if you want your brakes to be able to lock your wheel on a whim, hydro are what you want. if you just need something to slow you down, mechanical will do fine.
id say a mechanical, i had a juicy 5 and it was so much more fuss than my mx4, yes it had more power but you dont really need to bleed a mechanical brake, and adjusting it is easier and you have more adjustments generally. so i would say get a good mechanical because thats really all you need
WOW there is some BS on this thread. Rims with a brakeing surface are not as strong as those without???? Where did you get that info, a box of shreddies? That is definatly in the top 100 for silly comments. Then the comparison of V's to running brakeless? That made even less sence and I read it 3 times. There was even something about logic in there that was just plain sad. As for the V's being a pain with less than true rims,, come on. I have been riding V's for,, well since they came out and have not had to care about true rims ever. That being said I do like to build wheels and my wheels are nevre horrible, but rarely true. As for disks, a bent disk ends your ride on the spot (unless you have the tools to remove it and ride brakeless). I have trashed a rear wheel and just dissconnected my V's, stomped on the wheel and rode home. Thy that with a disk. Sa for comparing a damaged hub flange to a damaged disk, your kidding right? I have killed a disk, but not once have I ever even scratched a hub flange. The hub flange is actually protected by a number of spokes and is maybe 3" in diameter.. A disk is lets go with 6" (that's twice as big for those counting) it is also about an 1/2" farther from center than the flange... Yup sounds close... Disks were invented because guys in BC were melting their V pads on DH runs. I have yet to see that happen on a DJ or street bike. BMXers use U brakes which are the worst of the 3 but they seem to work. There is absolutely no reason to run disks on a DJ, park or street frame other then show. Unless you ride in the rain alot, they are better in the wet.
Riding brake less is f*ckin stupid. If you have the money, then buy hydro you wont regret it.
my thing is why waste money on a hydro(that il have to bleed over and over again) when i could spend that money on new parts
i rode my juicy fives for almost 3 years, never bled them, changed the pads twice, and they worked just as well as the first day. except for the worn out bushings. but you don't even notice that when you're riding.