It’s obvious that you have more braking power on the front brake! Something like 70%?
And yes, it is discipline specific, and this is in the context of people lucky enough to live and race where there are several thousand meters of descending.
Not sure if it is a “bad” habit to drag the rear brake for modulation, when literally all the best riders in the world do it? They can’t all be doing it wrong. But again discipline specific braking needs.
Take the world of motorcycle racing for instance. Listened to an interview with Sylvain Guintoli, where he said the won the supersport world championship without touching his rear brake. But when racing MotoGP the use of it was crucial.
No. If you don’t notice brake fade, are happy with the power and modulation, then chances are you’re on the right brakes for you!
Personally I am lucky enough to live somewhere with long descents, long enough that I do get some brake fade. Also I like a lot of power, so that I don’t have to “pull” hard. Which I find really beneficial on descents long enough, to where grip strength/arm pump starts to be a factor.
I ride a 180 up front (160 in the back) at ~53 kg. Do I need it? Probably not for all my rides. Do I like it on sustained descents? Yep, absolutely. We have enough sustained descents here, and I run a 1 MTB quiver with a downcountry bike, so for me, it’s worth it, but it very well may not be for someone my size who lives somewhere flatter. I think it ultimately boils down to terrain and personal preference.
