3speed

I'd guess the fact that you've seen it again and again is a sign. It sounds like you've been really lucky. Also, what brakes are you using? I'll take a serious look at them for my next build. I, and Maaaany others, have experienced a greater maintenance need with hydraulics. I've owned two different sets now. Both had their issues. Common issues that are commonly talked about with hydraulic disks. The stuff you said you see again and again... I still used them because they're great, but the trade-off was needing to bleed the brakes somewhat often on one set(kept getting a squishy lever and would have some air bubbles in the line) and uneven pad wear on the other set. I will say that on both sets, only one brake had an issue. The other was hassle free. The front brake needed the bleeding, and the rear on the other set wore unevenly. And again, this isn't something weird and crazy with my brakes. Maaaany people have the exact same experiences. Go post a thread in the mechanic sub-forum and ask them. Plenty of mechanics working in shops right now will say the same thing. One good thing is that they are getting better and more reliable(I've read). Both sets I've owned were ~4-5yrs old. Are yours fairly new?

Mechanical disks are my choice for a touring bike. They're almost as good as hydraulic disks with practically zero maintenance other than an occasional pad adjustment as they wear. I like BB7s.