Never happened to me, but every bike I had with hand brakes broke very quickly. The brakes deteriorate because the brake lines get caught in other bikes when yo

Never happened to me, but every bike I had with hand brakes broke very quickly. The brakes deteriorate because the brake lines get caught in other bikes when you put it in a bike rack, and water/ice screws everything up. Usually after a while you are left with one break that takes a crazy amount of effort to engage. Sure if you want to use a bike for sport it makes sense to have hand brakes, but for everyday city use, simple is better. A single speed bike with pedal brake is almost indestructible as all the moving parts are usually fully covered. It can go years without any maintenance.