You can skid stop on a dime but you will eat up perfectly good tires. I wasted a continental gatorskin 35$ tire because I didn't have a brake. All you need is a single front brake and your legs can do the rest. It is a very worthy component to have. If you take your bike on the track you could remove the brake but otherwise keep one handy. It is much more fun to spin down crazy hills with a brake than without.