I just went thru my third winter. Once you overcome the weather. Riding in snow isn't as bad as most would think. We went from a two car family to a one car family. And like most winter commuters. I've ridden thru it all. Snowstorms, Blizzards, Icestorms. The secret is getting good gear to stay comfortable. You learn that here on BF in the Winter Forum. My personal low is -14. To prevent the RD from freezing up I put a few drops of oil down the cable housing leading to the RD. Letting it work itself inside the housing. I've never had any problems shifting.