Most of the commonly-available bike require a lot of maintenance because cyclists accept this. It's acepted in the cycling community that one should at least be willing and able to fix a flat, and things like replacing brake pads and cleaning chains are perfectly normal. Because of diametrically opposite customer expectations, bikes and cars have evolved very differently in the last thirty years. It's possible that things may change as more noncyclists go bicycle shopping and bring automotive expectations with them.

Paul;