Chrome finish durability - which older bikes are best and worst?

[SkipdiverJohn]

I've been tinkering around with a pair of £5 shabby 3-speeds, with a view to possibly using the best bits of both to create a low-maintenance hub gear local knockabout as I have a liking for SA 3-speeds. Yes, I've already got a 3 speed Puch Elegance, but that is pretty tidy as I've owned it from new. The scruffy donor pair are a '88 dated Halfords own (NOT Apollo oddly) and a '73/74 vintage Puch Touring. The PO got the Halfords S/H and it's previous usage is unknown. The Puch is a one-owner bike, only used for less than two years and been stored in a shed for the last 43 years. You'd therefore expect the Puch to be near mint and the Halfords to be rusty (which it is) - but the Puch is far, far worse, with much of the chrome gone from the bars and rear wheel including the Styria hub gear. The mattress saddle is OK, which suggests the shed didn't leak and the bars & seatpost both moved freely.
I suppose the question is, is 1970's Puch chrome of exceptionally poor quality? Both it and the Halfords would have been budget bikes, and noticeably cheaper to buy than the equivalent Raleigh, yet the Halfords has survived much better despite probably having had more use. Maybe someone like @midlife with some inside knowledge might care to comment on whether poor chrome durability was endemic in certain brands even when they were new? I'm just surprised how something stored under cover has managed to get so rusty!

 

[midlife]

Back in the 70's we stocked Puch bikes as a cheaper alternative to Raleigh / Carlton / Falcon.

They were cheap for a reason . Lol. The other problem around that time was the vast increase in the cost of chrome, not sure why, it was said that the price of the chrome itself as a raw material went through the roof. Chrome started to vanish from bikes, I think Holdsworth dropped it almost entirely. The general quality of chrome also took a dive, even on cars I was told. Presumably they just laid down a thinner layer.

Interestingly, the chrome on Raleigh / Carlton never changed. I wonder if they did so much of it there was an economy of scale that sidestepped the price rises.

Another factor is our weather, I guess it's why there are no plane boneyards in Lancashire lol

 

[Illaveago]

Back in the 70's we stocked Puch bikes as a cheaper alternative to Raleigh / Carlton / Falcon.

They were cheap for a reason . Lol. The other problem around that time was the vast increase in the cost of chrome, not sure why, it was said that the price of the chrome itself as a raw material went through the roof. Chrome started to vanish from bikes, I think Holdsworth dropped it almost entirely. The general quality of chrome also took a dive, even on cars I was told. Presumably they just laid down a thinner layer.

Interestingly, the chrome on Raleigh / Carlton never changed. I wonder if they did so much of it there was an economy of scale that sidestepped the price rises.
In the early part of the 70's chrome bumpers and trim started disappearing . Vauxhall at the time tended to recycle their bumpers. If you didn't have one to exchange you had to pay a surcharge .
Good quality chrome should have an underlying layer of copper and nickle .

 

[Illaveago]

I can remember how the chrome used to peel off in layers on the old stirrup type brake wheels . You had to be careful peeling it off as it was very sharp .

 

[raleighnut]

Back in the 70's we stocked Puch bikes as a cheaper alternative to Raleigh / Carlton / Falcon.

They were cheap for a reason . Lol. The other problem around that time was the vast increase in the cost of chrome, not sure why, it was said that the price of the chrome itself as a raw material went through the roof. Chrome started to vanish from bikes, I think Holdsworth dropped it almost entirely. The general quality of chrome also took a dive, even on cars I was told. Presumably they just laid down a thinner layer.

Interestingly, the chrome on Raleigh / Carlton never changed. I wonder if they did so much of it there was an economy of scale that sidestepped the price rises.

Another factor is our weather, I guess it's why there are no plane boneyards in Lancashire lol

Another thing on cheaper bikes/cars was they dispensed with the Copper plating underneath the Chrome that helped it to adhere to the steel.

I personally dumped most of the chromed steel components fitted to my 3 speed and fitted nice Aluminium bits instead.

Handlebars, Rims, Brakes and Crank swapped.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Back in the 70's we stocked Puch bikes as a cheaper alternative to Raleigh / Carlton / Falcon. They were cheap for a reason . Lol.
Interestingly, the chrome on Raleigh / Carlton never changed. I wonder if they did so much of it there was an economy of scale that sidestepped the price rises.

Another factor is our weather, I guess it's why there are no plane boneyards in Lancashire lol

Puch were definitely not in the same quality league as Raleigh, although saying that I don't consider my Elegance to be a bad bike and it has much better chrome than the Touring despite spending a few years outside. Maybe the chrome quality had improved again by the 1980's when my Elegance was built? They are virtually identical apart from one having Styria gears and the other SA. The frame construction also looks cheaper than Raleigh OR Halfords, with the tubes having seemingly been crimped at the ends before welding on the dropouts. The bike doesn't feel heavy though, surprising for something cheap and all-steel, and the ride quality is very pleasing and stable even on the original 44+ year old Semperit tyres!.

I can remember how the chrome used to peel off in layers on the old stirrup type brake wheels . You had to be careful peeling it off as it was very sharp .

That's exactly what has happened, mostly to the rear wheel and Styria hub gear. It's not due to braking though as the rust is worst where the spokes go through, not on the rim edges. The bars look scabby and blistered. A stiff wire brush will be coming out this afternoon followed by an emery sanding block. I'll probably have to give the exposed bare steel a quick blow over with a rattle can afterwards - it won't be pretty, but I don't want to leave peeling razor sharp chrome to cut myself on, even on a pub/beater bike.

 

[midlife]

Puch were cheaper than Raleigh but still very reasonable. There were some real cheapo bikes like Yung and some other catalogue specials that the boss refused to stock as they would have been a nightmare regarding warranty and returns, plus we had a reputation to keep lol

Streyr Daimler Puch paintwork wasn't all that bad, they just had this thing about metallic purple

 

[Illaveago]

Puch were definitely not in the same quality league as Raleigh, although saying that I don't consider my Elegance to be a bad bike and it has much better chrome than the Touring despite spending a few years outside. Maybe the chrome quality had improved again by the 1980's when my Elegance was built? They are virtually identical apart from one having Styria gears and the other SA. The frame construction also looks cheaper than Raleigh OR Halfords, with the tubes having seemingly been crimped at the ends before welding on the dropouts. The bike doesn't feel heavy though, surprising for something cheap and all-steel, and the ride quality is very pleasing and stable even on the original 44+ year old Semperit tyres!.
The chrome on my Puch isn't bad for it's age and as you say the frame in places isn't exactly esthetically pleasing with the swaged front drop outs and the rears that look like they have been electrically forge welded .


That's exactly what has happened, mostly to the rear wheel and Styria hub gear. It's not due to braking though as the rust is worst where the spokes go through, not on the rim edges. The bars look scabby and blistered. A stiff wire brush will be coming out this afternoon followed by an emery sanding block. I'll probably have to give the exposed bare steel a quick blow over with a rattle can afterwards - it won't be pretty, but I don't want to leave peeling razor sharp chrome to cut myself on, even on a pub/beater bike.

 

[wonderdog]

Back in the 70's we stocked Puch bikes as a cheaper alternative to Raleigh / Carlton / Falcon.

They were cheap for a reason . Lol. The other problem around that time was the vast increase in the cost of chrome, not sure why, it was said that the price of the chrome itself as a raw material went through the roof. Chrome started to vanish from bikes, I think Holdsworth dropped it almost entirely. The general quality of chrome also took a dive, even on cars I was told. Presumably they just laid down a thinner layer.

Interestingly, the chrome on Raleigh / Carlton never changed. I wonder if they did so much of it there was an economy of scale that sidestepped the price rises.

Another factor is our weather, I guess it's why there are no plane boneyards in Lancashire lol

The all chrome frame on my Carlton Cobra is original ... late sixties early seventies I suppose. A couple of minor pinpricks but it came up a treat with a light workover with very fine steel wool. I understand the chrome was laid on over a subsurface of copper plate.

 

[midlife]

Yep, Carlton were very proud of their chrome it did have a copper layer (and maybe a nickel layer) under the chrome..

 

[classic33]

Back in the 70's we stocked Puch bikes as a cheaper alternative to Raleigh / Carlton / Falcon.

They were cheap for a reason . Lol. The other problem around that time was the vast increase in the cost of chrome, not sure why, it was said that the price of the chrome itself as a raw material went through the roof. Chrome started to vanish from bikes, I think Holdsworth dropped it almost entirely. The general quality of chrome also took a dive, even on cars I was told. Presumably they just laid down a thinner layer.

Interestingly, the chrome on Raleigh / Carlton never changed. I wonder if they did so much of it there was an economy of scale that sidestepped the price rises.

Another factor is our weather, I guess it's why there are no plane boneyards in Lancashire lol

Failsworth