At 15 I began my job as an assembler at a big shop in '71. The Stronglight, Nervar and TA cranks were nice but Campy Record was the holy grail. Beautiful anodized finish, strong and precise. Status in our shop required riding at least a Raleigh Professional, International or Competition. When we unboxed our first Fuji Finest everybody else laughed and let the rookie build that piece of "japanese junk". I couldn't believe how smooth the Suntour V/Sugino Mighty drivetrain worked in the stand. The resident guru gave one a spin and stopped laughing. The Mighty Competition quickly became the first choice in crankset upgrades for shop employees as it gave Campy performance for a third of the price.
I couldn't afford anything more than a Super Course TT for my first decent road bike, as I was earning a buck sixty an hour. In '73 the shop owner decided to drop Fuji as it was eating into the sales of pricier european bikes. I snagged a closeout Finest and have been happy with the Mighty Competition for my road use ever since. My only regret is that I couldn't afford the Newest - those drilled out chainrings were sweet!