A lengthy thread indeed! Will it ever stop or slow down? OK, ok, just couldn't resist the easy target.

For me the interesting part is having a match of the brakes to the bike (without letting great be the enemy of good). Two recent builds -- I took an old Raleigh Robin Hood and built out 700c wheels with a Sturmey Archer 3-speed coaster brake hub on the back and a Shimano short pull brake on the front. Works great as a commuter bike and no issues with weather. After that I built out a touring bike on an old Trek 850 frame, and it has Mavic alloy rims with the original v-brakes and Kool Stop pads (which are fantastic). No trouble braking, even if it is wet. The only place I draw the line is steel rims in the rain -- lots of better ways to exit this life than that.

Graham