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How rare are chrome lugs?

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How rare are chrome lugs?

Old 04-27-22, 06:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Bad Lag
no one is making them anymore.
This statement is quite simply just straight-up incorrect. Bikes with chromed lugs are, in fact, STILL being made.

Just not in the numbers, or by the main stream manufactures, that you think they should be. These are not "unicorns." They are readily available if you are willing to look--and pony up the dough--for one.

And personally, I don't think DeRosa, Tommasini or Williers are "boutique."

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Old 04-27-22, 07:04 AM
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No mention of columbine yet?




While I can appreciate the artistry and skill, my tastes are more towards the functional.

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Old 04-27-22, 07:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Rocket-Sauce
No mention of columbine yet?




While I can appreciate the artistry and skill, my tastes are more towards the functional.
Yes--these are stunning. Thanks for posting! I never knew they existed.
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Old 04-27-22, 08:44 AM
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For those who like to mix a little bit of gold with their chrome
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Old 04-27-22, 08:45 AM
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Originally Posted by smd4
This statement is quite simply just straight-up incorrect. Bikes with chromed lugs are, in fact, STILL being made.

Just not in the numbers, or by the main stream manufactures, that you think they should be. These are not "unicorns." They are readily available if you are willing to look--and pony up the dough--for one.

And personally, I don't think DeRosa, Tommasini or Williers are "boutique."
I don't "think they should be" anything. I am done with your argument, smd4. We must have very different perspectives on production statistics and what constitutes a "unicorn" or "boutique".

Last edited by Bad Lag; 04-27-22 at 08:49 AM.
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Old 04-27-22, 08:49 AM
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WOW! On all these bikes being posted. Whether it is the age of the bikes, recognizing what use to be available off the rack; or the craftsman's skill and artistry,...just WOW.

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Old 04-27-22, 08:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Bad Lag
I don't "think they should be" anything. I am done with your argument, smd4. We must have very different perspectives on production statistics and what constitutes a "unicorn" or "boutique".
You can be "done" with the argument all you want, but as long as you continue to make BS false statements like "no one is making them anymore," when clearly they are STILL BEING MADE TODAY, then I will continue to post the facts.

If you had said, "hardly anyone makes them today," I'd agree with you. But you continue to make factually incorrect statements that demand correction from me and others.
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Old 04-27-22, 10:27 AM
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Originally Posted by steelbikeguy
The Colnago Arabesque is certainly a niche product, as are most other offerings with steel tubes and chromed lugs.
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Old 04-27-22, 10:48 AM
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Originally Posted by steelbikeguy View Post
The Colnago Arabesque is certainly a niche product, as are most other offerings with steel tubes and chromed lugs.

Originally Posted by Andy_K
fify
That does suggest the various ways that chromed lugs are a niche product.

In many ways, a metal frame is becoming specialized. I suspect it is primarily at the low-cost end of the range.

Among metal frames, steel seems to be specialized too. Outside of areas like touring frames, I'd guess that they get used for custom frames, and perhaps for very low cost bikes?? I don't know what the market is, but there must still be some basic utility bikes with steel frames.

Among the small market of steel tubed frames for bike nerds like us, a lot are TIG'ed, such as Waterford's Gunnar frames, or a number of Surley frames. For this sort of off-the-rack steel frames, are there any that are built with lugs? As per Andy's "fix", the number that are available with chromed (or stainless) lugs might not be much different from the total number of bikes/frames available with lugs.

So.. yeah... the number of bikes/frames built with lugs, chromed or not, is minuscule. Fortunately, it hasn't reached zero just yet!

Steve in Peoria
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Old 04-27-22, 10:59 AM
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I have this "Sprint made in Italy" bike, bought for the few parts it yielded. I'm told it's most likely built by Chiorda for store brand distribution. It's stripped down to the frame now, headed for the skip. But despite being a gas pipe frame, it's got those lovely chrome lugs. I'm tempted to respray it black and build it up as a tourer, mostly because of the chrome. Too bad the fork tip chrome is too far gone.
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Old 04-27-22, 11:38 AM
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Here's my re-badged Volkscycle, made in Japan with faux Nervex lugs. Still think they look great.


As for 'they don't make them anymore'. Of course they still do, but most people don't want to pay extra to have a lugged bike that also weighs more. So at this point, it's about style choice. Welded steel bikes dominate because most of the public wants affordable bikes that weigh the least amount they can.... Personally I like lugged construction.
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Old 04-27-22, 11:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Andy_K
fify
Andy makes a great point. Just how many lugged steel bikes can you find at your LBS? My guess is, none. I know there are none in my shop.
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Old 04-27-22, 04:17 PM
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Mmmm... chrome lugs! Love them!

These I ordered myself



Someone else ordred these - but now I am enjoying them.



And these were standard for their times and makes






I am definitely faster with chrome lugs.
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Old 04-27-22, 05:46 PM
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As the Harley guys say, chrome won't get you home.
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Old 04-27-22, 06:06 PM
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As the posts continue I'm beginning to suspect that even on high-end bikes those beautifully filed lugs I covet were the exception rather than the rule. Keep 'em coming! You're moving me past an overly harsh judgment of my beloved Volare, and I'm pretty stoked about that.
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Old 04-27-22, 06:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Fahrenheit531
As the posts continue I'm beginning to suspect that even on high-end bikes those beautifully filed lugs I covet were the exception rather than the rule.
That might be a fair statement.
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Old 04-27-22, 06:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Fahrenheit531
As the posts continue I'm beginning to suspect that even on high-end bikes those beautifully filed lugs I covet were the exception rather than the rule. Keep 'em coming! You're moving me past an overly harsh judgment of my beloved Volare, and I'm pretty stoked about that.
I think this is where the line between our romantic vision of a master craftsman in his workshop and the reality of commercial production comes in. For instance, here's a picture I nabbed on the internet of the seat cluster on a 3Rensho frame.



And here's the same section on my 3Rensho-built Specialized Allez.



It's not bad, but it's not as exquisite as the 3Rensho above. This is one of the reasons I refer to the Allez as "3Rensho-buiilt" rather than "Konno-built". It was a contract job, and Mr. Konno himself probably never touched it. Someone working for him did, and they (the worker or the company) probably weren't being paid enough to labor over the fine details. Likewise, when we see high end frames from names like Colnago, DeRosa, Masi, etc., these are closer to factory frames than they are workshop frames. They are factories that care about quality, but they also care about efficiency.
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Old 04-28-22, 04:44 PM
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A few Centurion Semi-Pros have already been posted, but you can't have too many pictures of bikes with chrome lugs, right?

Here's my '75-ish Semi-Pro currently set up fixed/single speed...

And a '78 Semi-Pro I acquired a while back that was too big for me, so it now belongs to a friend...
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Old 04-28-22, 05:51 PM
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My 59 Allegro used to have chrome....

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Old 04-28-22, 06:18 PM
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Location has a lot to do with it. Online, sure. I've seen tons of them.

Locally, I have seen one in the last ten years - an Atala Grand Prix that suffered severe front end damage.

But, it's usually Huffy Hell around these parts. Torpados don't sprout from garbage dumps here like they do in, say, Thunder Bay.

Growing up, I only ever saw one adult that rode a bicycle regularly.
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Old 04-28-22, 08:32 PM
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Worth noting that the front view is often pretty sweet as well.
...another shot of a Schwinn Volare:
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Old 04-29-22, 12:01 AM
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Did I mention that chromed lugs are for poor people?

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Old 04-29-22, 05:01 PM
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Originally Posted by martl
Did I mention that chromed lugs are for poor people?

I dunno....
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Old 04-29-22, 05:11 PM
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Originally Posted by steelbikeguy
Originally Posted by steelbikeguy View Post
The Colnago Arabesque is certainly a niche product, as are most other offerings with steel tubes and chromed lugs.
That does suggest the various ways that chromed lugs are a niche product.
In many ways, a metal frame is becoming specialized. I suspect it is primarily at the low-cost end of the range.
Among metal frames, steel seems to be specialized too. Outside of areas like touring frames, I'd guess that they get used for custom frames, and perhaps for very low cost bikes?? I don't know what the market is, but there must still be some basic utility bikes with steel frames.
Among the small market of steel tubed frames for bike nerds like us, a lot are TIG'ed, such as Waterford's Gunnar frames, or a number of Surly frames. For this sort of off-the-rack steel frames, are there any that are built with lugs? As per Andy's "fix", the number that are available with chromed (or stainless) lugs might not be much different from the total number of bikes/frames available with lugs.

So.. yeah... the number of bikes/frames built with lugs, chromed or not, is minuscule. Fortunately, it hasn't reached zero just yet!

Steve in Peoria
My guess, after several NAHBS shows, is that a customer pretty much has to want the lugged frames, and then spec the chrome lugs.

There are a lot of boutique builders in the US and elsewhere, but I don't see a lot of production-line lugged bikes.

The boutique builders are also calling it quits a little more than they used to.
Other than the Cinelli SC, I know of no "production" chrome-lugged bikes, but I don't swim in that pond.
I'm not even sure what meets "production." I'm still trying to figure out "bespoke."
I don't know if the Soma Stanyan (stainless lugs) is still made. It sure looks a lot like a Semi-Pro.

The day may not be far off when a carbon frame comes out with faux lugs in some synthetic shiny scheme. It would be neat.
Maybe Project Three or something. Cervelo has some lettering that looks like gold, maybe they can do "lugs."
I will probably get a final Cinelli in cream once I get this gravel stuff sorted out.
The new Arabesque, from some things I've read, is limited to the lugs they found in 2015 in a basement.
Could be another internet myth.
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Old 04-29-22, 05:23 PM
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Originally Posted by bamboobike4
The new Arabesque, from some things I've read, is limited to the lugs they found in 2015 in a basement.
Could be another internet myth.
Must have been a really big box.

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