ks1g and alan, those sites look like they'll be very useful, especially that bikearlington one, so thank you! itll probably come down to driving potential road routes to see if theyre safe if the paths are unmanageable over a 14mi commute.

i've been flirting with the idea of studded tires, now i just have to figure out which bike would be able to accommodate them and if that bike is capable of winter commuting. ive considered drilling holes in the exceptionally broad dropouts of my monocog 29er to be able to put in a rear rack, but that's a whole other beast.