Wilbur, you can definitely get away with a single speed in Sactown. The biggest "climb" on my commute is the Sutterville overpass near Hughes Stadium. I just get out of the saddle for a minute and that's it.

I've grew up in the Sacto Valley and I've seen snow flurries and hail, but never freezing rain. My only experience with that was living in Almaty, Kazakhstan. I was walking home one evening and when I reached my apartment I tried closing my umbrella but it was stuck. I yanked on it and then it "shattered." That was weird.