Originally Posted by YoKev

For both friction and indexing the Ultegra works great. I have/currently used these with Shimano 8/9 speed and they perform flawlessly. The midge bar is also an excellent choice, I like mine.

Your plan sounds solid! If you're going to be riding on snowy roads, I would recommend a 1.8 to 2 inch knobby. The narrower tires slices through the snow down to the pavement, which is mostly guaranteed traction. If you're feeling saucy, you can buy, or better yet, make your own studded tires to help deal with icy situations.

If you're going to be trail riding, try to get something a little wider perhaps, but you may be limited to your tire/fender choice on an older frame. For trail use, I use 2.5" freeride tires with heavy duty tubes aired down to about 20psi, sometimes less. The added surface area and low psi conforms to ground deformities better, adds to off road traction, and allow me to float over some stuff.