Why mechanical brakes are HEALTHIER than hydraulic ones (on grip strength)

You’re not mistaken to be surprised by the title—this is indeed a surprising post.

Except for MTB, rim or mechanical disc brakes can be set up and tuned so that they work well in almost any conditions. The limiting factor in braking efficiency will not be the brakes themselves but rather the grip of road or gravel tires or the bike’s tendency to flip forward (with the rear wheel lifting due to the inability to shift weight down and back in the absence of a dropper post).

There is one nuance—mechanical brakes require more grip strength. And that’s what we’ll be focusing on.

Grip strength, measured with a dynamometer and expressed in kilograms, is a surprisingly important health marker.

• It reflects overall muscle strength [Lee SY 2021].
• It serves as an indicator of aging [Syddall H et al. 2003].
• It correlates with age-related cognitive decline (dementia) [Cui M et al. 2021], cancer risk (via DNA methylation) [Peterson M et al. 2022], cardiovascular disease [Li G et al. 2023], diabetes [Suda N et al. 2023], systemic inflammation [Son DH et al. 2022], and overall mortality [Kim J 2021].

Both poor nutrition [Robinson S et al. 2007] and an unhealthy lifestyle [Hurst C et al. 2021] (lack of physical activity, excess weight) are linked to weaker grip strength.

Grip strength is a reliable biomarker independent of age [Sayer A & Kirkwood T 2015] and income level [Leong D et al. 2015]. (This is crucial because it reduces the likelihood of false correlations—such as when wine is considered “healthy” because regular wine drinkers are, on average, healthier. In reality, this is due to other factors like access to sports, quality food, and healthcare among those who prefer wine to other alcoholic beverages.)

Moreover, middle-aged grip strength can predict physical limitations in old age, including disability [Rantanen T et al. 1999]. Some researchers even consider grip strength more important than blood pressure, and the supporting scientific literature is far more extensive than the examples cited above.

So, if you find your mechanical brakes insufficient, it’s worth thinking about. And in particular, whether you have them set right.

Often, the issue isn’t the brakes themselves but improper assembly or tuning. To get the most out of mechanical brakes:

• Use fresh, smoothly routed cables and housing (non-compressive housing is a must for mechanical disc brakes).
• Opt for quality, compatible pads (e.g., SwissStop for rim brakes and budget-friendly organic Shimano pads for discs—changed frequently).
• Learn to properly adjust the specific brakes on your bike.

This is enough to avoid feeling disadvantaged compared to riders with hydraulics. Additionally, mechanical brakes don’t require regular bleeding. Missteps during hydraulic bleeding can result in leaks of toxic brake fluid—hardly beneficial for your health. :)

That said, if you are confident that your mechanical brakes are functioning properly, but you find your grip strength lacking, here are a couple of thoughts.

Firstly, if you are a young or elderly man or a woman of any age and fitness level [Leyk D et al. 2006], having less grip strength than a healthy young or middle-aged man is expected. In this case, hydraulic brakes might be a better choice for you. The same applies to those recovering from hand or forearm injuries—at least during the recovery period.

Separately, heavier individuals (whether due to excess weight, height, or muscle mass) might find that even strong grip strength isn’t sufficient for mechanical brakes. Regarding excess weight—body positivity can be psychologically helpful for those struggling to lose it, but unfortunately, it doesn’t change the fact that even a small amount of extra weight negatively affects health and longevity (this could warrant an entire paragraph with references—there’s plenty of research available).

Secondly, correlation does not imply causation. Just because you start squeezing a hand gripper daily (or a tennis ball or towel) doesn’t mean your health metrics will magically improve. Grip strength is merely an indicator of overall muscle strength—it’s hard to lift heavy objects without a strong grip—and it’s overall muscle strength that impacts everything else.

That said, if you live a healthy lifestyle—ride your bike regularly, eat nutritious and delicious food, get enough sleep, and join a cycling club—you will live a long and high-quality life. Even without lifting heavy weights.

Wait, what? Join a cycling club to live long and happily? Well, this is just the first post in a series about key health and longevity indicators and their connection to cycling. I have more surprises for you.

In the meantime, let’s consider not just brakes but also the fact that mechanical shifting requires stronger hands than electronic shifting ;)

Oh, and at the bottom of this webpage, you’ll find links to posts about setting up brake levers for safe and ergonomic use (bike fit), as well as on essential components of a healthy lifestyle: food, sleep, and exercise (based on scientific research too).