My first 10-speed when I was 10 or 11 was a Royce Union. Nothing special, obviously, but I didn't know any different at the time. Got me started on 10-speeds and did everything else it needed to do. I vaguely remember steel Shimano derailleurs (Lark), cottered cranks, and Dia-Compe alloy side-pull brakes. The brakes & levers were the only alloy on the bike. It was stolen within a couple of years. I was relegated to my junk-built but fun mustang-style bike for a year or more after that, then got my first quality 10-speed, an Empire Professional, which I never left unattended.