[kjkjadksj]

All the fixie bros say this but my road bike takes basically no maintenance at all. Even when it does, adjusting the derailleurs is a 5 second task with a small Phillips head. Relubing the chain takes 2 minutes. Brakes only needed adjusting when the brake lines were brand new and still stretching and this was also maybe a 30 second task. Rest of maintenance you’d have to do like bb, repacking hub or steerer grease, etc, you’d have to do with a fixie too.

I’ll take my mechanical advantage with gearing.

[bdamm]

You do you. I have a fast and light road fixie, and I have a nice carbon fiber road bike. Do I ride my road bike in fondos? Yes. Do I ride my road bike around town and for training? Mostly, no.

Why?

Never in my entire life have I ridden a flawless bicycle. Inevitably, small imperfections in the drive train creep in. A flawless bicycle isn't flawless for more than a few hundred miles. All it takes is one whack on a bike rack, one hurried toss, one oops where the bike falls over as I'm grabbing my gels from the pantry. And never mind actual crashes! Ever broken a derailleur hanger?

The fixie keeps going basically no matter what. A problem for the fixie is the kind of problem that sends me to the hospital. Which is to say, that the fixie can take a lot more abuse than I can. Does the drivetrain wear out? Sure! And it costs basically nothing to replace!

Personally I think any serious cyclist should have one. They are super fun to ride, robust, cheap to work on, and they make you stronger. What's not to like?

[kjkjadksj]

8 speed parts that I use are dirt cheap and robust. Thicker chains, thicker cogs. Never broke a derailleur. Yes I park in racks. I looked on ebay and I can get another rear derailleur for like $20. And the mechanical advantages for gearing are so nice. I benefit from that every time I ride. Versus whatever fixie benefit comes from worst case scenario. If my bike was truly wrecked I’d just hop on a bus.

[bdamm]

Ah, the fixie benefit is in every stroke, especially the ones where I'm slowing down with my legs and doing whatever else I want to be doing with my hands that doesn't involve the brakes. I wish I could transmit to you the pure zen-like joy that I experience when riding the fixie. It is not "worse case" anything. It is absolutely a wonderful experience and I will never, ever, give it up.

[utopiah]

You and the person you are replying to are both using dimensions (price, fun, maintenance, availability of public transport, physical health) that are important yet apparently the other one does not value.

[uproarchat]

different spokes for different folks :)

[utopiah]

I'm not specifically advocating for fixies for everyone. Rather I'm saying that if you don't consider maintenance you are comfortable handling, either yourself or even delegated to others, it will inexorably come and bite back. Whatever is good for you, we all have difference preferences.

TL;DR: I'm warning against deeply problematic dependencies that only appear later on.