V-brakes with Tektro RL-520 levers. Just switched over my touring bike to this from Avid Squealie 6s and broken STI levers JB-Welded together. My new setup is superior in the following ways:

-the RL-520 levers have a superior hood shape which supports my palm across its entire span, vs the STI hoods which only support my palm at both ends, which lead to huge calluses at those two points and lots of pain on long touring days.

-the RL-520 levers have a shorter reach than the STI levers which works well with my shortish fingers.

-the RL-520 levers, combined with the reduced lever forces required for v-brakes, allow for secure emergency-intensity braking from the hoods. This was not previously possible.

-the V-brakes (just deore-level tektros) are far more powerful than my squealies ever were and they modulate just as well. The older design Avid Shorties are not considered to be a very good example of a canti brake, however.

-the canti-cable setup conflicted with my top shelf front rack; large items placed on the top shelf would push the cable against the top tube and braking required the extra force of pushing the entire load forward out of the way. This could easily have led to cable failure with a sufficiently restrained top load.


More than the other issues, I'm happy with my switch because I'm happier with the ergonomics of the RL-520 levers, which I think are fantastic. I think if you're going to run a drop bar setup, that's probably a more important consideration than V or canti.