This is a spin-off from another thread (http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=11029). I often hear people say something to the point of "You don't have to use your brakes, you can just keep them for panic stops."

In my experience as a messenger in Chicago, however, in a panic stop you're not going to think, you're going to do whatever you've trained your body to do. In other words, if you only backpedal or skid, when you get in an emergency situation, your reaction is going to be to backpedal or skid, not use your brakes.

If you want your brakes to be effective in a panic stop, you need to use them regularly, if not most of the time.