UO8. Dirt jumping.

Don't ask.

Solution to settle this chrome vs paint thing. As light as paint almost as good as chrome.

Don't feel bad.

I've got a chromed bike with white paint.

Guess that ends my plans to make a cyclocross bike out of a UO.

-Kurt

It just seems to me that if hydrogen embrittlement was a big issue with chrome frames it would be a big issue with chrome forks. There are a lot of chrome forks out there. Has any one heard of a fork failure being attributed to hydrogen embrittlement?

Maybe no one with a fork failure ever lived thru the experiance to tell about the chemistry problem

Chrome plating, like most platings, is prone to pinholes. Pinholes, ultimately, lead to corrosion. Defects in the substrate and defects induced during plating tend to propogate through the platings and do not typically get covered over by additional plating. In the end, the steel substrate rusts. The corrosion spreads inward and laterally across the interface between the steel and the plating. Rust never sleeps.

Spray paint, on the other hand, is applied in several successive coats, usually with sanding in between. This coating process allows successive paint layers to cover over any pinholes or defects in the underlying payers. Paints are selected, in part, for their chip and impact resistance to ensure the film remains defect free over the life of the frame.

I like chrome frames, too.Honestly, I think I would prefer a nickel plated frame, even more.

Architects, sheesh! Get a grip! If it doesn't work, it doesn't matter how pretty it is.


;-)

I actually doubt anyone's keeping that kind of record.
Ride bike
Fork break
New fork
Ride bike

These are things I can understand.

Historically, chromed bikes were "triple plated", which means they were plated first with copper, then nickel, and finally chrome. After the chrome plating, the frames were baked in an oven for several hours to minimize hydrogen embrittlement.

The added weight of a chromed frame over a painted one wasn't due as much the final chrome plating (which was relatively thin) as it was to the relatively thick copper layer used as a sort of primer to help the nickel layer adhere to the steel frame. According to the CyclArt website, improvements in the nickel plating process have eliminated the need for the initial copper layer, so today's chromed frames are lighter than those of yesteryear. One advantage of triple plating, though, is that the base copper layer minimized pitting over the years.

https://www.cyclart.com/questions.html#chrome1

I also work as a Quality Engineer but in the sutomotive industry. I don't have a specifc background in failure analysis, but I agree that hydrogen embrittlement can be a concern in some instances. That being said, I find it interesting that seat belt buckles and latches are almost always chrome plated.

If the embrittlement was such an issue I would think that wwas one application where chrome would be avoided.

Some people feel that if it's not pretty, there's no point in worrying whether it works or not.
Belt buckles and latches are probably engineered by you guys with a safety factor of 6. A bicycle is probably engineered to 1.5 or so [WAG].

That may be true, however, I don't know anyone who feels that way. I bet those people are not responsible for making things that actually work.

I know people who have made something functional but did not feel they were done until is was "pretty" (that is, until it looked "right").

Hmmm...all four of my Bottecchia frames are fully chrome plated and then painted over the chrome, even the lower end Special. Of course the steel isn't polished under the paint so the chrome there has a kind of frosted silver finish. I always assumed that was for corrosion resistance. OTOH, my 2004 Bianchi Pista is chrome plated and then clear coated over the chrome so who knows. I love chrome on bikes so frankly I don't care if it adds a bit of weight. I think you'd be hard pressed to measure the difference within the tolerance of a typical scale used to weigh bikes.

Agreed.

I like chrome as much as the next person (though I don't like all-chrome frames at all), but there are some beautiful bikes that have no chrome on the frame at all. I'm thinking of a lot of René Herse examples, and I've seen an Eisentraut or two that are “paint only,” and single color too. Nothing fancy, but stunning detailing and workmanship, and a very complex color chosen for the paint. I respect the choice not to be flashy. Chrome is nice for dropouts, just because it makes a harder surface that's corrosion-resistant, and not quite as easily chewed up by serrated axle fittings; but they're going to go through whatever's there to base metal, no matter what.