Hey, thanks for the comments wschruba.

The levers were both new out of the box, and I haven't adjusted the reach on either one, so I'm assuming they are the same. Now I have read where some people recommend bleeding with both the free-stroke and the reach adjusted to their "longest" positions, so that is something I might try next.

As far as the bottom bracket curve, I should have mentioned that I had the hose disconnected from the frame so the caliper could hang low and provide a straighter line while bleeding. That is still good to know that area can be troublesome.