Nice going with the distance lph! That's hardcore.

I'm going to chip in on the studded tires subject: I got slicks this summer for my mountain bike for the commute to school and I didn't realise what huge difference they made until I had to go back to studs - it sucks!

I actually prefer riding below -10C/14F because that layer of "water" on the ice that makes the roads slippery freezes so you have more traction. Any colder than that though and the grease in my hubs starts complaining and it's more like pedalling a lawnmower. Apparantly industrial type grease that they use in cars has a lower freezing temperature - haven't tried it yet but I've heard it makes a difference.

We had freezing rain today - I was sooo glad of my tires