Just so we all use the same terms, let's use the following applet for determining gear inches:

http://software.bareknucklebrigade.c...it.applet.html

From my experience, when riding at or below 72 gear inches, a young and athletic rider of normal to light body mass can more efficiently stop a fixed gear bike with resistance pedaling than with skidding.

Above 72 gear inches, a rider needs exceptional athletic ability or exceptional skill in order to ride without a brake and without skidding or skipping.

I presently ride at 61 gear inches, and I consider 63 gear inches the all-around gear ratio.

I have ridden long commutes in the past at up to 82 gear inches with a front brake.

I went down to 61 gear inches in order to keep riding during chemotherapy, and to my surprise, my spin rapidly improved until I found myself getting around town just as fast at 61 gear inches as I had at 72-82 gear inches.

I also noticed that my acceleration and my control increased DRAMATICALLY, and I found myself using my front brake less and less.

I learned that in order to brake with resistance pedaling, it helps to have the correct saddle height.

Correct saddle height for any kind of riding means low enough so that one can fully lower the heel with a 15 degree bend in the knee.

With the saddle this low, correctly low, one can lower his heel, make himself light in the saddle, and begin the resistance before the pedal gets to bottom dead center.

With practice, one learns how much to resist the rising rear pedal so that one maximizes braking action without getting pushed up by the pedal.

One also learns different forward and aft positions on the saddle for different situations; and, on occasion, one can add to the resistance by pulling up on the descending forward pedal (although, when accompanied by a forward position on the bike, this will result in skidding).

Additionally, one learns to not ride "ballistically."

To some riders, not riding ballistically might mean riding slower, but I find that my times between destinations remain the same, which means my average speed must remain the same.

When I first started riding fixed gear, about five years ago, I could not imagine anyone riding without a brake.

However, even before my chemotherapy, and while still riding at 72 gear inches and above, I found that I would, every now and then, get to a destination without having used my brake.

I then started examining those situations in which I did use my brake with the thought of discovering principles or patterns relevant to using or not using my brake.

The second year, I actually made an effort to not use my front brake, and this meant that on those occasions when I would put myself in a situation that required a rapid stop, I would do my best to stop by back pedaling, or resistance pedaling.

Most often, when I had to stop in a hurry I would inadvertently skid, which I considered a failure of sorts.

Over time, I developed sufficient coordination so that I could take the resistance right to the edge of skidding without skidding, and I would stop faster than if I skidded.

I need to emphasize that below 72 gear inches, this does not involve strength, but, rather, timing, coordination, and reflection.

Every time I had to make a major effort to stop, I would examine the WHY of the situation, sometimes turning around and riding through the situation again in order to analyze it.

Eventually, I found that I could actually stop more quickly and with less effort by back pedaling, and partly because I could begin my resistance at any point in the spin; whereas, with skidding, I had to wait for the right pedal position (for a non-ambidextrous skidder, this could mean almost an entire spin cycle).

One spin cycle at 61 gear inches corresponds to 5.4 meters, or almost 18 feet, before one even starts to skid.

The typical fixed gear rider on a factory bike rides at 78 gear inches (48 X 16), and at 78 gear inches the bike travels 6.3 meters, or 24 feet, before beginning the skid.

With back pedaling, though, I can begin to resist the pedals at any point in the spin, which can give me as much as a 24 foot advantage in stopping over a rider who depends on skidding in order to stop.

So, not only can I stop as quickly or more quickly by back pedaling, I can in many situations also begin the braking effort earlier than can a rider who only skids.

Gear down to 72 gear inches or below (I recommend 63 gear inches, or 46 X 19), learn to back pedal and save your tires for riding.