This will be my first winter commuting as well. I hope we can keep this thread going, I'm sure we could all use the support and advice.

I'm a bit apprehensive about wintery road conditions as well. My commute is 100% on urban streets so the two biggest bugaboos are slush and black ice. I'm going to stick with my road slicks for now, at least until I get a feel for how they handle in slippery conditions. From what I've gleaned here on the forums, studs would be overkill for the kind of conditions I will be seeing.

The other issue I've been struggling with is gear. I've almost gotten almost everything I will need, the biggest exception so far being a nice breathable/waterproof jacket. I'm disappointed in the cycling jackets I've been looking at so far. They're all cut for a road-style low profile while on the saddle, which makes them supremely uncomfortable while standing, or sitting mostly upright as I do on my hybrid. I'd like the jacket to be a high-vis color though, and I'm having trouble finding a non-cycling jacket like that.