RG> Let me tell you how bad these canti. brakes are. 
 RG> When I want to make a complete stop, I have to put 
 RG> my feet down. Last year I was going down a steep 
 RG> hill in the city and at the bottom the light was 
 RG> red. I never panicked so much to try to stop a 
 RG> bike. i nearly rammed a cyclist who was waiting for 
 RG> the light to change.
 
I had a nearly identical situation recently, but I ended up having a meeting 
with an iron railing.  Wheeeee!
 
I went to the local Fred Meyer and bought a pair of El Cheapo side-pull 
caliper brakes.  $9.00 for the whole assembly, including the cheapo brake 
pads and cheapo cable.  So I spent $18.00 + sales tax for two.  Yanked the 
cantilevered center-pull brakes, installed the El Cheapos.
Holy cow, my bike actually stops now!  :-)  And when I want more brake pads, 
those cost $1.79 at Fred Meyer, rather than the $23.95 for just the 
cantilevered pads at the local bike shops.
--- Maximus 2.02
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