V brakes work well for me, and they're easy to set up and adjust. The nice thing about them is that they don't stick out far past the frame. If you're talking to Peter, I'd be curious to know what his experience with cantilevers has been.
I've had a set of the Tektro long pull road levers on a Xootr Swift I ride through the winter; I haven't had any problems, and they've held up well. I like the comfort of the SRAM levers on my other bike better, but the Tektro's aren't bad.