Yeah...to see if you can live without gears, select one on your current bike and leave it there no matter what. That's what I did to help me decide on getting my SS. Freewheels are fairly cheap so you can still give yourself gearing options after you've set up your bike.

I think I developed my road legs riding my SS on a bike path. Not having the option to shift, and not wanting to slow down when climbing yields an excellent workout for developing strength.

The quietness and simplicity of riding a SS bike is very attractive. As far as maintenance, in 2 years I've lubed the chain, that's it.