Originally Posted by
custermustache
I'm not doing that - and I'm not looking to bend it back and forth all over the place. If someone else ends up with this bike and wants to change it back, that's their decision; for me, this frame is going to wear modern running gear until one of us goes.
Is this a really bad idea - I see that two of you seem to be very against it. I have decided to take it to a shop where they have liability insurance, a frame jig, etc. Is this way bad? This is a nice lugged Reynolds 531 frame that I love, and do not want to ruin.
You can get a couple little trivial bends like this in steel before metal fatigue does any damage. My point is, I like to fiddle with bikes, and I don't like to mess with old things - when they are worth saving.
Likely as not, I or - after I get bored with this bike and move on - someone else may want to bend it back. I can get by without altering the frame, so I do. In fact, my 69 Competition I just outfitted with an indexed Ergo set up this weekend and I've had to jump thru hoops to not bend the frame. I am currently working on a custom 7 speed freewheel so I can keep the old wheels.
I wouldn't worry about nuts like me, if I were you. I'd just bend the bike.