Chrome or Paint? Thread or Threadless?
 

A while back I found a NOS Schwinn Superior frame on eBay. It was the frame only, no fork. I really like the smooth, organic look of the fillet brazed Schwinn frames, so I bought it with the idea of building it up with mostly modern components. This will not be a restoration, it'll be modern mechanicals with a 70's bling look.

This is what I've decided so far:

The frame will get some minor modifications. It's going to get water bottle and shifter boss braze-ons. The rear brake bridge will be lowered so I can use modern dual pivot brakes and 700c Wheels.

The components will be a mix of Campy Veloce and Centaur -- all very shiny silver.

I've decided to paint the frame candy orange and use NOS Schwinn decals.

Here is my dilemma:

I have two steel forks lying around that I can use, a DeBernardi and a Tommasini. Both forks are unused. The DeBernardi is 1 inch threaded. The Tommasini is 1 inch threadless. Both are beautifully chromed. The DeBernardi has an internally lugged crown -- it's as smooth as a baby's ass. The Tommasini has a beautiful lugged crown. Have a look. The DeBernardi is on the left, the Tommasini on the right.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze3j6z2/s...ctures/F01.jpg

The Tommasini crown:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze3j6z2/s...ctures/F02.jpg

The Debernardi crown:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze3j6z2/s...ctures/F03.jpg

The original Schwinn Superiors used a lugged fork with a chrome crown cap, and the fork tips were chrome, while the rest of the fork was painted the same color as the frame. I could do something similar with the Tommasini fork. I could leave the crown unpainted, and paint the upper parts of the fork legs and leave the tips exposed. The down side to this is that I have to go threadless, and I despise the look of threadless headsets and stems, especially on a vintage frame.

The DeBernardi fork is smooth, so it goes with the smooth organic look of the frame. I can also use a nice high quality quill stem with this fork. I could paint the entire fork, except for the tips, or I could leave the crown unpainted and mark the transition with some pin stripping.

I could also leave either fork unpainted, since the chrome on both forks is gorgeous.

Oh, what to do? :twitchy:

this is a bit like choosing between your children, you have a couple really nice forks, there, and will probably get offers from folks who want one now that the pics are public. Since you hate threadless stems, the choice is simple: the DeBernardi and I'd go with chrome crown and tips. Plus it has no logos. Be prepared for paint chipping: I don't know any rattlecan transparent that will stick well to this chrome...even good pro synthetic lacquers done with spray booth and HVLP sprayers will be prone to chip, IMHO: you're spraying chrome after all.

I vote Chrome & Threaded. The chrome fork will look great with your frame and if I remember correctly, it is not a "restoration" type build. The threaded fork/quill stem combo will allow for more precise adjustment of the bar height, thereby (possibly) improving your comfort.

My vote goes with fender1; threaded and all chrome. Even though the Debernardi is significantly different from a Superior's original fork, the smooth lines of the crown compliment the look of fillet brazed exceptionally well!

I will also add my unsolicited 2 cents worth of advice and suggest using a nice highly polished headset. I didn't have a lot of choices on Sporty due to the specific size of a Schwinn fork. I either had to go stock or use an Old School BMX sized headset. I settled on a Chris King.

I've got a NIB Campy Chorus threaded headset sitting on a shelf in the basement.

If you decide to not use the tommasini fork I have a tommasini frame that I would love to match it with :)