I 'inherited' my older sister's 24-inch balloon-tire behemoth in the mid-'60s. Then I started riding my dad's JC Higgins (Sears) 3-speed 'English racer', before getting my own Sears Free Spirit three-speed in ~1970. Then 1974, when the frame of my Sears three-speed broke at a weld (due to rust-through) the second time, I got my first Fuji Special Tourer. That one got stolen at only three months, to be replaced with the identical color/make/model/size. I rode that all over the West- Cleveland suburbs since my parents would not let me drive until 18... Then two years later, in the Fall of '76, I got my first 'serious' 10-speed - the blue Fuji S-10S that I still have (and ride) today. I rode the tires off that Fuji while attending Ohio State '76-77, including many organized Century rides...
So I guess I've only been a 'serious cyclist' for 43 years...