on my 2 mile (brakeless) commute, i never really *have* to skid or skip. i ride in fairly sparse, small-city traffic, so it's easy to see what's coming. even when i'm bombing down my empty straightaway with the wind at my back, i just coast/lightly resist my way to the busy, red-light intersection.

it really is all about planning, and it's all about knowing what will present itself--what you'll have to react to--so you know how to ride, ready to react to that. often it means going slower, which is hard sometimes in cities--when i ride in nyc i find myself rushing rushing rushing a lot, because of the intensity of the traffic, which would be problematic if i were brakeless there, because things happen fast, and change fast, and i'd be going a bit to fast to react safely, w/o emergency/panic maneuvers.

brakeless is all about control. it's about knowing when to ride smart, and when you can ride fast, and knowing ahead of time when you need to stop riding fast.