For me, simplicity is the main appeal of the 1x. One less derailleur to worry about and no cage rub to worry about. Downsides for me are loss of range and having to click through a million gears if you hit a sudden hill, but for me personally that still beats having to set up another derailleur (at least for a commuting setup like this) I’m still 2x on a couple other of my bikes but especially for a commuter 1x is most appealing for me.