My rides will likely be between 25 to 30 minutes I'm assuming because this will be my first winter commuting over snow.

I have a bike, a GT Grade and you're, right, I'm likely overanalyzing this but it's better to know what to be prepared for I guess. I'm going to end up keeping the bike outside but protected from direct elements like fauna dn snow at work and likely bring the bike inside at home to thaw out. I've read that this exacerbates rust and freezing problems because of the thaw and such but I'm house hinting now and maybe I won't have to do that if I buy something with a garage or shed.

Interesting that about having the snow stuck to places on the frame. I thought fenders would help mitigate that but even the stays seem to be collection points