We have Avid mechanical brakes on our Cannondale. I upgraded to compressionless brake housing and did a lot of finagling to get acceptable modulation and stopping power. They stop quite well. That said, they need a lot of... well, finagling to keep them stopping well and to keep them from rubbing. If building up or rebuilding I would go hydraulic, no question. The Shimano hydraulic on my MTB work fabulously and are trouble-free.