Are mini v’s a good upgrade or are they a compromise that just introduce different problems?
It depends.
If your cantilever brakes are mediocre with mediocre brake pads and you replace them with good Mini V's, good brake pads, brake boosters, compressionless housings and good cables, then it will be a noticable upgrade. The better your cantilever brakes are, the less is the difference.
So my drop bar gravel bike has post mount brakes and is currently fitted with cantilever brakes.
If it's possible for you to switch to disc brakes, then this would be my recommendation.
When it's dry, then good Mini V's with all the measures taken from above are comparable at least to good mechanical disc brakes with compressionless housings and good cables. But in the wet... you already experienced the differences between rim brakes and disc brakes.
My valuation is based on experiences over the years with different bikes equipped with Campagnolo Veloce Mini V, Tektro RX1 Mini V, TRP CX-8.4 Mini V, Suntour XCD and Tektro Oryx cantilever brakes, Avid BB7 Road, TRP Spyre, Spyre-C and Spyre SLC disc brakes.
E.
