Just did a really quick, imprecise measurement on the front brakes. I have about 13cm of cable from the straddle to either brake arm. That's not counting any of the horizontal cable taken up by the straddle. Also the brake pads are quite low on the arms, nearly bottomed out up front for what it's worth (I could probably get a 650b wheel in there and still use the brakes, hmmmm). To be more specific: they still feel like Cantilever brakes. Which is to say, nearly any V brake will instantly outpower them with minimal set up time. But they feel a whole lot less mushy than the old horrible brakes. Probably most of it has to do with just how impossible it is to set up those old school canti pads without throwing my bike off a bridge, so I settle for "well, it stops me usually". They feel as good as any canti I've set up, and stop quite well, with much less hand strength required before lock up. I'm also much less critical of "braking power" than many people, and I actually prefer needing to use a bit of force before lock up as I've had a bit of a bad injury due to an accidental skid out in gravel with skinny tires + disk brakes...

The biggest improvement for me is peace of mind knowing the next time I need pads it will be a dream, even if I replace the whole thing and not just a cartridge. I figure the main adjustments won't have to be touched for a few years of every day commuting otherwise. I really did no fine tuning of the straddle, I just put it nearly as long as it would go with the supplied cable, since I am running 2.25" tires AND fenders.