how do i find the make of my new bike

[garegin]

my new bike is called f.s. elite platimun. how can i find the make of my bike. i have a bad hunch that i essentaily bought a 90 dollar bike that used to cost not more than 150.

 

[janiejones]

my new bike is called f.s. elite platimun. how can i find the make of my bike. i have a bad hunch that i essentaily bought a 90 dollar bike that used to cost not more than 150.

I just googled "Fs Elite bicycle" and got a forum where a guy said he just bought a Barrington F.S Elite from Sears. So maybe it's a "Barrington"????? Does this help?

 

[garegin]

that **** had retail written all over it. i dont blame the guy for putting on such a high price because he was an utter NOOOOB! he didnt know what suspecion is. where did he even get the number 90. i mean did he just pulled it out his a**?

ok i shuffling through sears and realized that a new scwin costs 130 bucks.

 

[garegin]

ok. is there a way i could read the serial number or something and then contact the something like FDA for the bikes or the gov't equivalent and know who made it and when was it made.

 

[garegin]

no one? its untracable?

 

[kdelong]

no one? its untracable?

Serial Numbers on bicycles are pretty much untraceable. They vary between the manufacturers and often do not mean anything to anyone other than those who manufactured them.

If anyone can help you with what you are looking for, it would be Sheldon Brown. His website is http://sheldonbrown.com/articles.html. You might find what you are looking for in one of his articles or you might try e-mailing him. Good luck.

 

[alfeng]

my new bike is called f.s. elite platimun. how can i find the make of my bike. i have a bad hunch that i essentaily bought a 90 dollar bike that used to cost not more than 150.

Honestly, your description is too sparse ...

Post a picture of the bike ...

Also, post a picture of the headtube where there is more-often-than-not an emblem which will often identify the manufacturer.

FWIW. Most of the time, you can judge the quality of a bike by simply looking at the components that it has (because, most people don't change them) ...

BTW. There is often nothing wrong with a $150 bike, per se, if you realize that it is just that AND don't expect it to be as good as a $2000+ bike.

 

[garegin]

thanks guys. when i get home (2 hours later) ill post the picture

 

[alfeng]

thanks guys. when i get home (2 hours later) ill post the picture

BTW. If your bike is a MTB, then I reckon F.S. stands for full suspension (suspension fork + rear shock) ...

 

[garegin]

no its not full suspension. only front shocks

 

[Eden]

From what I can gather from a quick web search F.S. Elite is the brand and Platinum is the model of the bike - I found a lot of craigslist ads for other F.S. Elite bikes - "Grand Teton" and others. The look like they are probably low to middling mt bikes, so your particular bike might have been anywhere from $150 to $300 and up new but so far I haven't seen your particular model, so I don't know. I'll do a little more digging.

*More* - someone on this forum posted that they had a "Roadmaster" f.s. elite bounty hunter. Roadmaster is a box store brand - you'd find them in stores like Target, Wal-mart

 

[garegin]

if you guys wanna the entire shot of the bike ill post that too.

http://gagarigs.com/press/wp-content/uploads/_img_0067.JPG
http://gagarigs.com/press/wp-content/uploads/_img_0069.JPG

 

[kdelong]

if you guys wanna the entire shot of the bike ill post that too.

http://gagarigs.com/press/wp-content/uploads/_img_0067.JPG
http://gagarigs.com/press/wp-content/uploads/_img_0069.JPG

I can't really help you with identifying the bike in question. But now I am wondering, what is that apparatus that appears in the background of the photographs???

 

[garegin]

just bikes and a shoping cart. the one in the background is a bike without the back wheel.

 

[kdelong]

just bikes and a shoping cart. the one in the background is a bike without the back wheel.

OK, I see that now. For a moment I thought that you had some kind of weird recumbent going on there.

 

[garegin]

im not griping at you guys, but what your pretty much saying that if the bike company had slaves in burma and i wanted to sue, i couldnt find them? i mean can i go to sears and ask couple of questions to the managment?

 

[alfeng]

im not griping at you guys, but what your pretty much saying that if the bike company had slaves in burma and i wanted to sue, i couldnt find them? i mean can i go to sears and ask couple of questions to the managment?

First. Before the-turn-of-the-Century, Specialized designated FS to mean "Front Suspension" ... so, that is what it probably means on your bike.

Now, is the reason that you want to know the manufacturer BECAUSE you want to sue them for your decision to buy a USED bike for $90?!?

I believe that while a manufacturer is responsible to some extent for a faulty product, a second-hand bike will probably NOT be covered under most circumstances ...

So, if you were to decide to use your $90 bike for hucking some 20 foot drops, and the wheels collapsed OR the frame broke, then it could be suggested that you were using the bike in a manner that was not intended by the manufacturer.

Most of the LESS expensive frames are over-built (heavier) ... spec'd for the abuse that a kid would impart through neglect.

The components (in particular: derailleurs' springs, chain, etc.), if you were to leave the bike in the elements, MIGHT be prone to rust if they are made with steel. Proper maintenance is the responsibility of the owner/operator.

Moving parts wear out ... most need occasional lubrication.

Tires wear out and need to be replaced ... tires get flats if you go over road hazards OR sometimes if you impact pot holes & curbs (BTW. I was a little suprised that in another thread in this Forum someone mentioned returning a bike to WalMart because THEY got a flat tire).

If you mount your bike on an automobile roof rack & proceed to drive into a "normal" garage & damage the bike, neither the bicycle manufacturer nor the rack manufacturer nor the real estate agent nor your spouse/parents/kids/neighbors/postman/whomever is liable for anything, AFAIK.

If you buy a Rolls Royce and drive it into a wall, you cannot expect the car to be unscathed.

If you bought the bike at a garage sale, then I would think that it is pretty much an AS IS sale ... so, if there is a mechanical problem, it is YOUR responsibility to remedy it ... either yourself OR pay a bike shop to make the adjustments and/or repairs.

So, is the ONLY reason you want to know the manufacturer because you have a current-or-future intent to sue them?!?

 

[garegin]

i dont wanna sue the company !! i just said that hypotheticly. i just wanna find the manufacturer to look at the specs of the bike.

 

[alfeng]

i dont wanna sue the company !! i just said that hypotheticly. i just wanna find the manufacturer to look at the specs of the bike.

Oh! Well, if that's all you want to know, then the information is right in front of you ... you just need a tape measure + protractor.

The frame (if aluminum) is probably 6061 tubing.

The components are whatever you see -- probably Shimano, possibly SunRace or SRAM (less likely).

If the fork is generic (the fork doesn't have an obvious manufacturer's name on it in your pics), it was probably made by SR ... steel springs and/or neoprene ... you can see if a magnet sticks to the lower portion of the fork if you don't already know if they are made of steel or an alloy.

On a hardtail MTB, the frame is (IMO) just something that the rest of the components are attached to ... while there may be some which only use a fork with 1" steerer, those will probably be rare; so, replacing components (if desired or through wear/necessity) in the future is merely a matter of budget.

FWIW. A really inexpensive hardtail will weigh over 32 lbs ... my recollection is that a really expensive hardtail can weigh less than 20 lbs, now.

 

[usmanabid84]

Hi
I have found some information about how to find the serial no of your bike
https://bikeszilla.com/how-to-identify-peugeot-bike-model/
and this one about fs elite bikes
https://bikeszilla.com/who-makes-fs-elite-bikes/