chrome is super awesome, and I think my my grail bike will be chromed (when
i get to that point).
however, it is super expensive to have done well and yes, environmentally
bad. if you have it done by a bike chromer, it will be $. you can
probably have some local place chrome it, but be
I've had a bike chrome plated by GOrilla bicycles here in Zürich. It cost
about $300.
The fears about weakening the metal only apply to bad workshops: the
process involves an acid bath, which needs to be washed away lest the acid
slowly eat the steel.
A good job actually involves 3
I currently have 4 bicycles with chromed seat and chain stays and fork
tips, include a Fuji S10 S. One, the Louison Bobet, actually has a fully
chromed fork. I heard this became popular because it saved the process of
chroming and painting different size forks for each model. It is a classic
Chrome on a bike frame can be complementary, like those 1989 Team 7-11
Merckx Corsa Extras. Their paint wasn't exquisite and some of the other
details were less refined than more bespoke frames. On a Riv it would be
distracting from what I find to be a constellation of small details of
I've had frames in the past that had chrome plated dropouts and right
chainstay and it not only looks great but also practical as there is no
paint to chip ever I believe the first I had was a used Fuji bike in the
70's I bought as a teen. It was my first 10 speed, back when that's what we
Yeah, gone are the days when bike manufacturers would fully chrome a frame
and fork--and then paint over it! Like my 1975 chromed and painted Takara.
I doubt chrome weakens metal all that much, if at all. I doubt Jan Heine of
Bicycle Quarterly would have had his Rene Herse finished in chrome if
I read one of Tony Oliver's books, mostly about touring bikes if I recall.
I do recall that he was against chrome on a bicycle, the reasoning that it
actually weakened the metal as well as adding unnecessary cost.
I'm going from memory, so I may have misremembered the reasoning against
chrome,
