I think the REAL bottom line here is riding without a brake is illegal, riding with a brake is legal.

For me personally it's not about cool points or how quick I can stop myself without a brake. I enjoy breaking the law as my forum title suggests, but If I break the law and endager others because of it, then it's not cool. I rode for a month without a brake and loved it. It was a lot of fun, really. It slowed me down, almost made riding a chore since I couldn't ride as maniacally as I would with a brake. The brake allows me to go faster since I'm not worrying about all the sh*t that can happen out on the road. I know that if I need to stop, this is how far it will take me, EVERY time. I don't have to worry about being tired and not being able to slow myself down and possibly causing an accident and injuring others because I broke the law.