[QUOTE=Poguemahone;385530]

Some will argue you don't need a front brake, since you "brake" a fixie by backpedaling. But if I'm riding in traffic, I want a redundant braking system in case one brake goes (ie chain break or cable snap or whatever). I maintain my bikes, so it's probably not an issue, but better safe than sorry.

QUOTE]

I believe what's being asked about is a "suicide hub" ie. threading a cog and BB lockring onto a road hub. This works fine, but you absolutely positively shouldn't run this setup brakeless, as it's possible to spin the cog off the hub. At that point you're free-sailing with no means of stopping. A track hub, on the other hand, has reverse threads for the lockring, so that back-peddling actually tightens the lockring. Personally, I still wouldn't ride brakeless on the road, but some do.