Do I REALLY need Both front and back brakes?

[GTscoob]

i have been riding and racing high performance motocycles ( both street and off-road) for 30 years. the front brake is what stops you, especially on pavement, even on a wet road. racers use the front on both pavement and dirt to slow down, and the rear for control and setting the rear end. BTW braking on wet gravel in the middle of a turn is NEVER advisable. ANY hard braking on a two-wheeler should be done on an UPRIGHT bike. my $.02, and i know from whence i speak...good luck, and just get a rim (v-brake) for the rear.

Quoted for the truth, from my own mild racing experience. Your front brakes will do 80-90% of your braking, the rear brakes just keep the car level (ie keep it from pitching too far forward under braking) which helps keep the car under control. Bikes should be similar, however if you brake too much on the front you'll end up flying over the handlebars.

This is one of the main reasons I'm wary of the brake levers that combine your front and rear brakes. I'd at least like to put some preload on the back so it bites slightly before the front and never throws me over the handlebars. I can handle a little oversteer (if its even a possibility with an 80cc).

 

[Pablo]

This is one of the main reasons I'm wary of the brake levers that combine your front and rear brakes. I'd at least like to put some preload on the back so it bites slightly before the front and never throws me over the handlebars. I can handle a little oversteer (if its even a possibility with an 80cc).

Actually it's pretty easy to dial in. I've been using the dual lever for 4-5 months now. No tossing and bike stops great.

 

[HoughMade]

On the dual lever, the tension can be adjusted individually both at the lever and at the brake.

 

[GTscoob]

Cool, thanks for the info guys. I'm really liking how friendly and helpful people are on here. I've been doing too much daydreaming about my build but I'm sure when it comes to fruition I'll have a completely different setup, the brakes included.