i just did this, cept instead of loving my road frame i loved it but it was too small for me. so i got a cheap cyclocross frameset, swapped everything over but the brakes, and now i have a cross bike that fits me and i love it.
i'm selling my road bike frame because it's too small, so that will help make this a somewhat seamless transition.
just don't let anyone fool you, cantilever brakes suck. they're a bad design and they are hard to set up. especially when you buy a fork because it's got enough steerer but it doesn't have the little holes for the spring. the **** am i supposed to do about keeping the pads off my wheels now?