Never had a good bike when I was young...got by on mediocre Peugeots and Batavus...then gave up cycling for years, in favour of motorbikes. When I decided to try again, I got an old Dawes off
ebay, which served me fine for a year or so, then I got lucky. A Carlton Criterium.
With no real idea what I'd actually bought (for £21, I remember clearly), I picked it up on the way back from a holiday, stuck it in the back of the car, and drove it home. That was my introduction to what cycling could be. Wonderful machine. Sprightly, tight, way more responsive than anything I'd ever ridden. Ended up having that bike for about four or five years, including periods when I lent it to two different friends, both of whom liked it as much as I had.