Originally Posted by
verktyg
There are several different types of chrome plating that can be used on a bike frame:
Triple plating is superior in most applications. It's not 3 layers of chrome but an initial layer of copper which fills in surface imperfections and is then polished. The second layer is nickel plating which give a harder surface for the chrome plating to build up on. It's sometimes polished too. The final layer is a very thin coating of chrome from 0.0002 to 0.0006 in. (from 0.005 to 0.015 mm). The chrome itself is very hard and brittle, 70Rc to 78Rc.
Double chrome plating is more common and less expensive. The copper layer is skipped and it's just nickel and chrome. The nickel doesn't adhere as well as copper plating to the steel. Bending a plated surface causes the nickel to loose adhesion and eventually crack or peel off. The damage may not appear right away.
verktyg
One can guess which type can withstand tubing bending better.
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