I think it also helps to use a lowish gear. All of my urban FG bikes are geared under 70 gi, so I can stop pretty hard when I need to by back pedaling. I don't use skidding as a braking method, since it's inferior to back pedaling. I only use higher gearing on bikes that are ridden on very low traffic country roads with infrequent stops. Also, all of my urban FG bikes have a front brake, because **** can happen.