Of all the true Barracudas out there, there are two distinct categories:

1. Bikes made between 1992 and 1995
2. Bikes made 1996 and afterward

The bikes that were made between 1992 and 1995 are "true" Barracudas, made by the Barracuda Bicycle Company of Durango, Colorado.  These bikes are what collectors and enthusiasts really look for.  The very early bikes and most of the race bikes were crafted by Yeti and 3D Cycles and bear the finest craftsmanship.

The bikes that were made between 1996 and afterward were made by Ross Bicycles of Farmingdale, New York.  The bikes that Ross began making, were of the same design as the earlier Barracudas, but some of the materials differed.  Still, these are great bikes.  The ones produced in the years that followed strayed more from the original designs.  Ross also began investing heavily in full-suspension designs.

The most common inquiry we receive is how to tell the Barracuda bikes, from the Ross bikes.  Here are some tips:

- Some early Barracudas crafted by Yeti, have no chain stay bridge.
- Some Yeti built frames carry the serial number stamped onto the rear dropout, whereas the later frames have a longer serial number stamped onto the bottom bracket shell.
- Race bikes usually had the riders name stamped onto the bottom bracket shell.
- Production bikes between 1993 and 1995 carried the "Tree Amigos" decal.  A small donation from each sale went to charity toward protecting the environment.
- More often than not, Ross bikes will have the same decal on the head tube, also on the seat tube, where on earlier bikes, the Tree Amigos decal was placed.
- Barracuda bikes carried a "Designed & Assembled in the USA" decal while Ross bikes carried a decal that stated "Made in the USA of Foreign & Domestic Parts".