>>1951340>what you are describing is literally how every chain has been sized over the last hundred years at least.That's true but bicycle chains snapping has also been 'normal' to the extent where many cyclists think it's normal to carry a chain tool.
I've had multiple chain failures over the years, after i've done it, and after a shop has done it, and now am of the mind where it's really something you do not want to happen. A new KMC or SRAM chain with a quick link is like 20-30$ and makes the risk near zero.
If you have a conventionally joined chain then at the least you do not want to be over the front end of the bike sprinting, a chain snap in that case (when it's likely to happen under heavy load) can be terrible. You also do not want to do any ride where you can't walk home or get a ride easily.
>>1951306I do it when it must be done on absolute bottom dollar beater projects, like, the kind of thing i'll give away for free.
I think the key is to really keenly observe how well your join worked. Often (like 1/4 of the time) I tend to damage one of the chain plates, or it otherwise just doesn't work perfectly, in which case, remove the link and join it again or replace the chain. Don't commit to riding it if it goes badly.
