retroshifter

I made the comment in another thread that I thought my 1980 or 81 Trek 412 may have not have been built by Trek at the Waterloo factory. I am new to the C&V subforum, and another member suggested that if I wanted to go down this rabbit hole that I start a new thread rather than pursue issue in the original thread. I was going to heed the warning and not bring this up but several other members commented on this, so here it goes. Sorry if this has been covered before:

My bike has the serial number M3D4A41, and according to the serial number page on vintage-trek.com it is a 412, 22.5", but the year position in the sequence (4th position) is a 4 when it should be reflect the last digit of the year of manufacture. It can't be a 1974 or an 1984 model.

The 412 and 414 were only produced in 1980, 81 and 82 according to the brochures (in 1983+ Trek had 400, 420, 450, 460), vintage-trek.com points out that the serial number for the 41X and 61X series in 1980 and 81 don't follow the Waterloo serial number conventions and may have been built by a contractor: The section in vintage-trek.com is a bit ambigious, but I believe that it is saying that the 412 and 414 (and 613, 614, 616) for 1980 and 1981 have different serial number conventions because they may have been built elsewhere.

Anyone have any info if these 1980/81 412 414 613 614 and 616 frames were built by contractors or were they built by Trek? I am impressed with the construction of my frame regardless if it was Trek or contractor made; just interested in unraveling the mystery. Hopefully this is not a rabbit hole.

from vintage-trek.com serial number page:"A. Serial numbers beginning with M or N (41X and 61X bikes or frames) seem to have a different meaning for what normally is the year digit. The year digit is the fourth character in the number. In the 50 M and N serial numbers that have been sent in by owners, the year numbers go from 0 through 9. The remaining part of the serial numbers seem normal.

According to the brochures, Trek did not make 41X and 61X bikes or frames during 76, 77, 78, and 79 and also not in 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, or 89. These serial numbers apparently [1980/81 41X and 61X frames] do not follow the year convention used for other Trek models. It is likely these frames, SNs beginning with M or N (Models 41x and 61X), were contracted out or were made in a separate Trek facility, and were given the old serial number form so as not to interfere with the sequential numbers being assigned by Trek in their main shop, which began in late 1980."

The Golden Boy 

Yes- it's a Japanese made frame.

Trek played fast and loose with that "made in the USA" and "made in Waterloo" thing, but it's what the laws allowed them to declare. As I understand- 400 series bikes were completely brazed in Japan and 600 series bikes had the rear end and fork brazed in Japan, while the main triangle was done in Waterloo and put together and finished in Waterloo. The worst thing I've seen was a crooked chain stay bridge on a 600 series bike- I'd guess that would have had to have been done in Wisconsin. All the Japanese made bikes I've had have all been excellent.

Whatever- all the old Treks were well made bikes. I have more miles on my 620 than I do than on all my 700 series bikes combined.