My opinion of SA hubs is colored by the time my father went OTB riding to work. Seeing your dad with his face all scraped up when you're a kid is something you never forget. Then again, there no doubt have been more PBP's finished on SA hubs than any other kind of IGH. And you can get a SA dynohub
I do think you would be needlessly hampering yourself. I really wanted a lower gear as I was climbing out of loudeac. I didn't remember it getting that steep. And an IGH doesn't get the same kind of respect(?) as riding fixed.
If you want to go simple, single speed is the way to go. I used to commute on a single speed. The bike had been fixed, but then I got tired of spinning down a mountain every day riding to 8 o'clock classes.