My first "good" bike was bought with a bank loan. Of course it was 4 decades ago, it was a small town locally owned bank and the vice president of the bank was helping to teach me about credit and the responsibilities that go with it. Now as I type that, I'm reminded how thankful I am for that experience to learn to be a responsible citizen and the importance of having a good reputation with a local lender. That seems like an easier row to hoe than the credit score culture big banking has created.