Yeah, while there is some, but far from perfect, correlation between chrome and quality, there are countless exceptions, as noted above, both ways (cheap chromed bikes, good unchromed ones). Better to look for the quality itself - forged dropouts w/integrated derailleur hangars (and who made the dropouts), what tube set, how good is the lug work, is it nicely filed, etc. And now, with information at your fingertips, you really don't even need to do all that - unless the bike is something particularly obscure or the labels are all gone, google is your reliable and speedy pal for finding out the goods on the vast majority of bikes you are going to run across.