Replacing the cables and housings, as well as the pads, may make a dramatic difference for you. Aero handles will boost your braking leverage by about 10%. I am satisfied with the original Weinmann and Mafac centerpulls on my Capos and Peugeot UO-8, and I am not at all happy with the early Campag. sidepulls on my Bianchi, which pale in comparison with the same-generation Galli sidepulls on my Peugeot PKN-10.
My personal ranking of stopping power of my own brakesets:
SunTour RollerCam / Shimano U-brake combo on my mountain bike -- the best
fairly short-reach Galli sidepulls
all of my Weinmann and Mafac centerpulls
short-reach Campag. sidepulls -- the worst
longer-reach Weinmann sidepulls* -- so bad I no longer have any
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* In my one collision with a car, almost exactly 30 years ago, I was abruptly left-hooked while going about 20mph/30kph down a hill. Did my Weinmann sidepulls and Weinmann pads contribute by cheating me out of maximum stopping power? I'll never know, but it is possible.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069