Hello All ,
I too look at this and instantly see "bad job of chroming" .
I have personally seen , a totally brand new frame , sent directly from the manufacturer in Italia , to the importer's warehouse in the U.S.A. , with corrosion almost that bad .
New out of the box !
It's the result of the chemicals used in the plating process .
This is just ONE of the reasons that some frame builders wince when they hear the customer talk about lots of chroming .
The trouble is when the chemicals used earlier in the process , penetrate further , than the neutralizing chemicals used at the end of the process .
The frame we're talking about shows none of the usual signs of water damage ( no surface problems at all ) . But , that kind of sharply localized damage looks exactly like what is done by the plating chemicals , when they are left behind , to sit by themselves for a little while .
Those plating chemicals get bored , just sitting around with nothing to do .
Happy Trails ,
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas
> Greg (and others).
> The seller claims this is from hanging the bike with water in the frame.
> What makes you say this is the result of a poor re-chroming job? I
> don't doubt you, but am wondering. I could see water getting into
> the chain stay from the BB, but not the seat stay. Unless it got in
> through that tiny little vent hole while hanging during a flood:)
> Thanks
> Dan Kasha
> Providence RI (glad my Peugeot PR10L does not have chrome stays:)
>
> Greg wrote:
> If you'd like to see what can happen from a poor re-chroming job, take a
> look
> at the Rossin that Bob Freeman has for sale on eBay right now:
>
>
http://ebay.com/
>
> Yikes!