The Vent Noir had two different finishes- the "smoked chrome" and a flat black finish. Either one seemed like a good bicycle finish and I have seen nicely preserved specimens of the smoked chrome. The big problem is fragile decals.
The parent company Steyr Daimler Puch of Graz Austria was/is a famed armament and military vehicle manufacturer. I suspect these frames were run through a military process to a very high standard. Note that both these finishes are hard, durable and non-reflective.
Joe B-Z
Great Notch, NJ
> John Price asked:
>
> >How does black chrome compare to the Vent Noir finish on some Austro
> >Daimlers ? Are they considered to be black chrome finished or ??? I
have
> >no experience with Vent Noirs (other than seeing the occasional one at
> >VeloSwap here) but I've been told their finish fades over the years.
>
> On my Vent Noir, I've been told it's "smoked chrome" that is,
> a chrome frame with a coating applied over it. On some spots that
> were corroded, a light polishing removed some, but not all the smoke
> and came out lighter.
>
>
> Roy "Guy Noir" Drinkwater
> Lititz, "it's the last geared bike..." PA