Ok--So I walked into a kinda underground LBS looking for a cheap road bike and the guy starts talking about single speed and fixed gears. I understand the difference between the 2 and some of the advantages of both but I have a sleu of questions about these bikes, most of which you guys probably hear all the time. I tried searching this forum but All i found were posts with goofy answers. So if you're sick of these, could somebody please point me in the right direction.

1. For primarily street riding, is a fixed gear of singlespeed better?
2. Why don't you need a rear brake?
3. Are all single speed/ fixed gear bikes home built? If so, how hard/expensive is it to do so?
4. don't you "spin out" frequently when going downhill on one of these?
5. Whats up with the wacky handlebars i've seen on some of your pics--are these speciailly designed for a specific type of riding?-- i'm talking about the one that go straight out and then curve up?

I'm genuinly interested in pursuing the posibility of going with a singlespeed or fixed gear, so i would appreciate serious answers or at least someone kind enought to point me to a website (i've already checked mr. brown's site). I am really looking for an inexpensive, durable bike that is easy to maintain that I can ride for extended periods for the purpoe of mainly exercise and fun. I am very attracted to the simplicity of a singlespeed and I am a bit turned off by all of the snoobery in the road bike culture. Can someone pelase help a newbie out---or at least dont banish me?