I'd second the beater bike & fenders. And a good lock like the fahgettaboutit, but it seems like they can break just about anything if they want to. Hence the beater bike. But as far as the studded tires go, I don't think you will need them (I haven't) but then again, if there's a bunch of snow on the ground I usually would leave my bike at home. Snow clears out here in about a day or two and I'm not so die hard that I need to ride in snow covered roads in Brooklyn or the city...