Originally Posted by
noimagination
As Ironfish said, using just the front brake in low-friction conditions (wet roads; ice patch; gravel; etc.) can mean a quick trip to the pavement when your front wheel washes out.
Agreed, and I’ll take it a step further: I race on gravel a lot, and lately I’ve been working on locking the rear wheel through tight turns, which actually allows me to carry more speed. In other words, rather than slowing way down for a loose corner, I hit it faster, lock up the rear wheel to slide the bike around, then start pedaling again.