Originally Posted by
SkunkWerX
As deapee said, leave it alone, stay in the middle ring, and just don't shift. Easy.
One day you may hit terrain that warrants shifting, or you may trade or sell the bike for something else and it will be in stock condition.
Don't do something just because you see others doing it.
What made you think he is doing it just to copy someone? 1x setups are proven to work for many riders.
You lose some weight, gain a slight aerodynamic boost, have one less moving part that can fail while riding and also add to the aesthetics of a bike. If your riding style and environment is conducive to not needing more than one front chainring then why not do it if you want to.