I started assembling a old road bike I have last night and found the crown race (1″) is a bit loose. It’s not loose enough to rattle around but it falls on with no resistance at all. I’m considering a beer can shim solution, is this a terrible idea?

Annoyingly I have only noticed this after going to the expense of chroming the forks…

I was reliably informed recently that PTFE tape is better than a coke can shim.

The preload of the headset should go some way to solving the problem.

If that fails – araldite?

I would have thought that the chrome would increase the size of the steerer slightly.

Ptfe tape is a good shout, I tried it with nothing and as you say the preload does most of the work, just want something to stop any small ‘wobble’ that may exist.

new headset or original ? two different inch sizes ….

use a small punch to knurl the surface and it will likely be fine – more commmonly done than you think on old forks