brakes not working so great..

hey guys (girls too)-

my car is NOT enjoying the winter. lately my brakes have been feeling far less than spectacular. the best way to describe it is this:

they're either on or they're off. The pedal travels very easily to about the halfway point without having much effect on the car's momentum. About halfway down, the pedal gets very hard and will quickly lock the wheels up if i'm not careful (no ABS)

last time i checked, the fluid level looked acceptable. in the spring of last year i replaced my front rotors with cryo-treated, slotted ART products and replaced the front pads at the same time.

no idea on the condition of the back pads, but I knew that the back rotors were feeling a little wiggly..

the only thing i can think is that maybe the brakes need to be bled. i have no idea WHY i think that, but i'm pretty sure it's because i hope it's the solution because it's free to do. anyone with any ideas? feel free to share

-adam