So many of the low-end bikes I've had used headset cones that were fully chromed, and the plating seemed to harmlessly depart from the rolling surfaces immediately within the first few hundred miles. Perhaps this could be accelerated in the shop by rotating the spindles with the bearings tightened, followed by some cleaning to remove the departed plating, but unless the bearings are of extremely fine finish, the plating fragments will not likely cause difficulties in use.
David Snyder
Auburn, CA
>I recently had some pedal bodies and spindles and some hub shells replated
> via a third party. My request that the bearing surfaces be masked and
> left
> unchromed either did not get through or was ignored. Is it ok to assemble
> them
> and use as they are or do I have to get the chrome stripped off and redone
> as requested (which is still likely to cost me, even though it shouldn't)?
> Or
> is there an alternative course of action? I am sure the correct answer
> is
> to have them re-plated, but does anyone out there have experience of
> running
> with plated bearing surfaces?
>
> Hugh Thornton
> Cheshire, England