You should ride one (that fits you, most drop a size). The CC is a very stable bicycle. I can ride it easily without hands simply steering by body shift. I often ride without hands for miles. Loaded it is also stable though not like a LHT. And the sports tourers of yore, many at least, were just leggy racing bikes still with relatively skinny tires, the CC can take 42mm tires and I usually run 32s as pictured. As to brakes, I certainly remember a lot of center pulls on "sports tourers" and especially on those that were not just lower end racers with a longer wheelbase. I guess I was less enthralled with them than you guys.