Hey everyone. I've been reading and researching for months on this site. I can't seem to figure out for sure what year my bike is. Hopefully someone can help me.
The bike is an GT performer original magenta color (it is not red or hot pink). It's never been painted. The mags on the bike are also the original mags that came with it. The serial number is on the dropouts is GH8820751. There is nothing on the BB. but it does have a 4130 on the back of the top tube under the stamped GT logo. It was my brothers bike and he swears it was an 88. He was throwing it out the day I stopped over and pulled it out of his trash. Can anyone tell me for a fact if this is an 88? The mags are the OG 6 prong, off center mags that were on the Performers first in 87. I am confused because I didn't think the 88's came with those type of mags. Any help on this would be appreciated. I have read every thread on serial numbers and still can't figure it out completely.
Thanks for your help.

1988 Performer.

thanks man. just out of curiousity...you know this from the serial number? also, i noticed that the 87's have holes in the dropouts, where as the 88's do not. mine does not have holes. (at least that's what i've seen in the museum and at ajk gt manuals). thanks for the help.

i figured it out using several details...

the "88" in the serial is the year the frame was produced. a frame with 88 could have been either a 1988 or a 1989, depending on when it was packaged and sold.

magenta was not a 1989 model color, so that narrows it to 1988, and Performers were the only model that year that was magenta with mag wheels.