Mountain Biking - Hydraulic discs: High maintenance?

Hey, newbie here that would appreciate some input on hydraulic disc brakes-

I'm in the market for a new bike. I've decided I want to switch to disc brakes because I ride almost all hilly singletrack and very often in wet muddy conditions. Not to mention I'm sick of pads rubbing on my rims. So, I'm looking at hard tails in the $900 area (i.e. Kona Caldera), and almost all of them come with discs. However, I'm a little wary of those with hydraulics (like the Caldera which comes with Hayes hydros). I have no knowledge about hydros, but my gut reaction is that cables would be less hassle and more durable over the long term (no bleeding them, no leaks, etc) - I'm all about low maintenance. I'm willing to sacrifice a little bit of performance for the sake of not having to run it to a shop for adjustments and stuff. Cables I'd mess with myself, hydraulics probably not. So, what I'm wondering is, are my fears about hydros being a PITA unfounded? Are cables a more durable option?

Also, anybody willing to weigh in on the Caldera as a choice for a hardtail in that price range, I'd welcome that too.

Thanks in advance & sorry if this has been answered previously.

I've been running Hydraulics for about 4 years now on all my bikes. 6 different sets of brakes on 5 different bikes.

Overall, once I've set them up, I barely ever touch them again until it's time to replace the pads.

The initial set-up might take an extra 15 minutes compared to linear pull brakes. The modulation on the power is worth ANY additional time in my mind. However, since I've NOT had any significant downtime, I could ONLY recommend them.

BTW, I've tried almost every type of hydraulic on the market. Either on my bikes or on friends bikes. Plus, as a mechanic I've worked on them all.

I'm sold on HAYES. 1 for ease of set-up and durability and 2 for modulation and lever feel. There are more powerful brakes on the market (Hope 6 pots), but I'm a Hayes proponent.

How much maintenance is there with hydraulic brakes on a car? Almost none, and it's the same with your bike.

Really, with hydros, maintenance is not an issue for most of the year. You may need to bleed them, or replace the pads every year or so. Replacing the pads is a snap - certainly as easy as replacing the pads on v-brakes. If/when you have to bleed the brakes, you can do it, or have the shop do it. My point is that it's not needed often, and it's pretty easy to do, regardless.

For me, discs are the only way to go!

I'll hop on board with the other's comments about Haye's hydros and discs, in general. I keep waiting for them to be a hassle and all they've been is 'set and forget' (well, don't totally forget; make sure the caliber bolts are tight, etc. like with any component).

I came pretty close to getting a Caldera. I think it's a really nice ride for $900. It's basically a Cindercone with an upgraded components package. In the end, I sprung $1400 for an '05 Kula which goes to a whole next level. Still, for a solid, well designed HT I'm sure I would have been very happy with the Caldera.

If you go for it, please write us a review. It looks like a nice bike.

I've heard of peoples concerns with crashing and having a hydraulic line break. Honestly that's never happened to me in all my years riding with hydraulics. Plus, if you crash THAT hard, chances are you've broken something else on your bike or your body.

I guess it COULD happen, but then again if you sustain a crash hard enough to damage a hydraulic line, a standard brake line is going to be destroyed as well. So, in either case, you limping back to the trail head with only one brake. (Unless you carry WAY too much spare equipment in your hydropack - I've been guilty of this).

Most everyone I know who does have mechanical discs is constantly adjusting them. Granted is a simple turn here and there and doesn't take more than a few seconds. With my Hydros, it'll take some fiddling around to get them to run drag-free, but after that I don't touch them.

Thanks for the replies. Makes me a little more comfortable with the idea of hydraulic lines. Also, it's good to hear positive feedback on the Hayes brakes specifically. I don't really keep up to speed on gear, and I wasn't familiar with Hayes at all.

I think the shop where I was looking at the Caldera ('04) is about to discount it a little more to make room for the '05 models coming in. I figure if I can get it for $850 or so, I'd probably be a fool not to grab it. I will definitely post back on my purchase whatever it ends up being. Although it may be a while - I've pretty much switched to skiing mode for the next 4 months or so.