[OnlyOneCannolo]

And even if people do know how to use gears, the gears are often in need of some adjustment, so people just stick to the ratios that happen to work.

[zimpenfish]

One of the main reasons I stuck my geared bike on the trainer and bought a single speed for London commuting - gears are FAFF to maintain. Yes, there's video tutorials, etc., but there's still a non-zero amount of witchcraft going on.

[ldiracdelta]

Worse is better on shifters. Old school downtube, non ratchetting shifters just work.

[OnlyOneCannolo]

Assuming you know how to work them, and are comfortable enough riding to reach down and fiddle with them.

[ldiracdelta]

And the entire market of 10-speeds figured it out before the new complex shifter systems became mainstream in th 90s. Fixees for the rest, I guess.

[OnlyOneCannolo]

Or automatic shifting for the untapped market of people who wouldn't figure it out but also wouldn't ride a fixie. I can see the concept getting more popular as the price of electric bicycles decreases.