@taina
OT: I'm interested in your footnote quote - why did you change it? Villon, sentenced to hanging, wrote "saura mon col que mon cul poise", "my neck will know what my ass weighs", very ww BTW

My heart will know what my ass weighs. Heavier ass, heavier cardiovascular effort, other things being equal. Same goes for heavier belly, heavier bike frame, heavier stem bolts, .... The WW Principle identified with one of its corollaries.

_________________
Saura mon coeur que mon cul poise.

adapted from Rabelais

Rule #9 versus that de-icer shit they put on the roads does present a conundrum.

To the OP: You live in the PNW, if you are going to wait for better weather and dry clean roads then you might not ride much until July .

The secret to surviving the winter in the PNW rainforest is FENDERS. Not clip on crap fenders either, but full fenders. You'll be drier and happier and your bike will stay cleaner. Almost any race frame can take the Crud Mk.II fenders and they actually provide good coverage. But the ultimate solution is a dedicated winter bike that has enough clearance to run full fenders and some big tires. Since you are in Seattle, you should check out: www.hampsten.com Steve can hook you up with a super-sweet winter rig. It won't be weight weenie at all, but it will be a nice ride and you WILL want to ride it on the bad days.