I had the same problems with my old bike and took a fellow posters advice and bought a pair of Shimano v-brakes AND Shimano levers plus cables. They cost somewhere around 45 euros from CRC and after reading on how to PROPERLY adjust them with correct toe-in, there was a
MASSIVE difference from the stock old brakes. Before looking into other technology, give a good set of V-brakes a chance, except if you need them for anything other than commuting.
Edit: Just remembered something... during last summer, a riding buddy of mine was totally unsatisfied with his brakes (v-brakes), and after fiddling around with them, I noticed that they were cheap quality, slightly warped and the return adjusters where frozen on the bodies. We ordered the cheapest set of Shimano v-brakes available, left the cheap levers on as they were still working and went out for a quick ride after installation/adjustment.
I remember the scene vividly went he went flying over the handlebars (without getting hurt thankfully!) because he was used to mashing on his old brakes! Keep in mind that he too was a Clydesdale at over 110-120kg!
Originally Posted by
stockholm
needed to squeeze the brake really, really tight before it "took", almost crushing your fingers in the process.
A good set of v-brakes needs two fingers and little to medium pressure for normal stopping, anything above that should lock the back wheel and maybe the front one if you're light! (I'm at 125kg, so I haven't tried it yet! lol)