I took it for a longer ride today, only 15 miles but still long enough to get a feel, and the brakes just suck. I had drilled out the shifter barrel and the old cable finally came out and with a new cable it shifts just like new, which is to say crappy but workable. 11 speed Di2 it is NOT, but it works.

There are 3 issues with the braking. First, the levers themselves are not comfortable to hold, the hoods slide around and they are just angled wrong. Second, the calipers are very flexy and make for a spongy stop. Third, the pads are old in any case and don't stop well. On top of that the cables are frayed at the ends so are not reusable even though they don't present any issue. I'd feel more comfortable just replacing them anyway. I figure between the levers, the pads and the cables I'm already spending about 75% of what a completely new setup would cost. I looked around and see that the most current 105 calipers are relatively cheap, and I've used Tektro road levers in the past as they are a Campy copy. Anybody think they won't be a good combo? And do the Tektros come with cables?

The bike has a long housing from the levers to the brakes, but I've always preferred open cable between stops on the top tube as it is stiffer. Any reason not to do that?

And one more thing, that bike is a rocket. It is stiff as hell and feels it when you stand. I want to put my power meter pedals on it to see how it does.