I just read a draft manuscript on single-speed cycling and it has intrigued me about the movement, which I had thought was limited to bike messengers and BMX folks.  There seems to be a growing movement of cyclists who love single-speed bikes for a number of reasons.  Here are a few:

• Retro - some rebel at the bells and whistles of the high-tech bikes proliferating the market and just want a plain vanilla bike, thank you.

• Reliability - no gears and derailleur make single speeds efficient.  No gear jumping on hills.

• Maintenance - less to clean makes it easy.  No gears keeps it out of the shop.

• Weight -  single-speeds are lighter and faster because of fewer components.

• Cost - prices are lower since all you are buying is bike.  

• Challenge - while you’d think that urban commuters and folks in flat areas would be the prime buyers, some cyclists love the challenge of climbing (and descending) with one gear.  They get a good run on the hill, mash the pedals without worrying about slippage, and in some cases, out climb their geared friends.

• Smell the roses - often I hear that single-speed riders just enjoy riding more now that they don’t have to worry about the correct gearing for every segment of the ride.