front fork

[jtopiso_imp]

Getting back to topic, I have been reading some about these coatings, and it's a bit confusing. I still don't know if you need to remove the chrome plating or not.

Anyway: both TiN (titanium nitride) and DLC (Diamond like Carbon/Diamond like coating) are very hard, with low friction and wear resistant. TiN can be done in several colours. DLC is black.

Both are very thin (a few microns), so they won't cover any scratch or defect: the base surface has to be very smooth to start with.

DLC is a bit harder and has a lower friction coefficient than TiN. And it's a bit more expensive, but I think is the one I'd choose (unless I wanted any other color than black). TiN is thiner, and will wear off sooner than DLC (I don't know if we are talking about years or decades here...)

Again: to avoid nasty surprises, I'd look for a shop specialised in coatings for suspension forks: keeping dimensions and surfaces to spec is critical for the seals to work correctly and leak-free.