Peter et al,
Working for the Air Resources Bd, we have caused more than one chrome shop to shut down. Decorative chrome +6 (as opposed to hard chrome +3) is now known to be very toxic (in fact, carcinogenic) and it isn't cost-effective for small platers to install equipment necessary to control emissions. I suspect the big outfits can't be bothered with small jobs like bicycles. Of course in the Orient anything goes but that doesn't do us any good.
If I had to speculate, I'd guess that some italian bikes may have been made to serve a utilitarian purpose, like racing. If so, the bikes would only be used for a season or two so chroming would be superfluous. Probably the same reason their paint is also sometimes not so great. Yet some mass producers could still afford chroming, at least as evidenced by my mid-80's Bertoni which is plated head to toe under the paint. Only the dropouts and rt chstay are left exposed.
And who started this "What's in your garage BS"? Here I was, all excited polishing the cast-iron bits and Armor-Alling the vinyl seat of my vintage '74 Varsity (even though its not in my size) and some guy says, "I have 8 Bayliss-painted Rene H's shoved under my bed which I bought back in the forties when you could get them for twenty bucks. Well, I've started smoking again so I'm gonna sell the Varsity, please email off-list if interested.
Jack (not jealous, just pissed) Romans
FlatSac, Cal