Frame number search

The information is still needed. Doesn't anyone know such a place???

I don't think bicycle frame numbers are standardised in the same way car VINs are -- you'd probably need to know at least the frame manufacturer, and ask if they can decode it to work out the rest of the information.

I have also heard that the letters correspond to importers and do not give any idea of the producer. Can this information really be correct?

Bike S/N are applied at the factory, since they are stamped into the frame before the frame is painted, so it's unlikely that the S/N refers to the importer. However, manufacturers are not too diligent about record keeping. I wrote to LeMond asking about my bike, to find out what year it was built. They said the paint color was a better indicator than the S/N. Schwinn's S/N schemes have changed several times over the years, but those were well documented. Unfortunately, all their records prior to the early '50's (or so) were destroyed in a fire long ago.