Originally Posted by
veryhumid
Good question. The brakes feel smooth but they don't "bite" the rim. Even with strong grip on the levers, the response is soft and the bike stops much more slowly than my old v-brake bike. I can squeeze as hard as I want but it just won't slow down very fast. Even at low speeds I doubt I could lock up the front wheel. With my last bike, I think this would have been possible, or at least plausible.
That sounds like an adjustment issue in conjunction with the "ancient" brake pads. I've been rolling Tektro CR720s on all my canti equipped bikes for a few years. I use Kool Stop salmon pads and they work very well in all but the worst of conditions... I'm talking about *really* bad; like, iced over middle of winter packed full of snow and road slush on the commuter, or slick wet muddy CX course with fresh-cut grass so a combo of that crap packs in around the brakes.