Originally Posted by
eddy m
An independently controlled rear brake is useful for controlling speed on fast downhills, or for redundancy, but not much for maximum braking.
The late, great, and too soon departed Sheldon Brown agreed. He has an entire article on front brake only stopping which I've read, but as someone (lazy) who often leaves rear brakes unconnected for months at a time, I wasn't one of those who needed convincing.