Why does my old bike feel so slow?

[legrandefromage]

These bikes where sold with narrow chains from new. Both bikes date from around 1984 onward.

 

[Ugo51]

Re:

Yes, the black Peugeot should be from 1985. Not sure the other one, I've always presumed a few years older.

 

[legrandefromage]

 

[legrandefromage]

not as old as you think, the colour bands are mid 1980s and Peugeot were still using cotter pin cranks quite late on.

 

[Ugo51]

Yep, that's it. Minus the brake hoods, which are rubber on my bike.

Yes, I've always assumed the other Peugeot was older because it had cotter pins, but it was just an assumption.

They are very pretty bikes. Not exactly what I'd call a lively frame, but that the Reynolds model are for, or so I'm told.
For my use it's not really worth the swap.

 

[Ugo51]

So, mystery solved!
I got a new chain today and as I lined it up with the old one to measure where to cut, I saw the old one was stretched in total for the length of a whole link!
It's only 7 months old.
Which doesn't mean anything, obviously, but by my reckoning that should equate to about 3500km, which still doesn't feel much for a chain. I was expecting it to last way longer, even using it through the winter (considering there is very little grit in central London, if anything this winter)