i think what people who are afraid of riding with brakes is that for every idiot on this site 'judging' you, there are another 20 people out riding who do have brakes. i'm out every day and if i'm lucky, meet one or two guys who ride brakeless, and usually, they're really good riders.

there are just too many oops moments in a given day to take the risk. not to mention, after a long sprint, the last things your legs will want to do are resist.