The single-speed bike has been around for over a century and is still popular in it's many guises, due to it's reliability and simplicity.
 
As there are so few moving parts they require only simple maintenance ie; oiling the chain and checking the chain tension now and again. As they have fewer parts they also tend to be lighter than a geared bike.The only downsides to the single gear are limited hill climbing ability and a limited top speed. Yet as they are mainly used for commuting and pottering about this tends not to be a problem. They are also more relaxing to ride as you don't have to think about whether or not to change gear.
 
The only thing you may have to consider is the gear ratio you require. The suggested gearing is from 65 to 72 inches. This depends on a multitude of factors. So if you are unsure as to what gear inches are, then there are plenty of websites explaining this. If you find that your chosen gear is to high or low on your bike, we can easily rectify this problem in the workshop by changing the freewheel or chainring size.
 
A rear wheel made for single speed is different to one made for a multiple freewheel. The hub may be the same, but the dish will be different. Single speed can be more expensive than multiple speed.