I ride year round here in Massachusetts (please no Red Sox jokes..), and my winter bike is really not much different than my summer bike. I use tires with a little bit more tread than my summer slicks, and my b-bike is all aluminum (my summer bike is steel). I snap a rear fender on the seatpost and for lube I use Ice Wax (but I use it in the summer too). If it snows, I'll wait for the streets to be plowed. Lot's of guys I ride with use cross bikesin the winter. Personally, I would rather spend the money on improving my road bikes. Cross tires might not work, it really depends on how much clearance you have. I know on my Pinarello road frames, there's not enough clearance to put anything bigger than a 25mm tire on.