Yellowbeard - I love my Kuwaharas... I aspire to build frames and these give me great inspiration as they really are a great all rounder that can be built up in a myriad of ways.

Tejano - The U brake was used in the mid eighties by many builders and are great in that they offer incredible, if not ridiculous, stopping power. If you read the article you can see how they can have drawbacks. The issues people have with them tend to stem from neglect and inattention and they do require a little higher level of maintainence.

And most people suck at maintaining their bikes...which is good... because that's how I make a living.

PS - The U-brake is a Shimano.