So I'm looking at upgrading some parts on my Araya. The most important parts, imho, are going to be my brakes, and derailleurs.

Current stock brakes:



Shifter (what's the little metal bar below do? I've never seen anything like it before):



Current rear derailleur:


I wanted to switch this over to avid cantis, but without the proper setup on the frame I'd be stuck dealing with a hack/hangar option. Is there a better choice?

I am a bike snob so nashbar, tek and promax ain't gonna cut it.

On the rear der., couldn't I go to a Campy record 9-speed and keep the shifters i currently have?