I think that’s it.
My single speed is fine and awesome fun for a hour or so fun on select suitable roads but it’s never going to be my main whip.
This thread prompted me to fix my SS, even if you commute once a week or even less I’d 100% recommend getting one.
I’ve had a fun loop around my town always being in the wrong gear with a mad range of cadences. Would probably be even better with a longer stem and bars not as wide as my gravel set. The joys of parts bin builds!
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For me, personally, I go geared or fixed. Singlespeed with a freewheel… I can just not shift my geared bike.
Overall, I have found that I don’t lose much speed on my fixed gear. It’s a bit more taxing than geared though because of the cadence swings but it’s also fun. Finding the right ratio for your legs and terrain can take some experimentation though.
I got into fixed by just buying a converted steel road bike off Craigslist. If you aren’t up to building your own, I’d just pick a mid range gear on your bike and then wrap some electrical tape around the shifter to remind you not to shift. A singlespeed will be a bit quieter with the perfect chainline and no derailleur pulleys, but overall I think if you hate riding a geared bike in one gear, you would hate single speed also.
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When I was commuting on a fixed gear my unofficial plan* if I saw someone stealing it was to sprint after them and then stop and see if it bucked them when they went to coast.
*The official one was essentially going ‘well, that sucks’
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I have 2 single speeds, one cyclocross/gravel and one XC mountain bike. They both get ridden a lot. Not as much as my geared bikes, but close.
For commuting, a SS or fixie makes a lot of sense. Less maintenance, simplicity, quiet, less expensive. I used to commute on a fixie and that was a blast (walk to work now).
Converting a used bike is a pretty cheap/easy way to get onto a SS - just swap the cassette for a single cog/spacers and swap the RD for a tensioner (plus removing them cables). You can’t convert most geared bikes to fixie because you a bolt-on rear wheel (or a good EBB) - you don’t want a spring-loaded tensioner on a fixie. But, older (80s or older, usually) bikes sometimes have slotted dropouts that can work.
Anyway, I say go for it. Especially if you can find a frame that speaks to you. Like, I’d love to get a vintage Klein to setup as a single-speed JRA bike (but the prices have gotten insane, so not going to happen).
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