... ease of maintenance and service ... Exactly, and gears and chain are horrible in this regard. The absolut vast majority barely maintains their chain which

... ease of maintenance and service ... Exactly, and gears and chain are horrible in this regard. The absolut vast majority barely maintains their chain which leads to a much lower efficiency and really poor longevity (no it is not hard, but apparently too hard/boring to get done). Unless the owner is a bike enthusiast you can almost guarantee that the maintenance is abysmal. I realized this for myself and bought a belt-driven bicycle so I wouldn't feel bad abusing my current bike. For your day-to-day bike I'm very happy with it and the maintenance benefits alone make it so worth it.