Note, there are many reasons for choosing cable over hydraulics. Failure mode is one of them. If your brakes start giving you issues, 3 days away from the nearest big town on a big tour or race, chances are you can bodge a cable brake until you get to a proper bike shop. With hydraulics how do you fix them in the middle of nowhere?
Hydraulics may offer better braking performance, but at what cost.
J
The reality is that hydraulic is pretty much fit and forget. I've only ever bled such hydraulic twice since early 90s and even then it I think it was to learn how to do it. And guess what, it's not actually that hard. Probably easier than replacing a gear cable that's shredded inside your brifter. Now that's a real pig to sort out
I did snap a front hydraulic hose in an MTB race after straightening fork by turning it the wrong way and then forcing it. Duh! But that was an unusual fork that looked same even the wrong way around and was rim brake /hydraulics with short cable, so a bit of a freak incident caused by an adrenaline fueled idiot. Made for an interesting second half of race as we carried on.
We is not a misprint there as I was piloting a drop handle barred tanden and that was interesting ride continuing the race with just a rear brake, went down the hills a lot faster on second lap.
In the 25 years since, only hydraulics issue has been sticky pistons on some very old brakes. Older than most folks bike. Had loads of issues with cables in that time and before.
The true cost to consider is inferior braking. And it's not hyperbole to say that can literally be a matter of life and death.