moogsandboobs

found in grandfather shed, too big for me 58 if i had to guess but will check if someones interested. any info on it welcome. looking to sell to help pay for other bills

T-Mar

Even though I'm not interested, I'll save some time and enquire about what the tubing decal says. I can guarrantee that someone else would ask, sooner or later.

Mercurys37

Looks to be a mid 1970s, middle of the line Vista. The triple crank will have value for some people. Bike looks to be great shape for a touring frame. The Made in Japan script is a Motobecane "Made in France" rip off. Probably worth about $75 on Craigslist. My $0.02 worth.

jacksbike

Definitely a 70's era bike, most likely manufactured by Araya in japan for the Vista label. These bikes were sold by Service Cycle Supply Co of Commack, Long Island , New York. My first quality road bike was an Araya with a bit better componenets than this one.

marengo

That 531 sticker means it will fetch more than 75 dollars for sure.

T-Mar

What makes you think it is a Reynolds 531 sticker? There were lots of Reynolds look-a-like decals during this period.


In general, I agree with this, but there are a couple of things that I find curious for the apparent era. First, is the presence of of the water bottle bottle screws versus a cage. However, a close look does not show any signs of brazed-on bosses and I'm wondering if the owner just drilled and tapped the tube?

Second, the tubes have Presta vales. This would be very rare for the era, unless they were tubular, which they do not appear to be. Of course, they could easily be replacements, but running Presta tubes in Schraeder rims is not a good practice without using a grommet to down-size the valve hole.

T-Mar

What makes you think it is a Reynolds 531 decal? While I agree that there is some resemblalnce to a Reynolds decal, you can see so little that you cannot be sure. There were lots of Reynolds look-a-like decals during this period. Also the gold band up the left side of the decal is much wider than a typical Reynolds decal.


In general, I agree with this, but there are a couple of things that I find curious for the apparent era. First, the presence of of the water bottle bottle screws versus a cage. However, a close look does not show any signs of brazed-on bosses and I'm wondering if the owner just drilled and tapped the tube?

Second, the tubes have Presta vales. This would be very rare for the era, unless they were tubular, which they do not appear to be. Of course, they could easily be replacements, but running Presta tubes in Schraeder rims is not a good practice without using a grommet to down-size the valve hole.

moogsandboobs

It sais 631 on the sticker on the seat tube.

martl

a very nice bike, it would deserve that someone adjusted the height of the post, the position of the handlebar and put a tape with a different color on... would be guaranteed to raise the craiglist price by 50$ minimum

Martl

tolfan

looks very nice for a found in granpops shed bike. Do you like the way it rides?

stronglight

I'm curious what the crankset is. Reminds me of a Stronglight model 99, but there were many different copies. Perhaps there is lettering and a model number on the back of the crank arms?

Interesting to see the vertical dropouts but no apparent braze-ons for attaching a rear rack. The long point lugs look like Prignat Professional, or at least a good copy... makes the bike look very sleek compared to many of the more common heavy looking lugs. I'd guess the rear derailleur is a Suntour V-GT [on a Shimano bike?] which was one of the best shifting long cage derailleurs of the 70s. Nice to see the quick release hanger for what I would guess are Weinmann (or Dia-Compe clone) center-pulls. And, it is also nice to NOT see safety extensions on the brake levers.

Definitely raise the saddle a few inches, and clean it up with a bit of automotive vinyl cleaner so it doesn't look so weathered ... new owner will probably change it anyway, but it makes bike look neglected.

Then just replace the bar tape with some "looks-good-with-anything" black cotton tape. Then tilt the bars up a bit - so the bottoms of the drops are pointing down toward the rear of the bike - but just a few degrees!!! Then you'll be showing a far more desirable bike.

It does not have one of the fancy European brand names which seem to command truly inflated prices these days, but nevertheless a very nice bike! --- I think at $100 it would be a good buy for someone looking for a really nice commuter or recreational bike. Fortunate to find one in such nice cosmetic condition. The fact that it does NOT need new paint makes it a good value.