GeraldS1, just curious, how cold is it in Germany during the winter?
I live on Vancouver Island, on the west coast of Canada and we're pretty well the only place in Canada that doesn't presently have snow.
I'm able to ride all year long, until the temps drop below 2 degrees C. Below that, I worry about ice.
We seldom get snow, but boy-oh-boy do we get a lot of rain.