Originally Posted by dutret
There is simply no reason to skip on the track ever. If you find yourself skipping then you are not ready to ride with other people.
+1000
If you're skipping or skidding on the track you're doing something seriously wrong. If you're closing on someone you should already be anticipating getting on his wheel smoothly (he's moving slower than you if you're closing), and if he slows a little more you should be able to match. If you can't, you're not looking far enough ahead and anticipating. I've ridden in practice races with people who were geared *much* smaller than me (junior gear limits for them) and they can slow as if they have brakes and there's still no reason to skip or skid.
This is not true on the road. There are many situations that require faster stopping then backpressure allows and usually they do not involve a herd of other brakeless riders behind you.
The coefficient of static (rolling) friction is always higher than the coefficient of kinetic (sliding) friction. You can always slow more quickly by not skidding. This is the point of anti-lock braking systems.