With a grin as warm as the hat and gloves he wears against the cold Toronto air, Michael Juzepczuk doesn't let winter weather deter him from hopping on his bike.

The Toronto native has been riding his bike in the city for at least 12 years and isn't afraid of frigid temperatures or a few snowflakes.

"It's my favourite form of transportation," he said.

Juzepczuk says he's aware of the extra dangers of winter biking, but that doesn't deter him completely.

"I've lost my inhibitions on roads. I seek it as a crazy thrill," he said. "I take it as a risk upon myself."

Urban cycling advocate Yvonne Bambrick, also a year-round biker, said that cyclists should go with their comfort level.

"For folks afraid of cycling for the stated reason that it's icy and snowy you can rest assure that those conditions are not everyday," she said. "It is actually quite feasible to ride comfortably if you dress appropriately and keep some things in mind."

She said one thing she does at the beginning of the season is avoid riding her bike during the first few snow days of the season

"Those first couple of snowfalls is when you hear about collisions with cars, people just haven't put their snow tires on or just aren't used to it yet," she said. "I try to leave a pause there."

Bixis in the winter:

Bixi, a bike-sharing system, was introduced in Toronto this May, joining Montreal and Ottawa. Bixi debuted in Montreal in May 2009 and in Ottawa in May 2011.

The system lets cyclists pick up a bike at one of the stations sprinkled downtown and ride within the city. When finished running errands or riding the trails, the cyclist then drops the bike off at any other nearby station.

This year in Toronto, the Bixi system will be in operation during the winter – something that is not done in Montreal and Ottawa where bikes are put away for the season. Toronto is the first Canadian city to operate a bike-sharing system in the winter.

Michel Philibert, director of communications for Bixi, said that the year-long program makes sense in Toronto.

"From the very beginning of the Toronto program, we thought we could run it all year long because, you have a winter, but you don't have much snow," he said.

He said that bikes are built to withstand the winter weather and he is confident that Torontonians will be hopping on Bixis this winter.

However, one new Bixi biker says he is unsure whether he will be able to ride the bikes during the cold and wind of winter.

Kayode Atobatele, who started last month to commute to work from Union Station, said he is going to try to keep cycling as long as he can.

"Usually I walk for 20 to 25 minutes, now I ride for about seven minutes; it saves me more than half an hour everyday," he said.

Bambrick, who has tried out the Bixi bikes, said she thinks keeping the bikes operational year-round is an interesting idea.

"I think the bikes themselves are robust enough certainly to handle the light snow that we sometimes get here," she said, "I think that they can weather the winter."

Bambrick said it makes sense for those days when it's just cold and bike riders may want to take a quick trip.

"If it's not icy or snowy out I think people will continue to take Bixi because it's a great transportation option for short trips in the city, as it's intended to be," she said.

"More and more people are cycling over the winter and there's no reason to not give it a try considering our climate compared to Montreal's."

Philibert said that if the Toronto winter program is a success than it could mean bringing the year-round system to Montreal.

"We'll be following the season very seriously because if we want to do winter service in Montreal, we will be inspired by the experience of Toronto," he said.

More tips on staying safe while winter cycling:

• Practice riding and braking during the first snowfall to get your "snow legs."

• Slow down.

• Dress appropriately. Because winter coats are often dark, wear a reflective vest or sash.

• Protect your eyes with a warm hat with a peak on it, clear glasses at night or ski goggles.

• Keep your ears covered but make sure you're maintaining your hearing.

• Wear good gloves and good warm boots.

• Give yourself a chance to warm up, you don't want to shock your system.

• But don't overdress either. You will warm up quickly exerting energy on your ride.