Very new to vintage bikes. Recently bought a 1983 Raleigh Super Course. I was giving it a good cleaning and noticed that the chromed areas of the frame seemed to have a clear type of coating peeled off in some areas. Just curious what it was and can i strip this coating off without damaging the chrome? The areas were it has peeled off are bright and shiny as opposed to the rest of the area which has a slight satin finish in comparison.

Thanks!

Strip away. The clear coated chrome was common, in days gone bye. Be for warned, once the clear coating is removed, the chrome can begin to oxidize so you will have to keep it waxed and dried off after rides.

Yep. I wish I left the coating on my Peugeot chrome. That was some tuff and very protective stuff.

If you're pulling off the clear coat, you may want to use an X-Acto knife to cut the clear coat at the demarcation between the chrome and paint. This will reduce the probability of pulling off some paint with the clear coat, as the clear coat will adhere better to paint than the paint to the chrome. However, the cut increases the probability of corrosion, so ensure this area is well sealed afterwards.

Also, I've seen cases where the chromium itself has peeled, exposing the nickel. However, in this case, the effect is the opposite, with the exposed nickel being duller and slightly yellow.

Welcome to BF! You brought a good bike here. I have an 84 and love the ride. My clearcoat was just ready to come off so all it really took was some rubbing with Aluminium foil.

When you can, would love to see pics of your bike.

Here is mine

If you want to reapply a clear coat, FWIW I find that lacquer works well. It's essentially indistinguishable from the bare polished chrome. I use Mohawk Tone finish clear gloss because I have some. Its a professional touch up lacquer. I'm not sure if consumer level lacquer will work as well, but it might be OK.

My PX10 came with clear coated chrome. It didn't have even a spot of rust on it after nearly 50 years, though the painted parts were pretty rough. That convinced me to reapply.

Thanks everyone! Clearcoat is off and the chrome looks perfect. Several coats of chrome polish and its shining like new. I will keep up on the polish and keep her nice and dry. She is completely disassembled right now, so it will be a bit before ready for pics. Just waiting on new handlebars.....