Well, keep in mind my perspective here...this vintage Raleigh is my first roadie. I picked it up a couple of months ago off of craigslist. I plan for it to be my "primary" bike, because, quite frankly...the bike fits me perfect, seems to have been barely riden, is alot quicker than my MTB, is in pretty good condition, and I can't exactly drop considerable cash on a comtemporary roadie right now. In the last 2 years, I put 5000 miles on a DS Schwinn Ranger MTB that had cantis, and IMO...I felt like I was able to stop NOW. I also felt comfortable riding it anywhere, day or night. I commuted on it during spring and summer as well. So my "component" experience was DS quality (for what its worth)...so my opinion may be slanted. I felt comfortable with it. I did NOT feel totally comfortable riding the Raleigh with the standard brake pads. It seemed as if lithium grease was on the rims...until the KoolStops were put on. As a matter of fact...I wanted to test out the "confidence" psychology and take the roadie out tonite. It was GREAT! Felt totally comfortable, and stopped confidently. (only a 5 mile jaunt...but what the heck!)