There really is no point to running rear-brake only over front-brake only. As stated earlier, according to Sheldon Brown, in most situations, the front brake provides all the possible stopping force possible.
Personally, if I were running a brake, I would choose a 1-brake, front-brake setup because it is functional and also doesn't result in ugly cable routing all over your frame.
Originally Posted by
ibcrewin
quick hijack: So would it be okay to ride a singlespeed (freewheel) with just a front brake? Using just the back brake seems to work fairly well just to bleed some speed.
Yes. Most fixed gear riders I know who don't ride brakeless have just the front.