Thanks, bulgie. When my Super Course had 27" wheels, I put on MAFAC Racer calipers. They seemed truly better than Weinmanns. The rear pads were pointed down a bit to add reach, and if I didn't pay attention when they wore, they would scrape the tire. There was one day when I got 8 flat tires, and I found that to be the problem. So maybe it's the alloy that MAFAC used was stiffer. Or maybe I luckily got the leverage just right, but the brakes gave me a lot of confidence.

And coincidentally, I was at a hardware store and saw bronze bushings in a bin that looked like the kind I would use on center pull brakes. I should check out the dimensions. That would be pretty cool. Ain't no way I'm paying René Herse prices for bushings.

I have Kool Stop pads on the Weinmanns now. The braking is OK for road but not for gravel.