Originally Posted by sgj
Many long distance commuters riding into London (UK) have switched to riding fixed. There aren't many hills and it is really annoying to wear out two sprockets on a cassette over the winter. So why bother with all the complexity and expense of gears? Choose a gear that matches your optimum cadence with your normal cruising speed (normally 67-72 inches) and you won't go far wrong.
word!
you can also do achieve almost this level of simplicity much less masochistically if your so inclined by making a regular old singlespeed with only one glorious gear, but the ability to coast.
i currently rock both. freeewheel and fenders for rainy days, and fixed minimal seup for nice days. i am quite convinced i could ride my fixie around the world and never need anything but tires (and maybe some smaller gears for mountains)....