Originally Posted by mtnbke

Using the right tools is important. Bending a steel frame introduces subtle handling variances. Making subsequent bends to get things aligned and straight is not the same as having unbent/untorqued seatstays/chainstays. Also when you spread the dropouts you marginally shorten the wheelbase of the bike. Things do change, and while 99% of the cyclists will tell you the bike handles exactly the same, the riding characteristics of the bike did change.