Originally Posted by
dynaryder
I prefer discs for bad weather,and will never ride anything but them in the snow. Mechanicals are easier to work on and modify(changing cable length for different bars),but hydros have better feel and require almost no adjustments.
500 isn't enough to get a bike with hydraulic disk brakes (at least good ones, the lower end ones are probably only as good as a quality set of V-brakes). At the op's price, mechanical disk brakes or V-brakes are the most likely equipment.