How safe do you guys think the U Lock / Cable for front wheel combo is? I was thinking of going that way.

+1

living in philly makes it hard to believe that you can leave anything unlocked outside for even a minute anywhere. but it may be the culture in tokyo. if you want to see something sad but entertaining, check this out: http://youtube.com/watch?v=J7zb8YXrmIA

or just go look at the philly craigslist bike section and look at all the postings for stolen bikes/parts: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik

I have alot of friends who go to Davis (I'm from Berkeley) and I always hear about bike thefts there. I wouldn't risk leaving my bike out, unlocked.