There's a saying that goes something like "if your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." Well, Tom's tool of choice is a torch, and it's no surprise that it's the tool he would use to fix this frame. If his tool of choice was that snazzy Park frame tool, he might well use that.

But I don't think so. I consulted with Tom about a frame with very similar damage a couple months ago, and not surprisingly his advice was exactly the same. But he explained it very well, I thought. 531 is very springy stuff; you can bend it pretty far, and it goes right back to its original shape. There is a limit, of course; if you bend it beyond that limit, the metal starts to give. In the case of a tube like this, one part of the tube gets stretched out, while the other part tries to compress; and instead of compressing, it deflects into that characteristic bulge. Your frame now has a weak spot, and it has a new racy geometry. If you force it back to its original shape momentarily, it will spring back to the new racy shape. To return it to original shape permanently, you have to bend it far beyond that shape until the metal gives again. Maybe now the ripple will stretch back to its original shape, but it will be a little longer; and your stretched area at the other side will deflect into a new ripple. And you will have further weakened your weak spot. That's probably fine, for a display bike, he said, but if you want to ride it, replace the tube.

If you take a bent frame to a frame builder, you can expect this answer. If you don't want this answer, don't take it to a frame builder. That said, I think you did want this answer. Either replace the tube, or send back the frame. I sent back the frame.