Hey guys...I have an old Columbia Sports III, with a couple small updates, and I'm considering a few more. It has caliper brakes, which have a lot of flex under braking load. A few months ago, I put some of the KoolStop salmon pads on it, in an effort to improve wet-weather stopping power...but with steel rims, I have to be prepared for a stop ahead of time, by occasionally squeezing the levers, to wipe the rims. That means that I have no "panic stop" ability when I ride in the rain (or through a large puddle).

I recently found out about drum brakes, and I'm wondering if they would actually be better than what I've got. I'd imagine that aluminum or alloy rims with the current brake setup would be more cost-efficient, but how much better would they be in the rain? If I were to replace just my front wheel with one with a Sturmey Archer drum brake, I understand that the stopping power would be the same in wet or dry weather, so obviously an improvement over my current setup in the wet....but how would it compare in dry weather?

Also, on an early '70s steel-framed roadster, are there any considerations I need to make for drums? I've been told that my fork wouldn't be able to handle the braking force of discs - would there be a similar concern for drums?