More Serial Number Info -

(I'll add more and get things better organized as I receive more info - Jim)

emailed from DH (12/05) -

Hi Jim, I wonder a bit about what Scot N. said about Ibis serial numbers. Not that he ain't the expert, but when he writes, "In general, three and four digit serial number bikes were all made in our Sebastopol factory," the info I have (below) seems to at least partially contradict that.

In fact, I have four Ibis road bikes (frames), only one bought new (the ti one); and here's what's what.

1) The Spanky I mentioned to you has serial number 5622, and the chainstay decal says made in Sebastopol. With its stainless stay (stays? only one is shiny), and its smaller downtube decal, that's a 1997 or 1998 model, I believe.

2) Ibis Sonoma titanium. I bought this one directly from Ibis in the fall of 1999, and it was my first Ibis. Not only is its geometry different than the Spanky mentioned above (both 55.5cm sized c-c, but other numbers differ, such as top tube length), and the same as the two below, but it has the big, panel-like downtube decal. That decal difference seems to me to be one way to tell 1999 and later from earlier Ibis road bikes. This one has serial number 7046. But I don't believe the ti frames were made in Sebastopol.

3) Ibis Spanky. This one has the same geometry as the Sonoma ti, but the same smaller downtube decal as the first Spanky. Also, if this has stainless stays, they're painted over. The chainstay decal does say made in Sebastopol, and the serial number is 6174. I'm not certain what year this was, but I'd guess 1998...except that your 1998 catalog shows the same geometry as the 1997 models.

4) Ibis Sonoma. This one is almost certainly a year 2000 model, since it's a Sonoma steel (and not a Spanky), since it has seat tube "Ibis" decals too, and since there's no chainstay decal saying where it was made. It has a four-digit serial number, 0151, but clearly wasn't made in Sebastopol.

So, hope this helps. I send pictures when I can shoot them, and I'd be glad to regularly communicate about any Ibis stuff.

Take care,

David, who also has a fifth Ibis frame which is a Spanky with the large panel-like downtube decal so it's probably a 1999 model and didn't mention it above since he'll post it once more on the iBob list to sell and then put it on eBay

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