Raleigh Royal Audax / Randonneur

Not sure why you went for a caliper brakes instead of centerpull, the former is generally more powerful with enough clearance.

because new ones are bloody pricey as far as i can tell.

Are the SRAM brake levers nice and large across the width of the hoods? I ask because I have DiaCompe levers on my Surly LHT and I find their narrow width a problem with my increasingly arthritic thumb joints - I'm hoping more width and bulk would offer more support.

go to your lbs and try any bike with sram levers and see (these are the same, just with the innards removed). Personally i found them much more comfortable than my tektro ones.