I have not driven to work since May of last year. It was my first winter riding. To be sure it was a warm winter although there were some cold days and some snow days. Coldest was 8F one evening riding home.

I am about to take the plunge and sell my car. My son lent me his aluminum MTB which I fixed up for winter riding. But he's a freshman this year and he took his bike with him. So I'm in the market for a winter rig.

I'm thinking of building my first bike. I want to learn. I have a Surly Troll in mind. I am trying to decide between a 16" or an 18" frame. For comparison, I ride a 54cm LHT. Standover is not a problem but the horizontal top-tube length on the 18" is 4cm longer than my LHT. The LHT has drop bars and I figure riding on the hoods or the drops adds the difference if I put a flat bar on the Troll. Yeah, I'm leaning towards an 18" but I wanted to get some reassurance from the forum before plonking down cash and my time.