Originally Posted by
Badger6
It's helpful, but as with many things Sheldon, it's not exactly correct either.
Braking with both ends is far more effective than using only the front, and the rear alone will stop a bicycle...I've had to do it when a front brake failed. Know how to use both brakes and adapt your braking to the surface condition. The only way to do this is practice. Braking only slows you down, but it's a vital bike handling skill.
Using both brakes is more ‘effective’ at keeping the front and rear brake wear even. For hard braking or emergency stops though using 100% front is correct. Maybe if you can get enough of your weight behind the saddle you could use a little rear brake but the vast majority of weight will be on the front tire and the braking force available from the rear is small.