It depends a LOT on the frame. My Giordana is designed to have a stiff bottom bracket area yet ride smooth.
My Giordana is tight track geometry, and it has a plush ride. Smoother than anything else I've ridden. It's a combination of wheels, saddle, frame and tires.
That said, I feel more confident maneuvering through traffic and people on my track bike. The track bike is less comfortable because in my track setup i have a lot of saddle to bar drop, but with riser bars, It feels even more comfortable to ride than my road bike.
Geared bikes accelerate faster than fixed geared bikes. No question about that. A geared bike can have high torque at low speed, to get you moving fast, then you increase your gearing as you get to speed.
Fixed gears are used on the track because gears and brakes and coasting are not needed. If the same rider rides a fixed gear and a road bike on the track, the speed would probably be about the same. The track bike is a little bit more efficient though.
Last edited by physh; 01-20-09 at 07:41 PM.