Isn't there an unwritten rule in Amsterdam and some other cities, where there are tons of crappy old bikes around and you can just take one and leave it elsewhere? In Innsbruck that was the case.
Yes, that's what I was referring to with that parenthetical. I understand that to be an aspect of the culture in that city. Really, country, but obviously I specified the city in my comment.
It's kinda interesting because you can have a theft occur from the perspective of a naive visitor but otherwise innocent behavior from the perspective of the "thief".