to a build date on a Cannondale frame. It helps you place the bike, and then the catalogue for that year helps with the model, the colour and the parts.
Frames were often built late in the year before the model year. A stamp from the end of 1986 can be a 1987 bike. The number dates the build, not the catalogue year.
This is a guide only. Some frames vary, and we can't guarantee a date.
Where to find it
On the frames we photograph, the number is under the bottom bracket, on the shell the crank axle runs through. Turn the bike over. It may be stamped into the metal or printed on a small sticker.
Some 1986–1992 numbers sit by the rear dropout instead. From 1993 many bikes have a little plate under the bracket: the date letters are often at the top left, and on 2000–2001 plates they are often at the bottom right. Ravens from 1998–2001, and bikes from about 2002, often carry the number on a sticker by the seatpost clamp, sometimes under a barcode.
1983–1985
The first two letters are the year, followed by four digits. We do not read those digits as a date.
| Letters | Year |
|---|---|
| AA | 1983 |
| BB | 1984 |
| CC | 1985 |
Example. AA1234. The letters AA point to 1983. The 1234 is not a date.
1986–1992
Two number layouts were used in these years. Both are exactly 11 digits. If a number fits both, the decoder shows both readings.
Size, then the full date
Size mark, then month, day and year (MMDDYY), then a sequence.
| Part | Digits | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Size mark | 56 | 56 |
| Date | 020588 | 5 February 1988 |
| Sequence | 132 | 132 |
Spacing, size, then month and year
One spacing digit, a two-digit size, then month and year (MMYY), then a sequence.
| Digit | Rear spacing |
|---|---|
| 0 | 130mm road, or 120mm track |
| 5 | 135mm |
| 6 | 126mm |
The digit 0 was used for both 130mm road and 120mm track. The number alone does not say which.
| Part | Digits | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Spacing | 5 | 135mm |
| Size mark | 18 | 18 |
| Date | 0392 | March 1992 |
| Sequence | 0847 | 0847 |
1993–1999
The plate reads as two letters, then a five-digit sequence, then a six-digit shop order. The first letter is the year and the second is the month. An eight-character frame code may follow the shop order. Two letters on their own, or two letters and five digits, are not enough to date the frame.
| Letter | Year |
|---|---|
| E | 1993 |
| F | 1994 |
| G | 1995 |
| H | 1996 |
| I | 1997 |
| J | 1998 |
| K | 1999 |
| Letter | Month |
|---|---|
| A | January |
| B | February |
| C | March |
| D | April |
| E | May |
| F | June |
| G | July |
| H | August |
| I | September |
| J | October |
| K | November |
| L | December |
Example. EH07466408928 is August 1993. E is the year, H is the month, 07466 is the sequence and 408928 is the shop order.
2000–2001
Same two letters, year then month. They sit at the lower right, after six digits. Five more digits may follow the letters.
| Letter | Year |
|---|---|
| L | 2000 |
| M | 2001 |
Example. 123456LA is January 2000. The month letters are the same A–L table as 1993–1999.
2002–2007
The first letter is the year, followed by six digits. We do not read those digits as a month. Published lists that agree with each other stop at S for 2007. Later serials are not covered, including the current sticker of two letters and five digits.
| Letter | Year |
|---|---|
| N | 2002 |
| O | 2003 |
| P | 2004 |
| Q | 2005 |
| R | 2006 |
| S | 2007 |
Example. N123456 was built in 2002.
Raven frames, 1998–2001
Ravens use the same two letters, year then month, inside the 1993–1999 or 2000–2001 stamp. J and K are also the 1998 and 1999 letters, and L and M are the 2000–2001 letters, so the date reads the same. The difference is the place: Ravens usually have the number by the seatpost clamp. Two letters on their own are not enough.
| Letter | Year |
|---|---|
| J | 1998 |
| K | 1999 |
| L | 2000 |
| M | 2001 |
Example. JA07466408928 is January 1998.
Try a number
Type the serial as it is stamped. Spaces and dashes are fine. Nothing is saved. Serials after 2007 are not covered.
Not sure what you've got?
Send us a photo of the number, and of the bike if you can. A free look, with no obligation to sell.
Send us a photoQuestions
Is the serial the model year?
Not always. It is closer to a build date. Frames were often made late in the year before the model year, so a late-1986 stamp can belong on a 1987 bike.
Where is the number?
Usually under the bottom bracket. Some 1986–1992 numbers are by the rear dropout. Later bikes, including Ravens, often have a plate or a barcode sticker by the seatpost clamp.
Can you guarantee the year?
No. This is a guide only. Some frames vary, and we can't guarantee a date from the number alone.
What if the decoder is not sure?
Send us a photo of the number and the bike. We will take a look, with no obligation to sell.