Originally Posted by Jeff Neese

When I learned to ride a motorcycle, I was taught that you ALWAYS use both front and rear brakes together, even if you're just slowing down or braking gently. That's because you want to have the muscle memory of applying both, when you actually do have to stop suddenly. You don't want to have to "remember" anything. The other thing I was taught is to actually practice your panic stops. You need to know how you and the bike respond under hard braking, and how to apply proper modulation between front and rear brakes.

I've always applied this to bicycles. Even if I just want to slow down a little, I use both brakes. Then when I have to stop suddenly, that's what I'm going to do naturally. And because I do practice sudden stopping, I understand how my bike handles and what the limits are. I practice again whenever I change anything, like brake pads. A lot of the practice is getting used to the way your body weight shifts forward during hard braking and how to maintain control when that happens. A lot of people aren't prepared for that weight shift, and crash.

This "front brake only" thing is maybe for people that aren't skilled riders or who have cheap brakes with poor modulation. If you want to fool around and practice front-only braking just to see what those limits are, fine. But for maximum stopping and minimum stopping distance, learn to use both front and rear, and of course practice.