bcipam, I'll concede that v-brakes are easier to maintain, but easier to use??? Do you never ride in wet glop? Do you never come across really steep little downhills with sharp corners at the bottom that require very careful braking to tackle successfully? Now I've tried 'em, I wouldn't dream of having anything other than hydraulic discs! They've had a bit of lever tweaking to bring the reach in, but that's about it; my (fairly entry level) Hayes have been very reliable.