It just doesn't make sense to replace the chain. They are incredibly efficient, cheap and reliable. Most of the issues with chain drives are due to improper maintenance on sport bikes. Modern bikes have 10 or more gears in their cassette, which means the chain has to be very skinny and shifting needs to be very precise.

On the other hand, a dutch style bike with a wide 1/8" chain and an internally geared hub instead of a derailleur is much more reliable and requires very little maintenance. Even an older derailleur bike with friction shifters and fewer gears will be very reliable.

In case you didn't know, they make bikes with carbon+rubber belt drives now, rather than chains. It's kind of nice for commuter bikes because there's no grease to get on your pants.