Greetings, all,
I hope you will pardon a question from a newbie -- new both to the group and to cycling -- which has probably been fielded by the group more than once, but my purchase of an America hinges on the answer: Just how bad are the brakes on the Americas? The reviews I have found both in print and on-line have indicated that the writers were not happy with the front brakes of the BA/America, but none of them ever actually quantified how bad the brakes were. The few messages I managed to find here on the topic tend to reinforce the impression that the brakes on the bike could use some serious redesign, but is the problem the feel of the brakes or is actual stopping distance bad? I had written off a Speed Four based on the combination of my relative inexperience and reports of the Speed Four's brakes being to sharp for neophytes, but now I wonder if perhaps the America's brakes are dangerously inadequate or if the factory has addressed the reputed problems. I am not interested in jetting about like Squidly Diddly, but I would like to be able to come to a reasonably fast stop without having to invert bike and rider to do it.
If the brakes are inadequate from the factory, is there a proven fix for the problem that doesn't involve hundreds of dollars of rework?
Many thanks in advance for your help.
