I grew up in the southern U.S., and this is my first time experiencing what you might call a real winter. I've been biking to work since I moved here and I'd like to give winter bike commuting an honest effort. I really don't mind the cold a bit, but I hopped on this afternoon and made it about a block before I had to cross some streetcar tracks and ended up on my ass, luckily with only a bruised ego. I promptly locked up my bike and walked to work, but I saw a fair number of others powering through unscathed.

I'd like to tap the wisdom of the winter veterans out there. It's not as if I've never been around snow and ice, and I know the basics for staying rubber-side down in bad conditions. Even today, I was taking it slow and steady and I didn't make any sudden movements, but clearly my skills need work. So, if you bike downtown through the winter:

• What are your tips for handling poor conditions traffic?
• What routes do you stick to or avoid?
• Do the bike lanes get lost to plowed snow as in many other places?
• Under what conditions do you hang up your helmet and walk or take transit?
• Does the Toronto winter require winterizing your bike (studded tires, covered storage, etc)? I keep up my own maintenance, so I don't mind putting in some work to keep things moving, but I don't have much room on my frame for tires wider than 28-30mm.

Thanks for any advice!

*TL,DR: Can I keep biking through the winter here, and if so, how? *