Originally Posted by cyccommute

Having the brakes engage at about the half way point is the way that many people and shops set up their brakes. They, mistakenly, think that this gives more braking power because you can squeeze harder with a closed fist than with extended fingers. What they fail to realize is that by setting up the brakes this way, the fulcrum of the lever is shortened and you actually lose braking power. There may even be method to the madness because if the brakes are set up to engage on a short lever throw, the possibility of the customer going over the bars is increased and so is the possibility of a lawsuit.
You can adjust the brake pads inward yourself, treidm. DannoXYZ provides all the information that you need.