So, today my stupid frame pump dislodged and forced itself between the chainring and downtube. It took some effort to yank it out, and now I'm left with a small dent in downtube by the chainring, which seems to be fine and not out of alignment. Should I worry about an eventual failure? The frame is all steel.

Pictures?

pikchaa now!

You don't mention what material it is. Steel would be ok with a small dent. I'd be scared if it's carbon.

Joe

Don't even worry about it.
You are going to crash the front end or your frame is going to rust out before it fails there.

If this is an old frame with paint chips, don't worry about it. If this is a new frame in decent condition, consider touching up anywhere the paint cracked around the dent to avoid rust.

Last line of the post says it's steel.

holy moly
how did that pump get in there so tightly?
i doubt a little dent will matter much