Originally Posted by
gthomson
That being said, after watching the videos, I think they probably take getting used to but are then loved.
This is not my experience. Cyclocross racers liked them for a while before disc brakes took over because they don't actually want to stop anyway and cantis give you freedom to adjust for mud clearance. Touring riders like them because they leave a lot of room for fenders and they're easy to fix on the road if necessary. When adjusted properly they stop well, but I don't know if I'd say you'll ever love them.
Looking at the bike, another possible issue is the cable pull on the brake levers. Those look like long pull brake levers. That means they pull more cable, but they don't pull it as hard (per unit of hand force) as short pull levers. Cantilever brakes are extremely adjustable, and so you can adapt them to either sort of cable pull, but you'll need to set the pads closer to the rim than you would with short pull levers. If they are long pull levers, the absolute best upgrade you could make, IMO, is switching to V-brakes. You can get a set of used Avid Single Digits for around $35, or maybe $20 for knock off brands. These will give you a response that's much closer to something like a dual pivot caliper brake, which is great for people who don't like to have to use a lot of hand strength to stop the bike.