I think we all hope that guys who are like EMTs or something will be available if we end up in such dire straits.

I built up and rode a fixed gear bike for several months last winter. My fascination with fixed gear bikes centers mainly on the clean lines of these bikes. I think they look fantastic sans brakes. I built mine up with no brakes and commuted this way for a couple of weeks. The whole backpedaling thing became annoying. I then added the front brake and this helped quite a bit, but the clean lines of the bike were ruined ;-) Ultimately I want to enjoy my ride and the fixed gear experiment was too much work, even on a relatively flat commute. I rarely experience knee pain, but such pain began to creep with each fixed gear session. Certainly not worth it for a cool looking bike.

Overall, I find myself wondering how many fixed-gear riders really know how to ride these bikes. The poster above who did a windshield-faceplant seems rather clueless re: riding such a bike skillfully. And now he appears to have disfiguring injuries.

If I'm going to mess with fixed gear, it will be on a big wheel. They're easy to lock up and skid.