Hi Richard,

Is it the 7500fx that's arriving in December?

There's lots of stuff you ought to have for winter cycling - good lights, the proper clothes and so on. My first priority if you're riding on hardpack snow and ice is studded tires. And you'd probably be doing yourself a favour by going with Nokians. I use the Nokian Mount and Ground - winter where I live is kinda severe in terms of icy roads and cold temps. Check out the Nokian website and if the price scares you, maybe check out the reviews of their tires (and others) on the Mountain Bike Review website.