genejockey 

Yes, but she drove a Lotus Elan!

They're okay. If there's a magic to tubular tires, it doesn't manifest itself in Conti's cheapest tubs. BUT, I bought a pair of Vittoria Corsa tubs on sale. At some point, I'll ditch the Giros for the Corsas.

Wildwood 

My experience with one pair of Giros (many years old) is their durability. The front refuses to die, and now rolls with a Veloflex 25mm rear. Not supple, but handles like the racier Conti Sprinter tires. IMHO.

cooperryder

Count me in as another fan of chrome lugs.
I had one if those pale yellow Centurion Semi Pro's with chrome lugs.
It was a beauty.
If you had the inclination you could do what this
bikeforums.net member jeebusaurousrex
did to his Schwinn Circuit.

https://www.bikeforums.net/11306762-post888.html

clubman 

And fork crowns. And anything else.

CV-6 

Chrome lugs were an extra cost option on Lejeune and Bernard Carré frames. A Carré below.

PCarre DS by L Travers, on Flickr

Andy_K 

That's cool, but let me offer a cautionary example of what can happen to that.



This was a 3Rensho-built Specialized Allez that I bought from another BF member. A previous owner had apparently wanted the chrome lug look and so sanded the paint off of the lugs (and a few other places) but had not taken sufficient precautions to protect the then exposed metal. There were some indications that it might have been a wall hanger and not ridden much. I have no idea how long it took to get into this state. I soaked it in EvapoRust to get back to bare metal (disregard the tip of the lug, I sanded that later).



I got lucky on the paint match (and again, took the picture before cleaning up the masking tape and whatnot), but it's still not as good as the rest of the frame which is all original paint.

BikingViking793 

Ok so I looked a bit harder and have seen a few now. A Bottecchia with full Campy that would have been great, but they said sold early that day. I saw a Windsor that's too expensive and wrong size. And I see a great Maserati with Campy that would be great, but wrong size. So maybe I'll find one out there.

Fahrenheit531 

This photo is a spectacular shot of the one thing I dislike about the Volare, and this thread gives me a legit reason to share after suffering in silence for years: No file ever came anywhere near the lugs on these bikes, and the resulting profile is awful. It's blocky and lazy and just looks unfinished, which is a bummer on a bike that is otherwise so very, very cool.

The chrome is great though. Nice job there.

So... How rare are chrome lugs in good condition that have been beautifully filed to "fade" into the frame?

BikingViking793 

That looks good, did he just polish the paint off?

steelbikeguy

I mentioned Waterfords with stainless lugs earlier, so I feel obliged to offer a couple of photos of what this can look like.

A fairly conventional stainless lug option looks like this...




but Waterford has been known to produce some really novel stainless lugs! No idea what this cost, but I'm sure it cost quite a bit.





The photos were taken on the 2018 edition of the Hilly Hundred ride in Bloomington, Indiana. If the owner is reading this, please let us know the ballpark of the cost of this option, and whether you are still paying it off.

Steve in Peoria

clubman 

I think CV-6 's Carré example looks exquisite (whew), even from medium distance. My 76 Centurion long points show some effort but also age spots on a track frame. '70 Cinelli is filed but chrome needs attention. I suspect filing chrome needs a deft touch and careful planning?

Drillium Dude 

In this case, the chrome perfectly accentuates the longest basic lug points (as opposed to fancy, like Hetchins) known to man

Very nice example, too. Thanks for sharing.

DD

martl

you mean like this?

noobinsf 

I had a Campania Professional that I really enjoyed, but ended up being too big for me. It was made in Japan, despite the Italianate name, and was kind of a sleeper. Lots of chrome peeking through — lugs, socks, seat stay caps, down tube, seat tube — since the frame was fully chromed under the paint.

BikingViking793 

that one is nice. The one that was for sale was different. It had no mention of model.

rccardr 

There were quite a few Merckx frames made in the mid-late 80's that had chromed lugs. This is an '84 Pro SLX:


This '83 Davidson custom has very short chromed lugs:

Sr. Pelizzoli made this for me seven years ago. It's fully chromed under the paint, but only the exposed bits were polished before chroming:

Bad Lag

That is gorgeous! Still, I haven't seen a new one on the road or in a shop.

It used to be almost every maker had one or more with chrome but no longer.

There's no doubt in my mind the supply is dwindling faster than it is being replenished. If you restrict consideration to only bikes with chrome in good shape, the supply is even lower. As an example, all the photos posted above are of old bikes.

I remember being very disappointed to find out that chrome did not protect against rust and that paint did a better job. I suppose it could be done but it's not economical for a builder - nickel, copper, polish the copper then chrome plate.

smd4

Why would you? Who would buy a new steel Cinelli when you can get the, *ahem,* latest and greatest in carbon fiber?

Just because you haven't seen new production doesn't mean new bikes with chrome lugs aren't available...They're available, but only the most discerning classic/vintage customers are still buying them. Most everyone else is buying something made of plastic.

So while your statement that "the supply is dwindling" is true, your statement that "the supply is fixed" is not.

bamboobike4

I passed him and the only non-inferior emotion I had was "I'm passing him," and that wasn't worth much. Stunning bike.

BikingViking793 

This one isn't my size, but am I correct to think it's a pretty good deal? Not familiar with Maserati for a bike brand, but the bike looks beautiful and has Campy.
https://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/b...475869086.html

cb400bill

A friend of mine still has the Maserati that he bought new in the mid 70's. He says it was made by Fiorelli. I believe that he had it repainted by Doug Fattic. Nice bike.

Kilroy1988 

I've owned about twenty vintage road bikes/frames over the past decade and four have had chrome lugs, those being a ~1950 Carlton Continental, a ~1960 Olmo Gran Sport, a ~1965 Frejus Tour de France, and a 1979 Centurion Pro Tour, none of which I currently own. I find it more indicative of a frame's quality to have chrome dropouts or stays, which also serves a practical purpose by being less prone to damage caused by axle nuts, quick-release levers, and chain rub.

-Gregory

Bad Lag

The mere existence of a unicorn does not change the basic truth of my statement - no one is making them anymore, as opposed to back when everyone was making them. The pool of product, the supply, was limited when that production dwindled and ceased. I'd bet the influx of new bikes is vastly outweighed by the losses due to corrosion ("Rust never sleeps") and disposals.

If I went to my LBS, would they even have a chromed bike? Does anyone make chromed steel bikes, other than Cinelli and a few other boutique suppliers?

So, along that line,... I haven't been to a local bike shop in a very long time. Maybe at lunch time,...

martl

De Rosa Neo Classico

Tommasini Tecno


Wilier Superleggera

steelbikeguy

The Colnago Arabesque is certainly a niche product, as are most other offerings with steel tubes and chromed lugs. The demand is just not sufficient to justify larger production numbers, I suspect. The good news is that if someone really wants one, the only barrier is the price.
I took this picture of an Arabesque frame in 2018, and it was labeled as being made in 2017. I haven't checked to see if they are still available.



Steve in Peoria