Hi there!
I'm new to this forum but a rider of bikes of all stripes (MTB, road, CX, cruiser, BMX). I'm amazed by the bikes and restorations here -- makes me want to get my hands greasy.
I'm also a freelance writer, working on a feature story for Bicycling magazine about a 1970s Vista Torino 400 that gets abandoned at a prison in Vacaville, CA and restored by an inmate as part of a community recyclery. It's a rad little bike, and I fell in love with it instantly and wanted to learn more about it. Even the guys at the Marin Museum of Bicycling had never heard of the brand. I've been Googling with limited results, until I ran across this forum and some useful threads.
Can y'all help me find someone who knows a lot about the Vista brand? I'm interested in where it was made, when (and why) it went out of business, and any little geeky gearhead thing you can tell me about the components (especially that stick-shifter!). The bike I wrote about I assume was converted from 3-speed into singlespeed, and someone put a BMX saddle on it. The inmates found a banana seat (though not the glitter seat some of the original ads mentioned). I'm interested in figuring out which of the components are original and which may have been swapped out by a previous owner. The story is really about the life of the bike and how it may have changed as it was passed from owner to owner. I'd love to talk shop with someone.
Thanks for any help or leads. I'm based in Birmingham, Alabama and saw there's a guy who restores bikes in Gadsden (very near where I live). You can vet my work/writing at kimhcross.com and kimhcross.pressfolios.com.
Ride on!
Kim
I'm new to this forum but a rider of bikes of all stripes (MTB, road, CX, cruiser, BMX). I'm amazed by the bikes and restorations here -- makes me want to get my hands greasy.
I'm also a freelance writer, working on a feature story for Bicycling magazine about a 1970s Vista Torino 400 that gets abandoned at a prison in Vacaville, CA and restored by an inmate as part of a community recyclery. It's a rad little bike, and I fell in love with it instantly and wanted to learn more about it. Even the guys at the Marin Museum of Bicycling had never heard of the brand. I've been Googling with limited results, until I ran across this forum and some useful threads.
Can y'all help me find someone who knows a lot about the Vista brand? I'm interested in where it was made, when (and why) it went out of business, and any little geeky gearhead thing you can tell me about the components (especially that stick-shifter!). The bike I wrote about I assume was converted from 3-speed into singlespeed, and someone put a BMX saddle on it. The inmates found a banana seat (though not the glitter seat some of the original ads mentioned). I'm interested in figuring out which of the components are original and which may have been swapped out by a previous owner. The story is really about the life of the bike and how it may have changed as it was passed from owner to owner. I'd love to talk shop with someone.
Thanks for any help or leads. I'm based in Birmingham, Alabama and saw there's a guy who restores bikes in Gadsden (very near where I live). You can vet my work/writing at kimhcross.com and kimhcross.pressfolios.com.
Ride on!
Kim