pwa wrote:You can tour on anything you like, so long as you can carry your kit on it. It is worth asking about these things while you still have a choice though. Personally, I'd avoid any technology that I can't work on by a roadside, just to avoid unnecessary hassle. That would include electronic gears (not likely on a touring bike anyway) and hydraulics. And I'd make sure I knew how to do basic repairs to the components I did take.
Yes, you can tour on anything you like. But there is nothing in a hydraulic brake that you can't work on by the roadside either. I just don't understand this negativity of cable brake users about hydraulic brakes - much of it based on perceptions rather than experience.
Hydraulics are much more reliable than cable brakes and need much less maintenance - why do you think hydraulics are the norm on motor vehicles? The worst that's going to happen if one fails is you are going to have to ride on one brake until you get the other fixed and if you can't do it yourself any competent garage mechanic could do it for you as they work on hydraulic systems all the time. And car mechanics are far more common around the world than bike shops.