Trust me, with the amount of bashing around a work bike gets things do start to get hard to maintain. I'm not much of a mechanic and I am able to keep everything working, but it would be easier with a fixie. I'm also dreading the day something actually happens to the rear derailleur. It happened to a coworker last week and know hes on a heavy ass singlespeed mountain bike instead of his old road bike. His derailleur tore off and got stuck in his spokes or something to that effect.
Think about it, if you're locking up and unlocking a hundred times a day, often very quickly, that derailleur is going to get bashed into things. At the end of the day you're tired and don't want to work on the bike. So you don't, until it's absolutely necessary or too late.
It's really not necessary to act superior to every one on this forum. If we're not allowed to call you a weenie because that's a personal attack you really shouldn't be allowed to declare that anyone who thinks a derailleur involves too much maintenance should move back in with their parents, it's just as childish. You're the one that started by saying that you would want gears because speed is the priority. Speed is hardly the priority and you were wrong from the start.
Yes an old road bike with downtube shifters does make a fine work bike. But not because it's fast, it's because any decent relatively quick bike will do. Hell I know of a messenger who works on a surly 1x1. It's a pretty bullet proof bike and kinda heavy but it works well enough for him. I also know a lot of guys with singlespeeds. They're not trying to be cool by doing that, they just dont want to deal with broken derailleurs.
I also know quite a few people who've broken their derailleurs and just went and used the singleator to run it as a singlespeed. My friend who just destroyed his rear derailleur couldn't do that cause he needs a new wheel cause the derailleur tore out some spokes.


You wanna know how I know you're ideas are silly? Because I ride a fully geared bike, and probably will continue to do so for work and I fully understand why people like fixies and singlespeeds for courier work. Given the wear and tear on the bike it really is easier to just have a singlespeed. I also really miss my fixed gear when its raining.
Most of the guys I work with who ride fixies also own geared bikes, usually older road bikes that they take good care of, and they definitely know how to adjust their derailleurs, they just prefer the fixie for work. Cause speed isn't that important, having something thats not going to break down is. I've never even seen the best messenger I know moving fast. I'm sure he can, I just haven't seen it yet.

Among the guy's who ride geared bikes I've found that rather than downtube shifters being popular a lot enjoy using mtb bars with mtb shifters. There's really not much time you spend in the drops while working so mtb risers are probably more useful, keep you more upright and more visible.

Seriously, if you have a different point of view just say it. Don't insult us while you're at it. Especially when it seems you don't really know what you're talking about.