Originally Posted by trekkie820
My guess is that if you have to ask why, you most likely are not ready for it.
Phfft! You're only ready to try riding fixed or SS when you already know that's what you want? Please. It's really not that deep.
Originally Posted by FXjohn
why not a rohloff multispeed hub?
Planetary gears are even less efficient than derailleur setups. That's not to say they don't have their advantages (they're certainly lower maintenance and less finicky than a der and that's got a lot of appeal), but nevertheless more complicated than what a lot of people need and still shift. It's hard to believe until you go 1-speed, but you spend a lot time thinking about what gear to be in. A lot of us just don't like always doing that little mental check to decide if you should up- or down-shift. Again, it sounds silly until you don't have to and you realize it can be a source of a bit of subconcious stress.