Originally Posted by practical

I ride a cross bike (Norcross Blue) as a road bike. This bike has cantilever brakes and they are quite weak. I've heard this is normal for cantilevers. I really have to squeeze very hard to come to a stop at the bottom of a hill, for example. I also ride a hybrid with linear pull brakes and they are much better. I like having good reliable brakes so I need to either find a way to make the cantilevers better or replace them. What do you suggest?