I'm a long distance rider, and never gave much thought to single speeds, but I am considering a track frame purchase. I have two newbie questions:

1-Why do single speed hubs all have axles with regular old nuts to hold them on? Why doesn't a quick release work for them?

2-Has anyone used a 'kick-shift' 2 speed hub? Are they reliable, and are they easy to use? I really wanted the SRAM 2 speed automatic, but I gather they don't make them any longer, and nobody else makes one (Is that true?).

I live in a pretty flat area (Florida), so 2 or 3 speeds would work for me. The frame has 120 spacing, and I find several options for IGH hubs to fit, but I'd rather have no shift cable if possible. I'm not ready to go for one speed, though. It does get very windy at times, and there are some hills here and there. Anyway, thanks in advance for any answers.