Originally Posted by
ptempel
I've tried installing one of the connecting pins that come with the Shimano chain in the past. I ended up breaking the chain not much later on (one side of the link came off of the pin. I used a Park chain tool so maybe that shouldn't be used for that purpose? Who knows... This is a big reason I don't like Shimano (and any 9, 10 or 11 spd chain w/o a master link) in general
Shimano is notoriously lax about publishing the little bits of useful information that would preclude stuff like the above from happening--they assume they are writing a technical blurb for a mechanic (who ostensibly already knows the foibles related to repair procedures). The pins in particular are difficult, because apart from the same general design (pin attached to pilot), the actual installation procedure of the pin feels different depending on the chain width (speed). Some have a final stop when the pin is flush with the out plate, some don't.
If you want to feel really alienated, Campagnolo chains are wonderful.
Anyway, my point was more that you don't need a master link until you need to break the chain again, which even for the most obsessive cleaner, shouldn't be sooner than a few weeks. I'd rather join the chain, and use the pin, than have it sitting around looking pretty (though I did know one mechanic who insisted they made fairly good pellets for a bb/pellet gun).