You're starting to sound a lot like Mars Blackmon. It's gotta be the Campagnolo!
Hey, in SoCal it was an "arms race".
No parents willing or capable to pay for the sport, I was on my own.
The psychological element was there.
The "way" was perfectly clean machine, fresh White cloth tape every race, Clement setas.
The Dennis Connor approach to racing.
"No Excuse to Lose"