Can I widen the size tire my frame will take?

[jeremyb]

So, I have this bike frame, steel, and want to have it widened, to allow a wider tire to fit in there. I'm thinking like 12mm.

I think I've heard of having frames crimped before to allow for this, is this possible?

Thanks

[braingel]

Yeah, my friend just had it done at a shop. They have some special tool now, but they said that until recently they had used a long 2x4 as a lever ...sounds crazy, but he said that's what most people use.

[jeremyb]

just to be clear, i dont mean the dropouts where the rear hub slides in, i mean the chainstays---currently the chainstays rub on the side of the tire, and i want that to be widened so that i can run wider tires.

[dooley]

crimps on chainstays are horrible and really mess up the stiffness