Reddit mentions of TRP RRL Brake Lever Aluminum Black

Sure you can.

If you opt for the older non "aero" brake levers, so they're called, you will only have to undo the bar tape from the bottom to the lever mounts. There's likely a bolt, 5mm, that you access from the front of the lever. You may need to push the cable out of the way to access it.

If you're going down this road, I recommend undoing all the bar tape and going for the so-called aero brake levers, which often feature levers that "blade" outward, so that you can more easily access them from the sides of the drops, but more importantly, are generally much larger and vastly more comfortable to hold. The cables are routed internally, under the bar tape, rather than on the outside.

Here are some models:

• cheap: Tektro RL340
  
• with modern flat hood angle: TRP RRL
  
• fancier: SRAM S500
  
  TRP and Tektro make many other varieties to fit your brake cable pull needs, etc.
  
  EDIT: some more things I thought of, plus added (non-affiliate) links above.
  
  You can replace with non-aero brake levers (so called, because the cable is routed externally), or just replace the hood (grippy part). It will cost you the least effort.
  
  The aero brake levers do have other advantages I forgot to mention:
  
• quick-release: when changing out a flat, you should disable rim brakes to spread them, in order to more easily drop the wheel out. While many rim brakes feature quick releases (/u/Synchillas , yours do, by the way), you can add even more quick-release at the brake lever. The RL340s & the TRP RRLs, I know for a fact, have pins that limit their travel. Simply push them to the other position & your brakes will open even more.
  
• return spring: May be an advantage or not. Even in the absence of cable tension, at least the RL340 levers will return to their original, not-activated position. It's neater & prevents the lever from rattling if your brake cable tension is inadequate. Note many, if not all modern brifter units do this. However, some may rightly argue that it's more obvious that your cable tension is (unsafely) inadequate if there is no return spring, since you'll readily see the lever being all floppy, before you pull the brake.
  
  I do hate the fact that the fixing bolt (5 mm hex) is obscured by the brake cable in many brake levers. This is a nuisance if you ever want to just fine-adjust the position of the brake levers, or after a crash & they got bent.
  
  Shimano & SRAM fixed this by relocating the bolt outside. I'm not sure if this is the case with the SRAM S500 levers, but I suspect it would be.
  
  Furthermore, if you come across dysfunctional brifters (shift + brake combos, AKA STI), you can trivially substitute them in & just use the brake function, which should never have issues. I've done this a few times & occasionally your LBSes will discard these brifters, leaving you with a free pair of brake levers. Sometimes they are much nicer than dedicated brake levers.
  
  Here is a short review of the TRP RRL levers. The user does a comparison with the non-aero variety you have, & explains the use of the shim which gives a more modern (IMO significantly more comfortable) flat transition from bar to hood.

I ran mini-v's over the last winter for what you describe. They were more powerful for the late summer (dry) single track rides but I found that the mud/grit/salt in my area was prone to getting stuck between the pads and rim/tires which made terrible noises, reduced my braking, and eroded ... everything. I'm going back to wide cantis for the rough weather. Discs would probably be the best for single track but might be overkill for anything less.

Try out different brake levers before you buy. I switched from these to these and think that was a bigger upgrade than switching from cantis to mini-v's.