diff --git a/serde_codegen/src/ser.rs b/serde_codegen/src/ser.rs
index 1c87a9cf..58ed820e 100644
--- a/serde_codegen/src/ser.rs
+++ b/serde_codegen/src/ser.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+use std::collections::HashSet;
+
 use aster;
 
 use syntax::ast::{
@@ -10,6 +12,7 @@ use syntax::codemap::Span;
 use syntax::ext::base::{Annotatable, ExtCtxt};
 use syntax::ext::build::AstBuilder;
 use syntax::ptr::P;
+use syntax::visit;
 
 use attr;
 use error::Error;
@@ -85,8 +88,8 @@ fn serialize_item(
     ).unwrap())
 }
 
-// All the generics in the input, plus a bound `T: Serialize` for each field
-// type that will be serialized by us.
+// All the generics in the input, plus a bound `T: Serialize` for each generic
+// field type that will be serialized by us.
 fn build_impl_generics(
     cx: &ExtCtxt,
     builder: &aster::AstBuilder,
@@ -104,6 +107,8 @@ fn build_impl_generics(
                 .flat_map(|variant_data| all_struct_fields(variant_data))
                 .filter(|field| serialized_by_us(field))
                 .map(|field| &field.node.ty)
+                // TODO this filter can be removed later, see comment on function
+                .filter(|ty| contains_generic(ty, generics))
                 .map(|ty| strip_reference(ty))
                 .map(|ty| builder.where_predicate()
                     // the type that is being bounded i.e. T
@@ -144,8 +149,8 @@ fn all_struct_fields(variant_data: &ast::VariantData) -> &[ast::StructField] {
 }
 
 // Fields with a `skip_serializing` or `serialize_with` attribute are not
-// serialized by us. All other fields will receive a `T: Serialize` bound where
-// T is the type of the field.
+// serialized by us. All other fields may need a `T: Serialize` bound where T is
+// the type of the field.
 fn serialized_by_us(field: &ast::StructField) -> bool {
     for meta_items in field.node.attrs.iter().filter_map(attr::get_serde_meta_items) {
         for meta_item in meta_items {
@@ -163,6 +168,44 @@ fn serialized_by_us(field: &ast::StructField) -> bool {
     true
 }
 
+// Rust <1.7 enforces that `where` clauses involve generic type parameters. The
+// corresponding compiler error is E0193. It is no longer enforced in Rust >=1.7
+// so this filtering can be removed in the future when we stop supporting <1.7.
+//
+// E0193 means we must not generate a `where` clause like `i32: Serialize`
+// because even though i32 implements Serialize, i32 is not a generic type
+// parameter. Clauses like `T: Serialize` and `Option<T>: Serialize` are okay.
+// This function decides whether a given type references any of the generic type
+// parameters in the input `Generics`.
+fn contains_generic(ty: &ast::Ty, generics: &ast::Generics) -> bool {
+    struct FindGeneric<'a> {
+        generic_names: &'a HashSet<ast::Name>,
+        found_generic: bool,
+    }
+    impl<'a, 'v> visit::Visitor<'v> for FindGeneric<'a> {
+        fn visit_path(&mut self, path: &'v ast::Path, _id: ast::NodeId) {
+            if !path.global
+                    && path.segments.len() == 1
+                    && self.generic_names.contains(&path.segments[0].identifier.name) {
+                self.found_generic = true;
+            } else {
+                visit::walk_path(self, path);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    let generic_names: HashSet<_> = generics.ty_params.iter()
+        .map(|ty_param| ty_param.ident.name)
+        .collect();
+
+    let mut visitor = FindGeneric {
+        generic_names: &generic_names,
+        found_generic: false,
+    };
+    visit::walk_ty(&mut visitor, ty);
+    visitor.found_generic
+}
+
 // This is required to handle types that use both a reference and a value of
 // the same type, as in:
 //