First racing bike I owned was an old C-dale, SR300 crit with Suntour Blaze... I bought it new for about $600 in 1990. That summer I got myself a job at my LBS, took all the money I made and bought myself a nice 600 ultegra group and a alumi fork. I raced it like that until an ugly crit crash ate my rear d-hanger in 92... I really wish I would have kept that old frame, I gave it to another lbs, they put it up on the wall and it stayed there until the shop burnt down a few years back.