Dating an Allegro
 

Anyone know if anyone has compiled a date/serial number list for Allegros? I have a bike in the 225000 range and was wondering if there was an exact method for dating. The components and wheels are a hodge-podge, so no real help there. I'm guessing late 1960's to early 1970's, but it would be nice to have a more exact date.

Thanks much,
Joe

Shift cable routing over vs. under bottom bracket?
One water bottle boss, or two, or none?
Brazed-on rear brake cable guides on the top tube?
Rear axle OLD 120, 126, or 128mm?

These are not reliable indicators, but frame build styles did evolve through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

Someone who knows the marque much better than I do (I am a mere admirer :) ) may be able to help.

Your heading was very provocative and I wondered how the dates had been going. Where exactly would you go on a date with an Allegro? Is this relationship frowned on by your friends and family? Is it legal? I had heard of people having a love/hate relationship with a bike, but never dating them.

From what little I know about Allegro, the serial number is purely sequential. This does sound like very late 1960s to early 1970s, so there may not be much in terms of frame characteristicsw to help date it, unless it has original paint and decals.

My first thoughts! I won't post the second.

Ben

I'm unsure about the accuracy but my frame (serial 249XXX) was sold as "74-75" and that date range seems pretty convincing, but I saw an example recently FS on a Swiss-based shop's site and their serial number 265XXX IIRC it was listed as a 1973 frame...so I'm flumoxed.

But as I have said before: being Swiss I'd expect the Allegro serial numbering system to be extremely straight-forward and stringent :)

EDIT: I was wrong about the shop, apparently they are in Berlin: Steel Vintage Bikes - Allegro 1973 Classic Roadbike
and snagged this pic from the slideshow for this bike (which is FS but I have no interest in this sale) but shows the serial number as 262XXX, not 265, apparently it's original paint (that only its mother could love!), has different BCM lugs compared to my frame, I am sure it's a sand-cast Georg Fisher BB shell...