Dear Brian et al:
I've acquired a 63 chrome Cinelli originally sold from Spencer Wolfs shop, which was chromed sometime in the late 60s in Santa Rosa. This Cinelli has very stable, seemingly thick chrome (perfect fork crown for instance with no hint of seams) and no hints of any trouble looming. The original owner I'm told preferred chroming in the states, rather than ordering a custom chrome frame from Italy - due to the huge discrepancy in quality.
This seems right - many of the Italian chrome bikes I've seen over the years from that era have lots of flaking, bubbles, etc. - while for instance, most vintage Chrome Paramounts, Baylis's, Wizards are near perfect. English bikes seem to hold up well too. Why the discrepancy? Did Masi America ever chrome their frames?
I also understand, from a current frame builder, that environmental laws have changed the chroming process in the last few decades, making quality finish a real concern. True? What happened?
Also - how much heavier is a full chrome frame v. paint?
When rear stays and lugs are chromed, does that mean the entire frame is chromed beneath the paint?
Hope all the questions aren't obnoxious - rather. I hope useful for the list - thanks for any insight!
Yours
Greg arnold
NYC
http://www.nofatmusic.com