Originally Posted by
well biked
I think there must be more than one type of "re-usable" KMC connector link out there. Every other KMC chain I've ever owned came with what I would call an old fashioned "master link," and those connectors are clearly not made to be removed by hand.
I've been wondering about this too. One of my bikes came with a 10sp KMC DX10, which had an easily removable link. When that chain was worn out, I replaced it with another DX10. This time the link was nearly impossible to remove. I finally managed it with a pair of needlenose pliers, and then replaced it with a Wipperman link for the remainder of its life. I don't remember the online vendor I ordered it from, but I do remember the product description saying something about the chain coming with a "one time use" master link. I dismissed it based on my previous experience with that model, and figured they were just confusing it with some other chain, but I was apparently wrong. So either KMC has two different links that they freely intermingle in the same model, or their quality control for the Missing Link connectors is really really bad, and some of them just fit together way too tightly.