Originally Posted by Aeroplane
That sounds like an awesome service. The only downsides that I see:
1. What if you are extremely tall/short? You might have to walk for a long way until you find a bike in your size.
2. What's to keep somebody from closing the lock, and just riding off with the bike? Also, I think it'd probably be worth your time to remove the lock and get a free bike. They've probably got solutions for this problem, but I'd be interested to hear what they are.
Chain is locked, too. That's why some of these bikes aren't really locked to anything. Besides, they are not allowed beyond city - Police will keep an eye on them out of bounds. Of course you can steal one if you really want, but the loss they incure must not be enough to cease the service. Amazing thing is that it still works - I was living in Berlin in 2003/2004 and the service was already in.