90chris, from the looks of your 1st post pic your vbrakes are made from stamped steel plate. Dunno why but those have a lot of flex in them and are the cheapest to buy. With alloy lever vbrakes you will lock up the front or rear vbrake easily. They stop you on a dime in dry conditions. Also your brake isn't adjusted properly. Both sides should be centered from the rim equally about a 1/4in when the brake handle is at rest. Use the cable to adjust the distance from the rim, then use the adjusting screws to center the pads to the rim. Tightening that screw pushes the pad outward, loosening the screw lets the spring force it towards the rim. The pivot action of the lever must be lubricated well with silcone spray to let the spring do its job. Same goes for the brake handle and cable action. Cable is hard to lube completely, handle and lever action is easy.