Why do bike messengers ride fixies rather than bikes with gears?

The story I heard about the history of fixies when I first started the bike business is that to save time, bicycle messengers often threw their bicycles on the ground on arrival, brake levers on their bicycles soon get broken. If these were never replaced why should they consider getting geared bike which will be more costly to replace and add weight to their load, affecting their speed?

Here is a story that most of you may not be aware of. Messengers speeding on their bicycle without brakes for courier companies look cool to young Asians and that is an American culture that they want to adopt.

Young cyclists deliberately removed the brakes levers and cables on their own bicycle so that they could do 360 degrees twists and turns on their bicycle too. So, manufacturers in China started making fixed gear bicycles with the front brake cable inserted through a hole in the centre of stem and it comes out from the base of the steerer tube to be attached to the brake calipers, as shown in this photo.



This 20" fixed gear bike comes with alloy sport rims installed is suitable for child of six and above.  Due to its designer look, children should be able to ride it till their adulthood just by changing the handlebar.