According to the link to the travel agents I have short pull levers and brakes so I don't think they would help. I did replace the back cable and housing today and shortened the housing from the lever to the first cable stop by several inches. I made sure all the ends were square and had ferules. The lever feels firmer and it seems to stop a little better but that may just be wishful thinking. I still can't lock up the back wheel when solo. The lever doesn't touch the bars. I understand that the NGC 982 brakes are well thought of and these seem to be in excellent condition. I am back to wondering about the braking surface on the rims. They are very smooth and look like they have some kind of a grey coating on the entire wheel, its shiny where the brakes run but you can still see the grey. Has anyone ran into wheels that were too slick other than chrome steel wheels?