Help! Is it me or is it the brakes? and should I get an upgrade of some sort?

[SadieKate]

One more thing I've never seen us talk about on this forum (or at least don't remember) and that is crappy brake cable housing.

All cable housing is not the same. Campy, Shimano, Avid and Nokon (to name a few) are very stiff and may be lined which means that you lose less efficiency in the system as you compress the cable. A lot of the off-brand stuff is very flimsy and causes mushy braking. Much of the pretty colored housing is this flimsy stuff. Many times a less-than quality shop looking to save a few cents will stock this cheap stuff by the roll and use it when tuning up or building up bikes.

Long story I'll avoid, but a friend borrowed a FS mtb bike from me and, before returning it, took it to a mechanic friend at REI where she was moonlighting at the time. Her intentions were good to have it all tuned and spiffed up before returning it to me. Doofas brain mechanic pulled off my very expensive, stiff and sealed Avid Flak Jackets and replaced with mushy crap housing "because the cables were too short." Well, the mechanic forgot that we had temporarily put a longer stem on the bike just for the friend to test the bike. The brake levers would immediately bottom out with this cheap housing. Cost me a lot of money and effort to re-cable my brakes as Avid Flak Jackets aren't a quick install.

Anyway, one more thing to consider in the efficiency of your brakes.