Retractable gear aircraft are inherently complex. There is a saying in aviation, "It is not a question of if a pilot will land gear up, but when." The also add weight, which usually outweighs whatever aerodynamic drag you save on small, slow aircraft. CS props don't really add a whole lot of performance, mainly they are more efficient.
Actually they add quite a bit of performance across the flight profile. Granted, up against a fixed-pitch cruise-prop, the best they can hope for is coming within a few knots of delivering top-speed.. but up against that cruise-prop they out perform it substancially during a takeoff and climb... and out perform all other props during all parts of a flight.
That and the fact that most fixed gear Cessnas with equivalent horsepower will outperform the 'gear up' competition.
I've found that to be true also