If I could only have one bike, it would be a fixed gear. As it is, I have two of them, along with some other bikes that are geared and a SS chopper/muscle bike. The fixeds I ride the most. Why? Why not. I love it. Fixed gear bikes saved me from getting bored with cycling. I pull my two 35 pound boys in a bike trailer behind my fixed gear bikes.

Think of it this way. Riding fixed gear is like driving a manual car in third gear all the time. Low enough to get lots of torque, but high enough to get decent speed, depending on your ability to spin which increases the more you ride. I get excellent excercise, my spin is much smoother, I am far more aware of whats going on in my personal space on the road and I feel way more connected to the bike, to the point that I usually forget that it is under me(if that makes any sense).

Why not give it a try? I know you'll like it. You just might get hooked and become a fixed gear elitist and forget all about geared bikes, like me. All you have to lose are
your misconceptions.