Originally Posted by
rpenmanparker
That's exactly what they mean! Can you get away with violating this rule? Dunno. Just telling you what is recommended. The motivation is arguable, but that doesn't mean you can rely on a conspiracy theory to get you by every time you don't want to believe a safety recommendation. Just saying if you're too cheap to replace the pin or link every time you undo the chain, then you are too cheap to ride 11 speed. It's a corollary to the, "if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it" rule. Pretty simple.
Personally, I've only had one chain with a KMC link in it. I reused it many times before replacing. However, I also carefully cleaned it an inspected it each time. I looked for signs of wear, corrosion, or damage. It was replaced when I could separate the link halves without the pliers. As long as it made a nice, positve lock when installed. I felt it was good to go. If you don't feel comfortable determining the serviceability of a part, then replace every time. Simple as that.