Giving people free X might work where everyone's need for X is very similar, and the cost to organize the purchase and giving is less than providing dollars earmarked for something.
But for bikes in particular, this sounds like a disaster. Not everybody wants a bike, but if it's free, they'll probably take it. But bikes come in all sizes, so we have to stock a lot of them, or just have a 'flexible' bike which isn't well suited for anyone. Meanwhile, it's very hard to sell a bike outside the system, because who would buy a bike that isn't free.
I like the idea of giving people some money, and let them figure out what's important to them. If you trash your free bike, no big deal, it was free. If you trash your bike that you bought with free money, you're going to wish you spent your free money on something else. If you spend your free money on dumb stuff and have to eat topramen for the rest of the month, maybe you'll do better next month (or maybe you'll get really good at making top ramen).
But for bikes in particular, this sounds like a disaster. Not everybody wants a bike, but if it's free, they'll probably take it. But bikes come in all sizes, so we have to stock a lot of them, or just have a 'flexible' bike which isn't well suited for anyone. Meanwhile, it's very hard to sell a bike outside the system, because who would buy a bike that isn't free.
I like the idea of giving people some money, and let them figure out what's important to them. If you trash your free bike, no big deal, it was free. If you trash your bike that you bought with free money, you're going to wish you spent your free money on something else. If you spend your free money on dumb stuff and have to eat topramen for the rest of the month, maybe you'll do better next month (or maybe you'll get really good at making top ramen).