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@LondonSLGSS
I mainly ride a singlespeed bike due to knee problems, and on that bike I have two brakes. However I've got drop bars and only one crosstop lever, that being for the front brake. I generally ride mostly on the top of the drops so most of the time I only use the front brake, which is fine. But in poor conditions or if I think I'll need my back brake for any other reason, I'll switch to the drops so I have it available. Whenever I see a singlespeed without a rear brake I do tut to myself.
I did ride a bike without a back brake and with an increasingly ineffective front brake for a few weeks once. It was absolutely terrifying, especially in the wet!
edit: I also meant to mention that I've found on other bikes that I'm much more likely to use the back brake if the front brake isn't as good. If your front brake lacks stopping power you really need the back brake to make up for it.