"is it wise to use a quick-connect link on a recumbent chain?" I've used them on every bent I've built (some have as many as five) and have never had any problems with the links.
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Bentbaggerlen
"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." - Arthur Conan Doyle