Generally if the cable breaks off at the caliper, it's because the cable was a bit long and we're hitting it as our foot passes by. The cure to that is simply to use a zip tie and tuck it in with the brake caliper.

There are definitely diiferent levels of brake calipers and some indeed do feel "mushy." Hopefully your LBS was able to correct the problem.



http://chasecyclery.blogspot.com