I just wanted to do a "for what it's worth" follow-up on my experiences with the JIS-ISO thing with the Palo Alto.

My solution to the problem outlined in the initial post was to drop in a ISO crown race and use a set of good JIS cups I had on hand. I noted that the cups were easy to slip-fit by hand, and "well biked" recommended in post #15 that I might be better off putting in the proper ISO cups. Impatient to get this on the road (and being cheap), I went ahead and used the JIS cups in this Italian frame.

Well, it didn't really work for me. In the 2 weeks I've been riding it, I've had a devil of a time getting and keeping the headset adjusted. Either it was too tight, or if loosened enough to allow proper feel it was sloppy and the steerer tube had noticeable play. In fear of damaging the steerer and making this beautiful fork useless, I stopped riding it and went in search of the proper headset.

I called biketoolsetc and spoke with a very helpful fellow. I told him my problem, and he suspected that when the adjustable cup was properly adjusted, the fixed cups were rocking in the frame because they were too loose. So, I took his recommendation and bought a Tange Levin ISO headset.

I just finished installing it, and what a difference. Easy to install (but needed to be pressed in), easy to adjust, and spins smooth as greased glass with no play at all.

Problem solved, and lesson learned.